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The differences between lube technicians and service technicians can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 1-2 years to become a lube technician, becoming a service technician takes usually requires 6-12 months. Additionally, a service technician has an average salary of $40,379, 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 a service technician are plumbing, customer service, and preventative maintenance.
| Lube Technician | Service Technician | |
| Yearly salary | $29,959 | $40,379 |
| Hourly rate | $14.40 | $19.41 |
| Growth rate | 1% | 8% |
| Number of jobs | 131,008 | 254,533 |
| Job satisfaction | 4.5 | - |
| Most common degree | High School Diploma, 53% | Associate Degree, 29% |
| Average age | 40 | 44 |
| Years of experience | 2 | 12 |
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.
Service technicians are assigned in the field to address the concerns of their clients. Service technicians are responsible for the installation, maintenance, or repair of different units or items related to their company's products or services. They should be familiar with their company's products so that they can properly install, maintain, or repair them. They conduct diagnostics and analysis to assess the condition of the unit they are servicing and properly address problems. They also do routine maintenance check-ups. Service technicians are expected to be trustworthy, have good analytical skills, and have good decision-making skills.
Lube technicians and service technicians have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Lube Technician | Service Technician | |
| Average salary | $29,959 | $40,379 |
| Salary range | Between $23,000 And $37,000 | Between $28,000 And $57,000 |
| Highest paying City | Denver, CO | Richmond, CA |
| Highest paying state | Washington | Hawaii |
| Best paying company | Martin Marietta | IBM |
| Best paying industry | Retail | Technology |
There are a few differences between a lube technician and a service technician in terms of educational background:
| Lube Technician | Service Technician | |
| Most common degree | High School Diploma, 53% | Associate Degree, 29% |
| Most common major | Automotive Technology | Business |
| Most common college | - | - |
Here are the differences between lube technicians' and service technicians' demographics:
| Lube Technician | Service Technician | |
| Average age | 40 | 44 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 93.7% Female, 6.3% | Male, 89.2% Female, 10.8% |
| 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, 5.1% Unknown, 3.8% Hispanic or Latino, 15.8% Asian, 1.7% White, 72.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7% |
| LGBT Percentage | 2% | 1% |