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Automotive Technician

Overview and Key Facts

automotive technician
Education
Education
Post high school credential
Median Pay
Median Pay
$49,670
Job Growth
Job Growth
4.20%
(US Average)
Jobs in 2034
Jobs in 2034
839,200

What Do They Do?

An automotive technician could...

 
pit crew activity
Change the tires on a race car as part of a pit crew.
Vehicle Computer Checkup and Engine Software Update by Professional Auto Service Technician
Use a computer to diagnose problems with the transmission, which transfers the right power from the engine to the wheels.
Person driving a Tesla plug-in electric car Model X on a motorway
Test-drive and inspect cars to determine what repairs to make.
Car mechanic repairs breakes from vehicle in a workshop
Adjust and repair brakes so that drivers can stop quickly enough to avoid danger.
 
pit crew activity Vehicle Computer Checkup and Engine Software Update by Professional Auto Service Technician Person driving a Tesla plug-in electric car Model X on a motorway Car mechanic repairs breakes from vehicle in a workshop

Overview Listen to this section

There are so many different types of cars and trucks on the road: sports cars, sport utility vehicles (SUVs), pickup trucks, and even electric vehicles and hybrids. Have you ever wondered how they work? And, how to keep them running? How does the engine make a car's wheels turn? Why does pushing the brake pedal make a car stop? Automotive service technicians (also called mechanics) can pop open the hoods of these different types of cars and answer these questions. Automotive technicians know how to maintain vehicles' electrical and mechanical systems. They can not only diagnose problems, but are also often able to make the repairs themselves. Since so many people depend on cars to go places, an automotive technician's work is rewarding and important.
Meet some students who are training to work on Toyota vehicles in the T-TEN program. Find out what they are studying in the classroom and see some of the skills they try out on the job.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ij-S94cmrxU

Do You Have the Skills and Characteristics of an Automotive Technician?


  1. Repairing: ?
  2. Troubleshooting: ?
  3. Critical Thinking: ?
  4. Operations Monitoring: ?
  5. Equipment Maintenance: ?
More skills...

Core Tasks

Think about if you'd like the typical tasks an Automotive Technician might do:
  • Inspect vehicles for damage and record findings so that necessary repairs can be made.
  • Test drive vehicles and test components and systems, using equipment such as infrared engine analyzers, compression gauges, and computerized diagnostic devices.
  • Test and adjust repaired systems to meet manufacturers' performance specifications.
  • Repair, reline, replace, and adjust brakes.
  • Review work orders and discuss work with supervisors.
  • Estimate costs of vehicle repair.
  • Confer with customers to obtain descriptions of vehicle problems and to discuss work to be performed and future repair requirements.
  • Align vehicles' front ends.
  • Align wheels, axles, frames, torsion bars, and steering mechanisms of automobiles, using special alignment equipment and wheel-balancing machines.
  • Tear down, repair, and rebuild faulty assemblies, such as power systems, steering systems, and linkages.
  • Perform routine and scheduled maintenance services, such as oil changes, lubrications, and tune-ups.
  • Follow checklists to ensure all important parts are examined, including belts, hoses, steering systems, spark plugs, brake and fuel systems, wheel bearings, and other potentially troublesome areas.
  • Plan work procedures, using charts, technical manuals, and experience.
  • Maintain cleanliness of work area.
  • Change spark plugs, fuel filters, air filters, and batteries in hybrid electric vehicles.
  • Repair and service air conditioning, heating, engine cooling, and electrical systems.
  • Disassemble units and inspect parts for wear, using micrometers, calipers, and gauges.
  • Test electronic computer components in automobiles to ensure proper operation.
  • Overhaul or replace carburetors, blowers, generators, distributors, starters, and pumps.
  • Repair or replace parts such as pistons, rods, gears, valves, and bearings.
  • Rewire ignition systems, lights, and instrument panels.
  • Troubleshoot fuel, ignition, and emissions control systems, using electronic testing equipment.
  • Tune automobile engines to ensure proper and efficient functioning.
  • Repair, replace, or adjust defective fuel injectors, carburetor parts, and gasoline filters.
  • Install, adjust, or repair hydraulic or electromagnetic automatic lift mechanisms used to raise and lower automobile windows, seats, and tops.
  • Repair or rebuild transmissions.
  • Retrofit vehicle fuel systems with aftermarket products, such as vapor transfer devices, evaporation control devices, swirlers, lean burn devices, and friction reduction devices, to enhance combustion and fuel efficiency.

