Installation, Maintenance & Repair
Electronic Equipment Installers and Repairers, Motor Vehicles
Also called: Auto Tech (Automotive Technician), Car Alarm Installer, Car Electronics Installer, Car Stereo Installer
US median pay
$48,420
per year, 2025
Job growth 2025–35
-14.5%
declining
Openings a year (US)
400
8,600 employed
Typical entry education
High school diploma or equivalent
Preparation 3/5 · Medium preparation
What this job is
Install, diagnose, or repair communications, sound, security, or navigation equipment in motor vehicles.
What they do day to day
- Estimate costs of repairs, based on parts and labor charges.
- Install equipment and accessories, such as stereos, navigation equipment, communication equipment, and security systems.
- Inspect and test electrical or electronic systems to locate and diagnose malfunctions, using visual inspections and testing instruments, such as oscilloscopes and voltmeters.
- Diagnose or repair problems with electronic equipment, such as sound, navigation, communication, and security equipment, in motor vehicles.
- Confer with customers to determine the nature of malfunctions.
- Record results of diagnostic tests.
- Splice wires with knives or cutting pliers, and solder connections to fixtures and equipment.
- Run new speaker and electrical cables.
- Remove seats, carpeting, and interiors of doors and add sound-absorbing material in empty spaces, reinstalling interior parts.
- Replace and clean electrical or electronic components.
Skills and knowledge that matter most
Skills
- Troubleshooting3.6/5
- Repairing3.6/5
- Operations Monitoring3.5/5
- Installation3.2/5
- Equipment Maintenance3.2/5
- Time Management3.1/5
- Complex Problem Solving3.1/5
- Service Orientation3.0/5
Knowledge
- Mechanical4.1/5
- Computers and Electronics4.0/5
- Mathematics3.6/5
- Customer and Personal Service3.6/5
- English Language3.3/5
- Engineering and Technology3.2/5
Importance rated by people working in the job (1 = not important, 5 = extremely important).
Education and preparation
Preparation level 3 of 5 — Medium preparation. Usually vocational training, an associate's degree or an apprenticeship.
Typical entry education (BLS): High school diploma or equivalent.
Highest education of people in this job:
- Post-secondary certificate47%
- High school diploma45%
Who this job suits
Mostly Realistic
Hands-on work with tools, machines, plants or animals
Conventional
Organising data, details and procedures
Investigative
Ideas, research and solving problems
Based on the Holland (RIASEC) interest profile for this occupation.