Automotive Service Technicians and Mechanics
Installation, Maintenance, and Repair
Inspects cars and trucks for damage, talks with customers about what they have noticed, and uses diagnostic devices to find the fault. Work includes relining brakes, aligning front ends, and adjusting systems until they meet manufacturer specifications, then test-driving to confirm the repair. Estimates costs, records findings, and reviews work orders with supervisors. Suits people who like hands-on mechanical work, tracing problems with gauges and computers, and explaining repairs in plain terms.
Typical education: Post-Secondary Certificate (vocational/technical)
Annual Median Wage in Field (2025)
$50'620
Median Wage Market Position
$50'620
What you might do
- Diagnose car problems with computerized test tools
- Inspect vehicles for damage and needed repairs
- Repair, reline, and adjust car brakes
- Drive repaired cars to check their performance
- Talk with customers about vehicle problems
- Align the front ends of vehicles
Skills that matter
- Using infrared analyzers and compression gauges
- Relining, replacing, and adjusting brakes
- Test-driving to confirm the repair
- Listening to customers describe problems
- Estimating the cost of repairs
- Aligning vehicle front ends
AI & the future of this role
Shop diagnostics and routine service may lean more on software and guided procedures over time. Complex repairs, customer trust, and unpredictable mechanical failures still call for skilled hands-on judgment under the hood.
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Includes O*NET® 30.3 Database information by USDOL/ETA under CC BY 4.0; modified by LostInCareer. Wage/outlook from BLS. Attribution details