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Boston Career Explorer

Installation, Maintenance, and Repair

Automotive Service Technicians and Mechanics

Diagnose, adjust, repair, or overhaul automotive vehicles.

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)

Compare with my current job (Motorcycle Mechanics)
Median pay in Greater Boston
$63,060
$30.32/hr
Jobs in Greater Boston
9,360
Massachusetts 2024–2034
+5.7%
1,290 openings a year
Typical U.S. entry requirement
Postsecondary nondegree award
plus Short-term on-the-job training

Greater Boston: Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH metro area, May 2025. Growth and openings: Massachusetts statewide projection.

Pay range in Greater Boston

Yearly pay in Greater Boston by percentile
10th25thMedian75th90th
$39,490$46,090$63,060$80,900$99,190

10% of workers earn less than the first figure and 10% earn more than the last.

What you’d do

  • 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.

AI and this job

AI exposure: how much of this job’s work AI tools can do or help with, based on national research. It is not a forecast of job loss.

Lower exposure17 of 100

The index averages three national research measures, each shown as a percentile of all jobs:

  • AIOE 18
  • Language-model AIOE 16
  • GPTs-are-GPTs 18

Observed AI use today: Little or none (Anthropic Economic Index)

AI exposure for this job is lower, and observed AI use is little or none. AI tools may help with checklists, recording inspection findings, and tracking maintenance. Hands-on work like alignments, repairs, and testing systems on a real vehicle still relies on a technician.

Likely to change

  • Following inspection checklists
  • Recording damage and repair findings

Still relies on people

  • Hands-on repairs and wheel alignments
  • Testing repaired systems on the vehicle

Written with AI from the data on this page. Check with a career coach before making a decision.

Next steps from here

Related jobs that build on what you already do.

  • Bus and Truck Mechanics and Diesel Engine Specialists

    You already inspect brakes, steering, and wheel bearings. This move applies those skills to buses and trucks and pays a higher Boston median of $75,770.

    Pay difference
    +$12,710 median
    AI exposure
    Lower
    MA growth
    +5.1%
    To get started
    High school diploma or equivalent

  • Mobile Heavy Equipment Mechanics, Except Engines

    Testing repaired equipment to manufacturer specifications carries over. Heavy equipment work offers a Boston median pay of $76,770 and training on the job.

    Pay difference
    +$13,710 median
    AI exposure
    Lower
    MA growth
    +4.9%
    To get started
    High school diploma or equivalent

  • Telecommunications Line Installers and Repairers

    Diagnosing faults and testing results carry over to testing lines and cables. Pay is higher at $103,090, though projected growth is slower at 0.9%.

    Pay difference
    +$40,030 median
    AI exposure
    Lower
    MA growth
    +0.9%
    To get started
    High school diploma or equivalent

Training near Boston

College and school programs in the Boston metro area that lead to this job, with 2023-24 completions (IPEDS).

6 programs near Boston

Related occupations

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