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The differences between lube technicians and shop 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 a shop technician. Additionally, a shop technician has an average salary of $36,798, 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 shop technician are preventative maintenance, routine maintenance, and diagnosis.
| Lube Technician | Shop Technician | |
| Yearly salary | $29,959 | $36,798 |
| Hourly rate | $14.40 | $17.69 |
| Growth rate | 1% | 4% |
| Number of jobs | 131,008 | 150,349 |
| Job satisfaction | 4.5 | - |
| Most common degree | High School Diploma, 53% | High School Diploma, 30% |
| Average age | 40 | 42 |
| 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.
Shop Technicians are skilled workers assigned to a retail store. Their main activities depend on the nature of the business their company is in. Usually, Shop Technicians work with machines in the shop. They conduct repair and maintenance work for machines that have long been in the shop. They are also in charge of installing and building new machines as well. Shop Technicians are assigned to manage records of such machines or s other mechanical items in the store. This is part of the administrative activities they may do for the shop.
Lube technicians and shop technicians have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Lube Technician | Shop Technician | |
| Average salary | $29,959 | $36,798 |
| Salary range | Between $23,000 And $37,000 | Between $25,000 And $53,000 |
| Highest paying City | Denver, CO | San Leandro, CA |
| Highest paying state | Washington | Alaska |
| Best paying company | Martin Marietta | Los Alamos National Laboratory |
| Best paying industry | Retail | Energy |
There are a few differences between a lube technician and a shop technician in terms of educational background:
| Lube Technician | Shop Technician | |
| Most common degree | High School Diploma, 53% | High School Diploma, 30% |
| Most common major | Automotive Technology | Automotive Technology |
| Most common college | - | - |
Here are the differences between lube technicians' and shop technicians' demographics:
| Lube Technician | Shop Technician | |
| Average age | 40 | 42 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 93.7% Female, 6.3% | Male, 91.9% Female, 8.1% |
| 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, 8.0% Unknown, 5.0% Hispanic or Latino, 18.2% Asian, 2.4% White, 65.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.1% |
| LGBT Percentage | 2% | 2% |