Salary & Job Openings

Median Salary (Yearly Pay)

Tap or scroll over map to see median salaries for each state

Future Jobs

Blast-Off:

How Will Automotive Technician Jobs Grow by 2034?
Projected % Growth
Rapid growth
(10% or higher)
Much faster than average
(7% - 10%)
Faster than average
(5% - 7%)
About as fast as average
(3% - 5%)
Slower than average
(0% - 3%)
Decreasing
Average of all U.S. jobs (5.3%)
Automotive Technician jobs (4.20%)
Source: https://www.bls.gov/emp/tables/occupational-projections-and-characteristics.htm

Steps to Get There: Becoming an Automotive Technician

High School Subjects to Study

Aim to study the yellow-shaded subjects.
Math
Algebra 1
Geometry
Algebra 2
Pre-Calculus
Calculus
Statistics
Science
Biology
Chemistry
Physics
Environmental Science
Physiology
Bio-Medical / Biotech
IT &
Engineering
Computer Science
Applied Technology
Drafting & CAD Training
Core
English
Foreign Language
Business
Psychology / Sociology

Career Pathway Listen to this section

Employers prefer to hire automotive technicians who have finished an educational program after high school. In these programs, students often prepare for certification, which are tests that technicians take to show their skills. Once technicians have a job, they usually have to pass a certification test.

Education- Typical Degree Needed After High School Listen to this section

Degree
Post
high school credential
AA
Bachelor's
Master's
Doctoral or Professional Degree

Typical degree for an entry-level position: Post high school credential ? Types of Degrees and Credentials

In high school, students should take automotive repair, electronics, and computer science classes, if offered. High school graduates need more education to be fully ready to apply for jobs.

Community colleges and technical schools offer automotive technology programs for high school graduates. Students study in the classroom and work, hands-on, with cars. These programs take six months to one year.

Some technicians choose to get an associate's degree. They study mathematics, electronics, and automotive repair. They may learn about customer service and other business skills.

Automobile manufacturers like Ford, Honda, and Toyota also sponsor educational programs. For instance, students spend some blocks of time in classes. They work on actual cars from the brand at their school. Then, they work at dealerships where experienced technicians teach them.

For example, Toyota and community colleges around the U.S. offer the T-TEN program. Students can choose to earn an automotive technology certificate or an associate's degree. Or students can participate in a Toyota program at a technical school. Since these students work in dealerships, they get to know people who may want to hire them after they graduate. See Additional Resources for more information.

Automotive technicians who graduated from programs like those above do not need much training on the job. But those who get jobs right after high school start as trainees or helpers. Over time, they gain more knowledge by training with experienced technicians.

Many employers require technicians to gain certification from the National Institute for Automotive Service Excellence (ASE). Technicians who have passed ASE tests usually earn higher pay. Students should check into whether educational programs prepare them for ASE certification.

ASE certification is available in nine different automobile areas:

  • Engine repair: How to diagnose and fix engine problems.
  • Automatic transmission/transaxle: This system transfers the spinning motion of the engine to the wheels.
  • Manual drive train and axles: Transmission for manual cars.
  • Suspension and steering: The suspension helps absorb and decrease bumps from the road.
  • Electrical/electronic systems: Examples are headlights that turn on when it gets dark.
  • Brakes: Brakes stop the vehicle.
  • Heating and air conditioning: In cars' air-conditioning systems, there is refrigerant, a substance to cool the inside. During a repair, if it escapes into the air, it can harm the environment. So, technicians need training and a license to handle refrigerants safely.
  • Engine performance: How the engine works and how to maintain it.
  • Light vehicle diesel engines: Some cars, especially in Europe, have diesel engines.

