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Lube Technician

Skilled Trades

You change oil, rotate tires, and top off fluids — the entry point to automotive repair. It's fast-paced, repetitive, and your hands will never be fully clean again. But you'll learn vehicle systems from the bottom up, literally, since you spend most of your day under a car on a lift. It's the foot-in-the-door job that every master technician started with.

Salary Range

Low

$26k

Median

$29k

High

$32k

10-Year Growth

4%

US Workers

790K

Education

No formal education required — on-the-job training

Environment

indoor

Tools & Technical Skills

  • Oil change procedures
  • Tire rotation & balancing
  • Fluid level checks & top-offs
  • Multi-point vehicle inspection
  • Basic hand tool operation

People & Mindset Skills

  • Speed & efficiency
  • Attention to detail
  • Customer service
  • Reliability
  • Physical stamina
  • Teamwork

What you'll actually do

  • 01Perform oil changes on 15-20 cars per day — speed and accuracy are everything
  • 02Rotate tires and check brake pad thickness
  • 03Top off fluids and replace air filters, wiper blades, and bulbs
  • 04Do multi-point inspections and flag anything that needs real repair
  • 05Learn vehicle systems by seeing what goes wrong with them every single day
  • 06Explain to customers that their $30 oil change does not include a full engine rebuild