Important Qualities to Being a Great Automotive Technician

By: Jason Hesse - written: April 01, 2014

As with any successful career, knowledge of your trade, training and experience are all important, how other personality traits are needed to truly be great at your career. For an Automotive Technician, working on the following qualities will help you succeed in your career:

Customer-service skills. Service technicians must discuss automotive problems-along with options to fix them-with their customers. Because workers may depend on repeat clients for business, they must be courteous, good listeners, and ready to answer customers' questions.

Detail oriented. Mechanical and electronic malfunctions are often due to misalignments or other easy-to-miss causes. Service mechanics must, therefore, account for such details when inspecting or repairing engines and components.

Dexterity. Many tasks that Automotive service technicians do, such as disassembling engine parts, connecting or attaching components, and using handtools, require a steady hand and good hand-eye coordination.

Mechanical skills. Auto technicians must be familiar with engine components and systems and know how they interact with each other. They often must take apart major parts for repairs and be able to put them back together properly. These skills are taught at an Automotive Trade School as well as on the job. However focus, organization and memorization skills will help greatly.

Troubleshooting skills. Service technicians must be able to use diagnostic equipment on engine systems and components in order to identify and fix problems in increasingly complicated mechanical and electronic systems. They must be familiar with electronic control systems and the appropriate tools needed to fix and maintain them.