According to one study, Americans spend an average of $397 each year on car maintenance or repairs.
Has your time come that you need to pay this and find someone to fix your car?
You might want to go to an auto technician or mechanic, but which one should you choose? Are they even the same thing? We’ll break it all down for you here, so keep reading!
Auto Technician
If at first you think that a technician sounds like they work with a lot of technical parts of a car, you wouldn’t be too far off.
They’re skilled in understanding how to diagnose a problem and how to use the tools that could help them diagnose the problem. Once they figure out what the problem is with your car, they can figure out a plan of action to fix it.
But they also do more than just that. Technicians also do the same job that mechanics do. After they diagnose a problem, they then also know how to fix it.
If you take your car into a repair shop, the shop will normally send your car to a technician first. Once they figure out what the problem is, they’ll send it to a mechanic to actually fix it. However, some repair shops only have auto technicians to diagnose and repair the car.
Many people think that a technician is much more respected and more knowledgable, but that’s not always necessarily true.
An auto technician is required to have a lot of certifications and more schooling in order to even become a technician. You can find out more about their training on specific parts here.
A technician also has the option to take other tests that can make them more appealing as an employee. For example, they could take a master diagnostic test, a hybrid special systems test, or other advanced tests to help expand their abilities.
Auto Mechanic
An auto mechanic handles the actual mechanical aspect of the car. Once a technician tells them what is wrong with the car, they will work to fix it.
You might picture a mechanic as someone who is dirty and covered in grease from fixing cars all day, but now, this isn’t really true. Technology has been advancing quickly with cars, and now mechanics have to use computers and other tools to repair your car.
While mechanics might not need all the certifications that a technician needs, they will still need some mechanic training to be able to recognize problems and know how to fix them.
Similarities Between the Two Jobs
One thing a technician and a mechanic have in common is that they both work on repairing cars.
They might use some of the same tools every now and then as well, but they won’t always use the same tools. In some repair shops, a technician will focus on the electrical components of the car, where they will diagnose and fix them.
While the technicians do that, the mechanic will be responsible for focusing on diagnosing and repairing the mechanics of the car.
Some people will argue that the term technician and mechanic can basically mean the same thing.
Differences Between the Two Jobs
However, others argue that there are some noticeable differences. For example, a technician has to know how to use scanning tools and diagnostic technology.
While a technician does that, a mechanic will be the one changing oil, rotating tires, and fixing brake pads.
The mechanic normally doesn’t have any kind of special training, aside from training they might get on the job. Once the mechanic works at a company, they can start getting certifications to increase their pay.
Whereas technicians have more training and specialized certifications to be able to know how to do their job. Because of this, an auto technician salary will likely be higher than what a mechanic will get.
Another difference is that a mechanic can normally work on almost any car, regardless of the year, make, or model. Auto technicians generally have specialized training, so they might only be able to work on a few brands of cars, like Hyundai and Honda, for example.
Who Should You Visit?
So now that you understand the differences between the two, you are probably wondering if you should hire a technician or a mechanic for your car troubles.
In case you were worried about which one would be working on your car, every technician is both a technician and a mechanic. So you probably want a technician working on your car.
From a consumer standpoint, having a mechanic work on your car will probably be cheaper than having an auto technician work on it. You’ll most likely get a good quality job done. But if you have a problem that no one seems to be able to figure out, it might be time to call in an auto technician.
Normally when you call a repair shop, they’ll assign either a technician or a mechanic to your car for you, so you won’t have to worry about it.
Learn More About a Technician vs. a Mechanic
These are only a few differences between an auto technician and a mechanic, but either of them will be able to fix your car.
We know that car maintenance and problems can be overwhelming and stressful to deal with, but thankfully you don’t have to do it alone.
We’re here to help you out! If you enjoyed this article, make sure that you explore our website to find more articles just like this one!
