Parts Advisor Career Guide,
Salary, Licence & Jobs 2026

Parts advisors are a close match to Parts Salespersons (SOC 41-2022), with a BLS OEWS May 2025 median of $38,630 a year, or $18.57 an hour. Pay runs from $28,240 at the 10th percentile to $62,890 at the 90th, with commission, wholesale volume and product specialization driving the spread.

Most parts advisors start as a counter trainee at a dealership, auto-parts store or equipment dealer, then learn parts identification, cataloging and the inventory-management software. Building cross-referencing and sales knowledge, plus manufacturer parts certifications, opens the path to wholesale accounts or a parts-manager role.

You set your career intent, target role, location, salary, credentials, and timeline, in 3 minutes. Our recruiters benchmark your pay against BLS data and live employer requirements, then bring matching permanent job opportunities directly to you. No applications. No job boards. We verify your credentials so employers see a complete, credible profile. After placement, we pay your licence renewal fees. Permanent, full-time, direct-hire only.

A parts advisor works the parts counter — identifying, sourcing and selling the right spare and replacement components to technicians and walk-in customers. The work includes cross-referencing part numbers, managing inventory and returns, handling wholesale orders, and upselling related parts to keep repair jobs moving.

It is a solid entry into the parts and service trade, with a $38,630 median that rises with commission toward $62,890 and about-average 3.1% projected growth through 2034 across roughly 30,200 openings a year. The counter work is steady, and the clearest raise comes from wholesale sales or advancing to parts manager.

A parts advisor needs strong catalog and cross-referencing knowledge, fluency in inventory-management and point-of-sale software, and customer-service and sales ability at the counter and on the phone. Manufacturer parts certifications validate product expertise and help move toward wholesale and management roles.

A parts advisor works the counter selling and sourcing parts to technicians and customers, while a parts manager runs the whole department — inventory, purchasing, staffing and profit. Both stem from parts-counter work, but the manager owns stocking levels, obsolescence and department gross rather than individual sales.