What Does a Car Electrician Do?
Car electricians work mostly in dealer workshops or independent auto mechanics diagnosing and repairing faulty electrical components in motor vehicles. As vehicle electrical systems become more complex and feature advanced electronic components and accessories, the role of car electricians becomes more important. An experienced car electrician may work as an independent contractor or offer specialist services to car owner and auto service centers.
Scope
Car electricians have the knowledge and skills required to repair faulty vehicle electrical components and systems including battery, wiring, charging systems, fuel injection, heating and air conditioning system, lighting and indicators. Some auto electricians specialize in installing and repairing sophisticated vehicle entertainment systems including video players, navigation and radios.
Diagnosis
One of the min roles of car electricians is fault diagnosis. This involves meeting vehicle owners to discuss their problems and carrying out tests to identify the problem. If your vehicle has problems starting or experiences intermittent running faults, an auto electrician can help you solve this problem by using specialist skills and tools to diagnose the problem in the engine, fuel injection or ignition. Diagnosing vehicles with braking problems that are not caused by mechanical faults may involve diagnosing the vehicle anti-lock braking system. Auto electricians also test batteries and charging system to ensure that electrical components receive the correct voltage.
Lighting
If there is one thing that auto electricians do so often is testing vehicle lighting systems to ensure that they operate as required. Car electricians test headlight beams to ensure that they are properly aligned and can produce the required light intensity. In addition, auto electricians fit additional lighting components including fog and emergency lights and ensure that the new components work and are correctly connected to the electrical system.
Repair
Once auto electricians identify a problem with vehicle electrical components, they estimate the cost of repairing and replacing the faulty components. If an auto electrician is unable to repair extensive or expensive computerized components, he/she would advise the vehicle owner of the cost before ordering replacements. Once the replacement or repairs have been completed, the auto electrician will test the new components to ensure that they operate as required. Testing new electrical components may involve carrying out tests on the road in addition to workshop tests.
Installation
Car electricians perform many installation tasks including installing new electrical components and accessories. They have the knowledge and skills to replace for instance, newer versions of entertainment systems or navigation systems.
Salary of Car Electricians
According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, car electricians earned an average annual salary of $55,890 by 2016. The lowest earning 25 percentile car electricians earned $45,100 per year, which means that two thirds of auto electricians earned more than that. There were 135,000 auto electricians in the U.S. by 2016.
If you love cars and electrical systems, working as an auto electrician can be a great career path for you. Car electricians play important roles in the maintenance and repair of vehicle electrical components. This job is suitable for people with great mechanical skills and passion for vehicles.
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