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Tyre Repairer & Fitter

Skilled Trades

Repair and replace tires.

You can enter this career straight after SPM. A degree is optional, not required.

Mechanical Engineering

What you'd do all day

The tasks that matter most in this job, most important first.

  1. 1Raise vehicles, using hydraulic jacks.
  2. 2Remount wheels onto vehicles.
  3. 3Unbolt and remove wheels from vehicles, using lug wrenches or other hand or power tools.
  4. 4Identify tire size and ply and inflate tires accordingly.
  5. 5Place wheels on balancing machines to determine counterweights required to balance wheels.
  6. 6Replace valve stems and remove puncturing objects.
  7. 7Hammer required counterweights onto rims of wheels.
  8. 8Reassemble tires onto wheels.
  9. 9Seal punctures in tubeless tires by inserting adhesive material and expanding rubber plugs into punctures, using hand tools.
  10. 10Inspect tire casings for defects, such as holes or tears.
  11. 11Locate punctures in tubeless tires by visual inspection or by immersing inflated tires in water baths and observing air bubbles.
  12. 12Glue tire patches over ruptures in tire casings, using rubber cement.
  13. 13Assist mechanics and perform various mechanical duties, such as changing oil or checking and replacing batteries.
  14. 14Rotate tires to different positions on vehicles, using hand tools.
  15. 15Clean and tidy up the shop.
  16. 16Buff defective areas of inner tubes, using scrapers.
  17. 17Prepare rims and wheel drums for reassembly by scraping, grinding, or sandblasting.
  18. 18Order replacements for tires or tubes.
  19. 19Apply rubber cement to buffed tire casings prior to vulcanization process.
  20. 20Separate tubed tires from wheels, using rubber mallets and metal bars or mechanical tire changers.
  21. 21Inflate inner tubes and immerse them in water to locate leaks.
  22. 22Patch tubes with adhesive rubber patches or seal rubber patches to tubes, using hot vulcanizing plates.
  23. 23Drive automobile or service trucks to industrial sites to provide services or respond to emergency calls.
  24. 24Clean sides of whitewall tires.

Also known as

What this job is called on JobStreet, LinkedIn and in job ads. Search these too.

  • Tire Man
  • Tire Fixer
  • Repair Tech
  • Tire Buster
  • Tire Worker
  • Tire Changer
  • Tire Groover
  • Tire Mounter
  • Roadside Tech
  • Tire Balancer

How far is this from you?

Roughly how much preparation this job usually takes. In Malaysia your UPU route and the programme's syarat still decide entry, so treat this as a guide, not a gate.

  1. 1

    Entry straight after SPM

  2. Typical entry

    SPM + sijil / short TVET course

  3. 3

    Diploma / TVET (sijil–diploma)

  4. 4

    Degree (ijazah sarjana muda)

  5. 5

    Postgrad (sarjana / PhD) or professional route

Typical educationHigh school diploma

Subjects that matter here

The SPM subjects worth your effort for this career, with the reason for each.

Mechanical Engineering StudiesDraws directly on Mechanical — a top knowledge area for this role (O*NET).
PhysicsDraws directly on Mechanical — a top knowledge area for this role (O*NET).
Design & Technology (RBT)Draws directly on Mechanical — a top knowledge area for this role (O*NET).
BusinessDraws directly on Administration and Management — a top knowledge area for this role (O*NET).
EconomicsDraws directly on Administration and Management — a top knowledge area for this role (O*NET).

What you'd need to know

The subject areas this job leans on most, and the SPM subjects that build them.

  • Mechanical80%

    Mechanical Engineering StudiesPhysicsDesign & Technology (RBT)

  • Customer and Personal Service72%
  • Administration and Management64%

    BusinessEconomics

  • Sales and Marketing60%

    BusinessEconomics

  • English Language59%

    English

  • Public Safety and Security57%

Tools you'd use

Software and equipment that show up in this job, worth learning early.

Where to learn these, free

Scholarships & funding

What the work feels like

Day-to-day working conditions, so you can tell whether the job suits how you like to work.

  • Face-to-face discussionsEvery day
  • Contact with other peopleConstant contact
  • Dealing with customers or the publicVery high
  • Leading or coordinating othersVery high
  • Handling conflict situationsEvery day
  • Indoors, air-conditionedAlmost never
  • Outdoors, in all weatherAlmost never
  • Noisy environmentEvery day

AI and demand for this job

A few real, dated data points — not a single score. AI making some tasks faster usually means a job changes, not that it disappears.

0%

Share of everyday tasks today's AI can already help with (2023)

This estimate is from 2023 — already out of date, since AI moves fast. Treat it as a rough, aging starting point, not the current picture.

Growing role in the US

US Bureau of Labor Statistics data, not Malaysian. Shown because it's the only forward-looking demand estimate we have for this job.

Pay in Malaysia

We don't have a sourced Malaysian salary range for this job yet, and we'd rather show nothing than a number we can't stand behind.

Where to check:

  • JobStreet and Hiredly job ads for this title
  • DOSM Salaries & Wages Survey
  • SSPA scheme tables, if you're aiming for a government post
See pay for a related career: Aircraft Maintenance Engineer (AME)

Check what you may qualify for

Enter your SPM grades and see which routes and programmes you may qualify for. An estimate to plan with, not an offer.

Check my eligibility Not sure yet? Take the quiz

How to get here

Post-SPM pathways with programmes in this career's fields. Tap one to see real programmes and entry requirements.

Matriculation

One or two years, heavily subsidised with allowance. Competitive, quota-based entry.

12–24 months

Related careers

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About this information

This describes what the job involves. Pay, demand and entry routes differ in Malaysia, so check the Pathways and Programmes pages for local requirements.

O*NET occupation: Tire Repairers and Changers

Job responsibilities, knowledge areas and work context from O*NET 30.3, US Department of Labor, used under CC BY 4.0. onetcenter.org