Mechanical detailer vs alignment technician

The differences between mechanical detailers and alignment 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 mechanical detailer and an alignment technician. Additionally, a mechanical detailer has an average salary of $41,030, which is higher than the $38,020 average annual salary of an alignment technician.

The top three skills for a mechanical detailer include customer vehicles, CAD and solidworks. The most important skills for an alignment technician are customer service, hand tools, and power steering.

Mechanical detailer vs alignment technician overview

	Mechanical Detailer	Alignment Technician
Yearly salary	$41,030	$38,020
Hourly rate	$19.73	$18.28
Growth rate	1%	1%
Number of jobs	24,721	143,585
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 40%	High School Diploma, 40%
Average age	40	40
Years of experience	2	2

Mechanical detailer vs alignment technician salary

Mechanical detailers and alignment technicians have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Mechanical Detailer	Alignment Technician
Average salary	$41,030	$38,020
Salary range	Between $30,000 And $55,000	Between $25,000 And $57,000
Highest paying City	-	-
Highest paying state	-	-
Best paying company	-	-
Best paying industry	-	-

Differences between mechanical detailer and alignment technician education

There are a few differences between a mechanical detailer and an alignment technician in terms of educational background:

	Mechanical Detailer	Alignment Technician
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 40%	High School Diploma, 40%
Most common major	Drafting And Design	Automotive Technology
Most common college	-	-

Mechanical detailer vs alignment technician demographics

Here are the differences between mechanical detailers' and alignment technicians' demographics:

	Mechanical Detailer	Alignment Technician
Average age	40	40
Gender ratio	Male, 91.7% Female, 8.3%	Male, 95.9% Female, 4.1%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 10.0% Unknown, 4.3% Hispanic or Latino, 18.7% Asian, 5.1% White, 61.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8%	Black or African American, 8.4% Unknown, 4.4% Hispanic or Latino, 18.9% Asian, 5.8% White, 61.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.9%
LGBT Percentage	2%	2%

Differences between mechanical detailer and alignment technician duties and responsibilities

Mechanical detailer example 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.
Provide professional automobile detailing services with a variety of cleaning techniques and products to ensure the desired level of superior cleanliness.
Operate and troubleshoot production line machinery and computers.

Alignment technician example responsibilities.

Repair wheels using grinders, sanders and paint equipment.
Straighten bend or damage alloy wheels.
Assist with MIG welding and exhaust work.
Perform all general lube and oil filter changes.
Used a grinder and DA sanders to remove damage from rims.
Clean and resize bearing fillet and dust guard seat using various grinders.

Mechanical detailer vs alignment technician skills

Common mechanical detailer skills

Customer Vehicles, 18%
CAD, 17%
Solidworks, 13%
Shop Drawings, 12%
HVAC, 9%
Plumbing, 8%

Common alignment technician skills

Customer Service, 39%
Hand Tools, 34%
Power Steering, 10%
Customer Vehicles, 6%
Customer Satisfaction, 4%
Diagnosis, 1%

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Mechanical Detailer
Mechanical Detailer vs Alignment Technician

Updated January 8, 2025

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