About This Career

Installs, diagnoses, or repairs communications, sound, security, or navigation equipment in motor vehicles.

This career is part of the Transportation, Distribution and Logistics cluster Facility and Mobile Equipment Maintenance pathway.

A person in this career:

• Installs equipment and accessories, such as stereos, navigation equipment, communication equipment, and security systems.
• Inspects and tests electrical or electronic systems to locate and diagnose malfunctions, using visual inspections and testing instruments, such as oscilloscopes and voltmeters.
• Cuts openings and drill holes for fixtures and equipment, using electric drills and routers.
• Splice wires with knives or cutting pliers, and solders connections to fixtures and equipment.
• Diagnoses or repairs problems with electronic equipment, such as sound, navigation, communication, and security equipment, in motor vehicles.
• Runs new speaker and electrical cables.
• Confers with customers to determine the nature of malfunctions.
• Removes seats, carpeting, and interiors of doors and adds sound-absorbing material in empty spaces, reinstalling interior parts.
• Records results of diagnostic tests.
• Estimates costs of repairs, based on parts and labor charges.

Working Conditions and Physical Demands

People who do this job report that:

• You would often handle loads up to 20 lbs., sometimes up to 50 lbs. You might do a lot of lifting, carrying, pushing or pulling.
• Work in this occupation involves bending or twisting your body more than one-third of the time
• Work in this occupation involves use of protective items such as safety shoes, glasses, gloves, hearing protection, a hard hat, or personal flotation devices
• Exposure to pollutants, gases, dust, fumes, odors, poor ventilation, etc.
• Requires getting into awkward positions
• Work in this occupation involves using your hands to hold, control, and feel objects more than one-third of the time
• Sound and noise levels are loud and distracting
• Work in this occupation involves making repetitive motions more than one-third of the time
• Work in this occupation involves standing more than one-third of the time

Working in this career involves (physical activities):

• Picking out a particular sound in the presence of other sounds
• Identifying color and seeing differences in color, including shades and brightness
• Bending, stretching, twisting, or reaching
• Detecting sounds and hearing the differences between sounds of different pitch and loudness
• Seeing clearly up close
• Speaking clearly enough to be able to be understood by others
• Identifying and understanding the speech of another person
• Using abdominal and lower back muscles repeatedly or over time without tiring

Work Hours and Travel

• Regular working hours and limited travel