Installation, maintenance and repair
Auto mechanic
Diagnose, adjust, repair, or overhaul automotive vehicles.
Median pay
$50,620
Growth to 2035
+5%
about as fast as average
Openings a year
66,200
Time to qualify*
13 months
* From a bachelor's degree in an unrelated field.
Pay
Auto mechanic
Getting in
- Typical entry education
- Postsecondary nondegree award
- On-the-job training
- Short-term on-the-job training
- Prior experience
- None
What the work is like
Dealing with the public
Unpleasant or angry people
Time pressure
Cost of a mistake
Freedom to make decisions
Repeating the same tasks
Time sitting
Time standing
Outdoors in all weather
Hazardous conditions
Auto mechanic: 52% usually work over 40 hours a week
Core tasks
- 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.
- Test and adjust repaired systems to meet manufacturers' performance specifications.
- Perform routine and scheduled maintenance services, such as oil changes, lubrications, and tune-ups.
- Inspect vehicles for damage and record findings so that necessary repairs can be made.
- Align wheels, axles, frames, torsion bars, and steering mechanisms of automobiles, using special alignment equipment and wheel-balancing machines.
- Repair, reline, replace, and adjust brakes.
- Repair, replace, or adjust defective fuel injectors, carburetor parts, and gasoline filters.
- Align vehicles' front ends.
Also called: Auto Drivability Tech (Automotive Drivability Technician) · Auto Mechanic (Automobile Mechanic) · Auto Mechanic (Automotive Mechanic) · Auto Service Tech (Automotive Service Technician) · Auto Tech (Automobile Technician) · Auto Tech (Automotive Technician) · Automatic Transmission Technician (Auto Transmission Tech) · Heavy Line Technician (Heavy Line Tech)
Outlook and AI
Auto mechanics held 825,800 jobs in 2025. BLS projects 866,700 by 2035 (+5%, about as fast as average; all jobs: +3.5%).
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