To become certified, technicians must have at least two years of experience and pass an exam. Or, they can study for one year in an automotive program, gain one year of hands-on experience, and pass an exam. ASE Master Technicians have passed all of the areas above (except light vehicle diesel engines, which is optional).

Companies That Hire Automotive Technicians

Dealerships, such as:

  • Toyota/Lexus
  • Ford Motor Company
  • Chevrolet
  • Honda/Acura
  • Nissan

Independent garages and auto repair chains, such as:

Try it Out with an Activity or Project

STEM Activities

STEM activities are fun hands-on explorations that usually take from 10 minutes to one hour and use readily available household or classroom materials while introducing you to STEM concepts common in this career.

Science Project Ideas

Project Ideas are in-depth STEM explorations that have a strong focus on controlling variables, taking accurate measurements, and analyzing data suitable for investigating the scientific method or the engineering design process.

On the Job

Role Models

Meet Devin Conne, who starting at age 16, has always improved his skills in repairing cars.
At my first dealership job when reviews came around, I was offered a raise and instead asked to go to factory training and become factory certified. 
Devin Conne, Acura/ASE Master Automobile Technician of the Year

Nature of the Work

Automotive technicians inspect, test, diagnose, and repair cars and light trucks. What they can do depends on how much experience they have. At the beginning of their careers, to keep vehicles running at their best, they maintain cars, such as changing the oil. Or they align wheels, which means they make changes to the suspension, which connects the vehicle to the tires. They also do basic repairs, such as fixing brakes. As they gain experience, they can repair engines and transmissions.

Automotive technicians work hands-on and usually tackle many different types of tasks each day. At a dealership, for example, first, a technician might walk to his bay and use the computer to check work orders. Then he might change the oil on a car. He might repair a different car for a customer who is concerned that a "check engine light" has come on. Next, the technician might test-drive a pre-owned car, then place that car on a lift to inspect its systems, and then perhaps decide to use a computer to run diagnostics. Next, the technician might diagnose a problem with a car that makes a strange noise when it goes a certain speed.

In the same way, a technician working at a garage might start out performing an oil change. Next, she might check the alignment of a car for a customer who hit a pothole. She might replace a broken headlight bulb on a pickup truck. Finally, she might work on diagnosing and repairing a challenging case of a vehicle engine that keeps turning off.

To do all of these tasks, automotive technicians use hand tools and electronics. Each technician has their own tool box. The box has wrenches, sockets, hammers, pressure indicators, and more. Some wrenches display numbers to help technicians tighten parts at the right strength. Technicians use computerized tools to diagnose the electronic systems within vehicles. Technicians use math skills to set and read the values of the tools. They also use larger equipment, like hoists, to lift cars.

Work Environment

Automotive technicians work in garages in dealerships, service stations, or independent shops. These garages can be noisy. Technicians work with car parts that can often be dirty and greasy. At times, technicians must move heavy items. Technicians should like working with their hands, standing for long periods of time, and should not mind working in a crowded space.

Since technicians work with dangerous equipment and conditions, they must follow safety rules and wear safety gear. Even so, they sometimes get bruises or mild burns. Technicians might wear a uniform.

Many technicians work 40 hours from Monday through Friday. But some workplaces might be open Saturday or Sunday. Often if a technician has to work on a weekend, he or she gets a day off during a week. Since customers rely so much on their cars, technicians often feel pressure to perform their work quickly, but well.

More Information

Ask Questions

Do you have a specific question about a career as an Automotive Technician that isn't answered on this page? Post your question on the Science Buddies Ask an Expert Forum.

Additional Resources

Sources

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