UK AI Exposure · Process, plant and machine operatives
Tyre, exhaust and windscreen fitters
Tyre, exhaust and windscreen fitters fit, repair and adjust tyres, exhausts and windscreens on cars, buses, motorcycles and other motor vehicles.
- Employees (UK)
- 13k
- Median annual pay
- £30,429
- Exposure score ?
- 0.4/10 Minimal 1.4/10 Minimal strict reading · with tools is 1.4/10 with-tools reading · strict is 0.4/10
- Wage exposure
- £16m £55m
Higher exposure than 25% of the 379 UK occupations we scored.
What this score means
Most of this role's work is still genuinely hard for AI to do. Physical presence, bodily skill, high-context judgment, direct human care - the things that don't translate to text.
If you're in this role, here's what to do now
You're not in the firing line today. But the frontier moves. Build enough AI fluency now that you can direct it for the parts of your work that could benefit. People in unexposed roles who understand AI become unusually valuable inside their organisations.
Most of this role's work is still genuinely hard for AI to do. Physical presence, bodily skill, high-context judgment, direct human care - the things that don't translate to text.
If you're in this role, here's what to do now
You're not in the firing line today. But the frontier moves. Build enough AI fluency now that you can direct it for the parts of your work that could benefit. People in unexposed roles who understand AI become unusually valuable inside their organisations.
Where a project with Alex usually starts for this role
This role's strict reading is low because its top tasks are judgment, not drafting. The three highest-stakes tasks below are still usually where we start — flip the toggle to 'With tools' to see what AI plus the right context can compress.
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Inspect vehicles for damage and record findings so that necessary repairs can be made.
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Test drive vehicles and test components and systems, using equipment such as infrared engine analyzers, compression gauges, and computerized diagnostic devices.
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Test and adjust repaired systems to meet manufacturers' performance specifications.
These are the highest-importance tasks AI can already handle when paired with the right tools and context. In a typical engagement the first wins come from building workflows around these — usually the difference between an LLM that can technically do the job and one that actually does it inside your business.
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Inspect vehicles for damage and record findings so that necessary repairs can be made.
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Conduct visual inspections of compressed natural gas fuel systems to identify cracks, gouges, abrasions, discoloration, broken fibers, loose brackets, damaged gaskets, or other problems.
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Estimate costs of vehicle repair.
Every role has three or four wedges like these. Finding them takes an hour. Turning them into a workflow your team actually uses takes a few days. Talk to Alex about a project →
The full task breakdown
Every O*NET task for this occupation, split by what AI can already do unaided versus what still needs a human. Importance is O*NET's 1–5 rating of how central each task is to the role.
Tasks via O*NET "Automotive Service Technicians and Mechanics" (49-3023.00).
What AI can already do
1 of 30 tasks · unaided
Plan work procedures, using charts, technical manuals, and experience.
Where humans still hold the line
29 of 30 tasks
Inspect vehicles for damage and record findings so that necessary repairs can be made.
Test drive vehicles and test components and systems, using equipment such as infrared engine analyzers, compression gauges, and computerized diagnostic devices.
Test and adjust repaired systems to meet manufacturers' performance specifications.
Repair, reline, replace, and adjust brakes.
Review work orders and discuss work with supervisors.
Conduct visual inspections of compressed natural gas fuel systems to identify cracks, gouges, abrasions, discoloration, broken fibers, loose brackets, damaged gaskets, or other problems.
Estimate costs of vehicle repair.
Confer with customers to obtain descriptions of vehicle problems and to discuss work to be performed and future repair requirements.
Align vehicles' front ends.
Align wheels, axles, frames, torsion bars, and steering mechanisms of automobiles, using special alignment equipment and wheel-balancing machines.
Tear down, repair, and rebuild faulty assemblies, such as power systems, steering systems, and linkages.
Perform routine and scheduled maintenance services, such as oil changes, lubrications, and tune-ups.
Follow checklists to ensure all important parts are examined, including belts, hoses, steering systems, spark plugs, brake and fuel systems, wheel bearings, and other potentially troublesome areas.
Maintain cleanliness of work area.
Change spark plugs, fuel filters, air filters, and batteries in hybrid electric vehicles.
Repair and service air conditioning, heating, engine cooling, and electrical systems.
Disassemble units and inspect parts for wear, using micrometers, calipers, and gauges.
