Salary for smog technician

There are several ranges for salary in this field.

If you are just "testing and inspecting" such as you would at a Test Only station you could expect to be paid in the $12.00 to $16.00 per hour range, if you can actually find such a position open as they are not plentiful. This position is more of an assembly line type position,no actual work on the vehicle, and many shops offer a bonus for performance.

However, if you are actually looking to work as a diagnosis and repair technician, the range varies greatly. Entry level guys coming out of school who are fortunate enough to find a shop that will take someone with that level of experience can expect to see $12.00 to $16.00 per hour. In this industry knowledge and experience are everything, and well seasoned techs who can actually diagnose a failure can see $30.00 to $40.00 per hour and up.

Please note, the trend in the repair industry is to be "flat rate". This is where all jobs, including diagnosis, have a set hour amount you will be paid regardless of the amount of time you spend on the job. This is no problem for most, however if your skill set and experience are less than adequate your paycheck WILL be in the 20 - 30 hour per week range.