Parts associate vs parts technician

The differences between parts associates and parts technicians can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 2-4 years to become both a parts associate and a parts technician. Additionally, a parts technician has an average salary of $37,336, which is higher than the $32,152 average annual salary of a parts associate.

The top three skills for a parts associate include parts inventory, customer satisfaction and inventory control. The most important skills for a parts technician are customer satisfaction, customer service, and customer orders.

Parts associate vs parts technician overview

	Parts Associate	Parts Technician
Yearly salary	$32,152	$37,336
Hourly rate	$15.46	$17.95
Growth rate	-	-
Number of jobs	23,603	53,405
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 37%	High School Diploma, 35%
Average age	46	46
Years of experience	4	4

Parts associate vs parts technician salary

Parts associates and parts technicians have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Parts Associate	Parts Technician
Average salary	$32,152	$37,336
Salary range	Between $26,000 And $38,000	Between $28,000 And $48,000
Highest paying City	-	-
Highest paying state	-	-
Best paying company	-	-
Best paying industry	-	-

Differences between parts associate and parts technician education

There are a few differences between a parts associate and a parts technician in terms of educational background:

	Parts Associate	Parts Technician
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 37%	High School Diploma, 35%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	-	-

Parts associate vs parts technician demographics

Here are the differences between parts associates' and parts technicians' demographics:

	Parts Associate	Parts Technician
Average age	46	46
Gender ratio	Male, 77.7% Female, 22.3%	Male, 83.4% Female, 16.6%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 4.5% Unknown, 4.2% Hispanic or Latino, 19.0% Asian, 1.7% White, 70.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4%	Black or African American, 4.4% Unknown, 4.2% Hispanic or Latino, 19.4% Asian, 1.7% White, 69.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4%
LGBT Percentage	4%	4%

Differences between parts associate and parts technician duties and responsibilities

Parts associate example responsibilities.

Manage DIY services including battery installation, testing, wiper installs, etc.
Develop relationships with personnel from other Chrysler dealerships to participate in a mutually beneficial parts purchase and delivery co op.
Complete minor to extensive repair of motor cycles and ATV's.
Deliver items to customers, whether they are a dealership, bodyshop or regular customer.

Parts technician example responsibilities.

Manage DIY services including battery installation, testing, wiper installs, etc.
Comply with ASTM and OEM procedures according to blasting and cleaning of engine parts
Receive incoming parts shipments, ship out parts to Honda and/or customers as needed.
Assist tech pubs and designers with the proper procedure for installation of aftermarket and OEM parts.
Perform various parts duties associate with Audi, Honda, Mercedes, Porsche and Peugeot product lines.
Develop relationships with personnel from other Chrysler dealerships to participate in a mutually beneficial parts purchase and delivery co op.

Parts associate vs parts technician skills

Common parts associate skills

Parts Inventory, 16%
Customer Satisfaction, 11%
Inventory Control, 10%
Cycle Counts, 8%
Computer System, 8%
Retail Sales, 5%

Common parts technician skills

Customer Satisfaction, 15%
Customer Service, 15%
Customer Orders, 11%
Parts Inventory, 8%
Inventory Control, 8%
Cycle Counts, 5%

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Parts Associate
Parts Associate vs Parts Technician

Updated January 8, 2025

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