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The differences between car washers and automotive detailers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a car washer has an average salary of $28,701, which is higher than the $28,357 average annual salary of an automotive detailer.
The top three skills for a car washer include clean vehicle, customer satisfaction and cleanliness. The most important skills for an automotive detailer are work ethic, cleanliness, and customer vehicles.
| Car Washer | Automotive Detailer | |
| Yearly salary | $28,701 | $28,357 |
| Hourly rate | $13.80 | $13.63 |
| Growth rate | 6% | 6% |
| Number of jobs | 41,702 | 37,088 |
| Job satisfaction | 3 | - |
| Most common degree | High School Diploma, 64% | High School Diploma, 51% |
| Average age | 38 | 38 |
| Years of experience | - | - |
A car washer is responsible for cleaning and polishing cars, ensuring efficiency and customer satisfaction. Their tasks typically include vacuuming the interior parts such as seats and floors, discarding the trash, cleaning the windows and windshield from the inside and outside, applying soap solution to the car's exterior, scraping off dirt, and applying wax. They may also answer customer inquiries, provide cost estimates, and assist them as needed. Moreover, a car washer typically works in a team setting, which requires an active communication line for a smooth and efficient workflow.
An automotive detailer typically works at car shops and dealerships, where they primarily focus on the upkeep of a car's interior and exterior. Their responsibilities revolve around understanding the clients' needs and preferences, cleaning the vehicles according to protocols and client requests, scraping off dirt, coordinating with paint technicians and mechanics, operating devices and machinery such as vacuums and buffers, and adhering to timelines and budgets. Moreover, an automotive detailer also monitors the inventory of supplies and handles calls and correspondence.
Car washers and automotive detailers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Car Washer | Automotive Detailer | |
| Average salary | $28,701 | $28,357 |
| Salary range | Between $22,000 And $35,000 | Between $22,000 And $35,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Jose, CA | Seattle, WA |
| Highest paying state | Washington | Washington |
| Best paying company | Westside | Mars |
| Best paying industry | Transportation | Retail |
There are a few differences between a car washer and an automotive detailer in terms of educational background:
| Car Washer | Automotive Detailer | |
| Most common degree | High School Diploma, 64% | High School Diploma, 51% |
| Most common major | Business | Automotive Technology |
| Most common college | - | - |
Here are the differences between car washers' and automotive detailers' demographics:
| Car Washer | Automotive Detailer | |
| Average age | 38 | 38 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 86.5% Female, 13.5% | Male, 89.4% Female, 10.6% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 13.8% Unknown, 5.7% Hispanic or Latino, 19.8% Asian, 4.4% White, 55.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.1% | Black or African American, 11.9% Unknown, 4.9% Hispanic or Latino, 13.4% Asian, 4.6% White, 64.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.9% |
| LGBT Percentage | 5% | 5% |