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The differences between lube technicians and auto technicians can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 1-2 years to become both a lube technician and an auto technician. Additionally, an auto technician has an average salary of $41,435, which is higher than the $29,959 average annual salary of a lube technician.
The top three skills for a lube technician include work ethic, customer service and hand tools. The most important skills for an auto technician are taking care, preventive maintenance, and customer vehicles.
| Lube Technician | Auto Technician | |
| Yearly salary | $29,959 | $41,435 |
| Hourly rate | $14.40 | $19.92 |
| Growth rate | 1% | 1% |
| Number of jobs | 131,008 | 131,515 |
| Job satisfaction | 4.5 | 2 |
| Most common degree | High School Diploma, 53% | High School Diploma, 38% |
| Average age | 40 | 40 |
| Years of experience | 2 | 2 |
A Lube Technician specializes in automotive repairs and maintenance, focusing on lubricating particular engine parts. However, Lube Technicians can also conduct necessary inspection and maintenance of vehicles, change oil or filter, replace parts such as engines and batteries, and perform tire changes or inflation. A Lube Technician usually works as a member of a team or company, so it is essential to have efficient communication, coordination, attention to detail, and build rapport with clients to establish a client-base.
An auto technician specializes in performing inspections, repairs, and maintenance on different automotive vehicles ranging from small cars to light trucks. Their responsibilities revolve around identifying issues using various diagnostic tools to determine which course of action to take, discussing the extent of repairs to clients, and ordering car parts from suppliers. There are also instances when an auto technician may have the task of maintaining the cleanliness of the workplace, or participate in record-keeping and monitoring the inventory.
Lube technicians and auto technicians have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Lube Technician | Auto Technician | |
| Average salary | $29,959 | $41,435 |
| Salary range | Between $23,000 And $37,000 | Between $28,000 And $59,000 |
| Highest paying City | Denver, CO | Sterling, VA |
| Highest paying state | Washington | Washington |
| Best paying company | Martin Marietta | Deloitte |
| Best paying industry | Retail | Retail |
There are a few differences between a lube technician and an auto technician in terms of educational background:
| Lube Technician | Auto Technician | |
| Most common degree | High School Diploma, 53% | High School Diploma, 38% |
| Most common major | Automotive Technology | Automotive Technology |
| Most common college | - | - |
Here are the differences between lube technicians' and auto technicians' demographics:
| Lube Technician | Auto Technician | |
| Average age | 40 | 40 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 93.7% Female, 6.3% | Male, 95.1% Female, 4.9% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 9.3% Unknown, 4.3% Hispanic or Latino, 20.4% Asian, 5.4% White, 59.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8% | Black or African American, 9.7% Unknown, 4.2% Hispanic or Latino, 19.5% Asian, 5.0% White, 60.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8% |
| LGBT Percentage | 2% | 2% |