What does a detail technician do?
Detail technician responsibilities
Here are examples of responsibilities from real detail technician resumes:
- Detail interior and exterior of travel trailers and RV's.
- Dust cleaned wash waxed vacuum shampoo entire campers RV units.
- Provide professional automobile detailing services with a variety of cleaning techniques and products to ensure the desired level of superior cleanliness.
- Serve as liaison between DriveTime and external repair and supply vendors.
- Investigate transmission errors for DriveTime lot vehicles.
Detail technician skills and personality traits
We calculated that 40% of Detail Technicians are proficient in Customer Vehicles, Customer Service, and Dexterity. They’re also known for soft skills such as Customer-service skills, Hand-eye coordination, and Listening skills.
We break down the percentage of Detail Technicians that have these skills listed on their resume here:
- Customer Vehicles, 40%
Performed interior and exterior details on customer vehicles.
- Customer Service, 11%
Detail inside/outside vehicles Service vehicles for oil changes and minor repairs Customer service Balance/change/rotate tires
- Dexterity, 8%
Produced between 10-14 hours of work on a regular 8-hour workday requiring prolonged physical dexterity and organizational skills.
- Exterior Surfaces, 7%
Assist in cleaning exterior surfaces using tools such as pressure washing, mechanical buffers, and polishing compounds.
- Engine Compartment, 5%
Cleaned engine and engine compartment with steam-cleaning equipment and various cleaning agents.
- Rinse, 5%
Rinse objects and place them on drying racks or use cloth, squeegees, or air compressors to dry surfaces.
Most detail technicians use their skills in "customer vehicles," "customer service," and "dexterity" to do their jobs. You can find more detail on essential detail technician responsibilities here:
Customer-service skills. To carry out their duties, the most important skill for a detail technician to have is customer-service skills. Their role and responsibilities require that "hand laborers and material movers who work with the public, such as grocery baggers or carwash attendants, must be pleasant and courteous to customers." Detail technicians often use customer-service skills in their day-to-day job, as shown by this real resume: "clean and remove grease on engines or engine compartments based on customer and dealership requests. "
Hand-eye coordination. Another soft skill that's essential for fulfilling detail technician duties is hand-eye coordination. The role rewards competence in this skill because "most hand laborers and material movers use their arms and hands to manipulate objects or move objects into specific positions." According to a detail technician resume, here's how detail technicians can utilize hand-eye coordination in their job responsibilities: "used manual dexterity and bodily coordination to perform an array of tasks. "
Listening skills. Another skill that relates to the job responsibilities of detail technicians is listening skills. This skill is critical to many everyday detail technician duties, as "hand laborers and material movers follow instructions that a supervisor gives them." This example from a resume shows how this skill is used: "polish and buff vehicle exterior and ensure that any additional maintenance needs such as tire rotation are communicated to the customer. "
Physical stamina. A big part of what detail technicians do relies on "physical stamina." You can see how essential it is to detail technician responsibilities because "hand laborers and material movers need the endurance to perform strenuous tasks, such as moving or cleaning objects, throughout the day." Here's an example of how this skill is used from a resume that represents typical detail technician tasks: "produced between 10-14 hours of work on a regular 8-hour workday requiring prolonged physical dexterity and organizational skills. "
The three companies that hire the most detail technicians are:
- Dent Wizard42 detail technicians jobs
- AutoNation13 detail technicians jobs
- Park Ave Motor Corp5 detail technicians jobs
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Compare different detail technicians
Detail technician vs. Truck washer
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.
These skill sets are where the common ground ends though. The responsibilities of a detail technician are more likely to require skills like "customer vehicles," "customer service," "dexterity," and "manual dexterity." On the other hand, a job as a truck washer requires skills like "minor maintenance," "cdl," "dot," and "safety regulations." As you can see, what employees do in each career varies considerably.
Truck washers earn the highest salaries when working in the retail industry, with an average yearly salary of $41,310. On the other hand, detail technicians are paid more in the manufacturing industry with an average salary of $29,312.truck washers tend to reach similar levels of education than detail technicians. In fact, truck washers are 0.8% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree and 0.0% less likely to have a Doctoral Degree.Detail technician vs. Hydroblaster
Each career also uses different skills, according to real detail technician resumes. While detail technician responsibilities can utilize skills like "customer vehicles," "customer service," "dexterity," and "manual dexterity," hydroblasters use skills like "safety procedures," "hydro blasting," "twic," and "vac truck."
Hydroblasters earn similar levels of education than detail technicians in general. They're 1.2% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree and 0.0% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Detail technician vs. Car washer
The required skills of the two careers differ considerably. For example, detail technicians are more likely to have skills like "dexterity," "manual dexterity," "exterior surfaces," and "engine compartment." But a car washer is more likely to have skills like "clean vehicle," "cleanliness," "rental cars," and "work ethic."
Car washers make a very good living in the transportation industry with an average annual salary of $29,989. On the other hand, detail technicians are paid the highest salary in the manufacturing industry, with average annual pay of $29,312.When it comes to education, car washers tend to earn similar degree levels compared to detail technicians. In fact, they're 1.1% less likely to earn a Master's Degree, and 0.1% less likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.Detail technician vs. Lot porter
Types of detail technician
Updated January 8, 2025
