How to Become an Auto Technician: Steps and Tips

Learn the best way to become an auto technician

If you’re considering entering the auto repair field, keep this fact in mind, the technicians that are making really good money are those techs that are very good at diagnostics as well as repair. In order to be good at diagnostics, you need a deep understanding of electronics, chemistry, hydraulics, physics, and mechanics. You can get those skills quickly in an auto technician program or slowly by skipping school and starting as an apprentice.

Should you go to an auto technician program or start as an auto apprentice?

You’ll find plenty of seasoned techs who started their careers decades ago as apprentices. But that’s not the best choice today. Some dealers are now offering auto apprentice programs, but no local auto repair shops are doing that. Even if you find a dealer apprentice program, you’ll start at the bottom as a lube tech, and it’ll take you a long time to learn more and make more money.

The bottom line is that as an apprentice, you’re totally dependent on the shop’s workload and the availability of other techs to help train you.

Enrolling in an auto mechanic school is the best way to become an auto mechanic

Yes, it will take time to get through mechanic school. But they’ll teach you all the basics of auto electrical, physics, chemistry and mechanics. The truth is; theory is far more important than most students realize. Understanding the basics helps you become a more efficient diagnostician and that translates into better opportunities to make more money. Without theory, you’re at a huge disadvantage when it comes to diagnostics.

If you don’t have that knowledge, you’ll wind up guessing your way through repairs, replacing perfectly good parts, and getting a lot of comebacks. When your “fix” doesn’t fix the problem, you’ll get a second chance at it, but you won’t get paid for the second attempt. Accumulate enough comebacks, and you’ll be invited to leave the shop and take your tools with you.

What can you expect when you graduate from an auto mechanics school?

The industry is critically short of technicians, so you’ll get a job right away. Instead of starting as a lube tech at the lowest pay level, you’ll start off by doing mechanical work. As you prove your competency, you’ll start getting more complicated jobs.

You’ll be expected to continue your auto training after graduation

Technology changes with each new model year. So you’re expected to stay current on schooling. Some independent shops and most dealers will pay to send their best techs to school. Others will expect you to attend school on your own dime. The point is this: I don’t think that auto tech school is one-and-done. Auto technology is constantly evolving, and you have to keep up, or you will be left behind doing low-level jobs.

Community auto technician school versus for-profit schools

Will you get a better education at a for-profit technical school? Maybe. Will it get you a better job after you graduate? Nope. You’ll start at the bottom, just like the techs that went to a community tech program. And you’ll have a much bigger student loan to pay off if you go to a for-profit school.

Apprenticing is a very hard way to become an auto tech

Many quick lube shops will take you is as an apprentice and teach you the ropes of doing oil changes and minor maintenance. So, you’ll learn how to change oil/filters, air filters, light bulbs, and cabin filters. You’ll learn everything you need to know in just a few weeks, but that’s where the training ends. However, if you think that training will get you a good job at a shop, think again.

Auto apprentices don’t advance quickly

If you prove you’re a competent and efficient lube tech, the shop will want you to keep in that spot. Because if they move you, they not only have to train you to do more, but they also have to train your replacement.  So you’ll start at the bottom and stay at the bottom. You’ll get bored quickly, and you’ll make close to minimum wage.

Starting as an apprentice will slow your career path, and reduce your earnings

Apprenticing is just a bad way to go

First, most shops don’t have the time to properly train you. They most often pair you with an experienced tech who will pawn off the most boring jobs on the “new kid.” Sure, you’ll learn how to replace parts, but you won’t learn how to diagnose.

Apprentices often learn bad habits

For example, I’ve seen senior techs tell apprentices not to waste time using a torque wrench to tighten suspension bolts, engine fasteners, or spark plugs. In fact, they laugh at techs that use a torque wrench to tighten those. Older vehicles had some tolerance for over-tightening. However, late model suspensions and engines are made with lighter-weight materials, and many of the fasteners are single-use “torque-to-yield” bolts. Use an impact wrench on those, and you’ll not only break the bolt, you can break the component or strip the threads.

The industry is changing too fast to drag apprentices up the ladder

As an apprentice, you can only advance as fast as the shop wants to train you. If you go to school, get your certifications, and then continue your training with seminars, you can climb the ladder at a faster pace.

©, 2022 Anne Obst