Explore jobs
Find specific jobs
Explore careers
Explore professions
Best companies
Explore companies
The differences between service mechanics and diesel mechanics can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 1-2 years to become both a service mechanic and a diesel mechanic. Additionally, a diesel mechanic has an average salary of $49,842, which is higher than the $47,240 average annual salary of a service mechanic.
The top three skills for a service mechanic include customer service, preventative maintenance and hydraulic systems. The most important skills for a diesel mechanic are CDL, preventative maintenance, and DOT.
| Service Mechanic | Diesel Mechanic | |
| Yearly salary | $47,240 | $49,842 |
| Hourly rate | $22.71 | $23.96 |
| Growth rate | 4% | 4% |
| Number of jobs | 116,383 | 85,684 |
| Job satisfaction | - | 5 |
| Most common degree | High School Diploma, 36% | High School Diploma, 42% |
| Average age | 42 | 42 |
| Years of experience | 2 | 2 |
A service mechanic, or often known as a service technician, is an individual who inspects, maintains, and repairs cars and light trucks. Service mechanics must identify the vehicle's problems by using computerized diagnostic equipment and test parts and systems to ensure that they work properly. They must perform basic vehicular care and maintenance such as changing oil, checking fluid levels, and rotating tires. Service mechanics should also explain automotive problems to customers and perform repairs according to the manufacturer ad customer specifications.
A diesel mechanic is a skilled technician responsible for the checking, maintenance, and repair of diesel engines. Diesel mechanics duties also include regular inspections of vehicles upon customer's request to ensure the smooth performance of the machine, communicate on any system issue that might cause malfunctions, and provide any replacement to renovate a damaged part of the engine. A diesel mechanic must be highly-knowledgeable on everything related to diesel engines to provide the best, long-term solutions for the customers.
Service mechanics and diesel mechanics have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Service Mechanic | Diesel Mechanic | |
| Average salary | $47,240 | $49,842 |
| Salary range | Between $33,000 And $66,000 | Between $37,000 And $67,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Jose, CA | Richmond, CA |
| Highest paying state | California | Hawaii |
| Best paying company | Sandia National Labs | Hensel Phelps |
| Best paying industry | Energy | Energy |
There are a few differences between a service mechanic and a diesel mechanic in terms of educational background:
| Service Mechanic | Diesel Mechanic | |
| Most common degree | High School Diploma, 36% | High School Diploma, 42% |
| Most common major | Automotive Technology | Automotive Technology |
| Most common college | - | - |
Here are the differences between service mechanics' and diesel mechanics' demographics:
| Service Mechanic | Diesel Mechanic | |
| Average age | 42 | 42 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 96.8% Female, 3.2% | Male, 96.3% Female, 3.7% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 7.9% Unknown, 5.0% Hispanic or Latino, 18.7% Asian, 2.4% White, 65.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.1% | Black or African American, 8.1% Unknown, 5.0% Hispanic or Latino, 18.2% Asian, 2.4% White, 65.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.1% |
| LGBT Percentage | 2% | 2% |