Test electronic computer components in automobiles to ensure proper operation.
Rebuild parts, such as crankshafts and cylinder blocks.
Overhaul or replace carburetors, blowers, generators, distributors, starters, and pumps.
Repair or replace parts such as pistons, rods, gears, valves, and bearings.
Rewire ignition systems, lights, and instrument panels.
Troubleshoot fuel, ignition, and emissions control systems, using electronic testing equipment.
Diagnose and replace or repair engine management systems or related sensors for flexible fuel vehicles (FFVs) with ignition timing, fuel rate, alcohol concentration, or air-to-fuel ratio malfunctions.
Tune automobile engines to ensure proper and efficient functioning.
Repair, replace, or adjust defective fuel injectors, carburetor parts, and gasoline filters.
Install, adjust, or repair hydraulic or electromagnetic automatic lift mechanisms used to raise and lower automobile windows, seats, and tops.
Repair or rebuild transmissions.
Retrofit vehicle fuel systems with aftermarket products, such as vapor transfer devices, evaporation control devices, swirlers, lean burn devices, and friction reduction devices, to enhance combustion and fuel efficiency.
Tasks via O*NET "Automotive Service Technicians and Mechanics" (49-3023.00).
What AI can already do
4 of 30 tasks · with tools
Inspect vehicles for damage and record findings so that necessary repairs can be made.
Conduct visual inspections of compressed natural gas fuel systems to identify cracks, gouges, abrasions, discoloration, broken fibers, loose brackets, damaged gaskets, or other problems.
Estimate costs of vehicle repair.
Plan work procedures, using charts, technical manuals, and experience.
Where humans still hold the line
26 of 30 tasks
Test drive vehicles and test components and systems, using equipment such as infrared engine analyzers, compression gauges, and computerized diagnostic devices.
Test and adjust repaired systems to meet manufacturers' performance specifications.
Repair, reline, replace, and adjust brakes.
Review work orders and discuss work with supervisors.
Confer with customers to obtain descriptions of vehicle problems and to discuss work to be performed and future repair requirements.
Align vehicles' front ends.
Align wheels, axles, frames, torsion bars, and steering mechanisms of automobiles, using special alignment equipment and wheel-balancing machines.
Tear down, repair, and rebuild faulty assemblies, such as power systems, steering systems, and linkages.
Perform routine and scheduled maintenance services, such as oil changes, lubrications, and tune-ups.
Follow checklists to ensure all important parts are examined, including belts, hoses, steering systems, spark plugs, brake and fuel systems, wheel bearings, and other potentially troublesome areas.
Maintain cleanliness of work area.
Change spark plugs, fuel filters, air filters, and batteries in hybrid electric vehicles.
Repair and service air conditioning, heating, engine cooling, and electrical systems.
Disassemble units and inspect parts for wear, using micrometers, calipers, and gauges.
Test electronic computer components in automobiles to ensure proper operation.
Rebuild parts, such as crankshafts and cylinder blocks.
Overhaul or replace carburetors, blowers, generators, distributors, starters, and pumps.
Repair or replace parts such as pistons, rods, gears, valves, and bearings.
Rewire ignition systems, lights, and instrument panels.
Troubleshoot fuel, ignition, and emissions control systems, using electronic testing equipment.
Diagnose and replace or repair engine management systems or related sensors for flexible fuel vehicles (FFVs) with ignition timing, fuel rate, alcohol concentration, or air-to-fuel ratio malfunctions.
Tune automobile engines to ensure proper and efficient functioning.
Repair, replace, or adjust defective fuel injectors, carburetor parts, and gasoline filters.
Install, adjust, or repair hydraulic or electromagnetic automatic lift mechanisms used to raise and lower automobile windows, seats, and tops.
Repair or rebuild transmissions.
Retrofit vehicle fuel systems with aftermarket products, such as vapor transfer devices, evaporation control devices, swirlers, lean burn devices, and friction reduction devices, to enhance combustion and fuel efficiency.
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Methodology
This role's exposure score comes from Eloundou et al's 2023 GPT task labels, aggregated by O*NET importance within each O*NET-SOC code, then bridged to UK SOC 2020 via ISCO-08 (ONS Vol 2 coding index) and US SOC 2010 (BLS crosswalk). Employment and median pay come from ONS ASHE Table 14.7a, 2025 provisional. ASHE covers employees only, so self-employed workers are not counted.
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