How To Become A Mechanical Detailer: What It Is and Career Path

What is a mechanical detailer and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

3 min read

The average mechanical detailer salary is $41,030. The most common degree is a high school diploma degree with an drafting and design major. It usually takes 1-2 years of experience to become a mechanical detailer. Mechanical detailers with a Automotive Sales Professional certification earn more money. Between 2018 and 2028, the career is expected to grow 1% and produce 10,600 job opportunities across the U.S.

ScoreMechanical DetailerUS Average

Salary

3.2

Avg. Salary $41,030

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level

7.7

Growth rate 1%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity

8.6

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.81%

Asian 5.13%

Black or African American 10.03%

Hispanic or Latino 18.66%

Unknown 4.27%

White 61.10%

Gender

female 8.33%

male 91.67%

Age - 39

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 39

Stress level

7.7

Stress level is high

7.1 - high

Complexity level

8.7

Complexity level is advanced

7 - challenging

Work life balance

3.2

Work life balance is poor

6.4 - fair

Key steps to become a mechanical detailer

Explore mechanical detailer education requirements

Most common mechanical detailer degrees

High School Diploma

40.3 %

Associate

28.6 %

Diploma

13.0 %

Start to develop specific mechanical detailer skills

Skills	Percentages
Customer Vehicles	18.28%
CAD	17.27%
Solidworks	12.74%
Shop Drawings	12.14%
HVAC	8.72%

Complete relevant mechanical detailer training and internships

Accountants spend an average of 6-12 months on post-employment, on-the-job training. New mechanical detailers learn the skills and techniques required for their job and employer during this time. The chart below shows how long it takes to gain competency as a mechanical detailer based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real mechanical detailer resumes.

Research mechanical detailer duties and responsibilities

Manage document collation for field distribution of MEP plans to shop and field.
Heat treat of metal.operate CNC lathes, CNC mills, CNC grinders.
Do mostly foreign and domestic cars, SUV and commercial diesel truck.
Maintain equipment, rebuild spindles, install motors, gearboxes, perform preventative maintenance.

Get mechanical detailer experience

Generally, it takes 1-2 years to become a mechanical detailer. The most common roles before becoming a mechanical detailer include mechanic, mechanical designer team lead and forklift operator.

Prepare your mechanical detailer resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your mechanical detailer resume.

You can use Zippia's AI resume builder to make the resume writing process easier while also making sure that you include key information that hiring managers expect to see on a mechanical detailer resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

Choose from 10+ customizable mechanical detailer resume templates

Build a professional mechanical detailer resume in minutes. Browse through our resume examples to identify the best way to word your resume. Then choose from 10+ resume templates to create your mechanical detailer resume.