What every auto repair shop should know

Embracing the EV maintenance future

By Matt Lamontagne: Member, Electric Auto Association

Leo & Sons Auto Repair

When my father Leo opened his auto repair business in 1975, servicing cars was quite different than it is today. Most people drove large V8-powered vehicles that required constant maintenance, and emissions and fuel economy standards were just emerging.

But, even in those early days, my father saw that the technology in the repair bays was rapidly accelerating. He instilled in me the importance of keeping up with the latest vehicle systems through constant training. This has allowed us to repair anything that comes through our doors at Leo & Sons Auto Repair. 

Leo became an automotive pioneer in the 1980s when he founded a non-profit that trained hundreds of technicians from across New England on the latest and greatest technology found in modern cars. Later, following my father’s lead, I transitioned our shop into a hybrid and electric vehicle (EV) specialty repair business, and launched my own training company to teach hybrid and EV technology. I’m confident that every general repair shop can, and should, follow a similar path. 

Matt Lamontagne

Wondering how to face the future

I graduated from technical school in 2007 and started working at the shop full time when our best jobs were emissions related. Customers sought out our services because we effectively diagnosed and repaired complex emissions faults, enabling compliance with the Massachusetts-mandated annual vehicle emissions and safety inspection. 

Even then, vehicle electrification and hybridization were growing rapidly. I asked myself how our shop would survive once the majority of cars on the road no longer had tail pipes and did not need to conform to emissions regulations. 

Becoming an EV Driver

Once I decided to turn the business into a hybrid/EV specialty shop, I knew I should start by focusing on a particular make and model. Toyota made it an easy decision with the king of all hybrids; I purchased a high mileage Gen 2 Prius that needed repair. 

Making a Prius my daily driver put me directly in the shoes of my intended customer. After teaching myself, taking every available training opportunity (there weren’t many then), and becoming comfortable with high voltage systems, the next obvious choice was to purchase a Nissan LEAF and do it all over again. 

Driving the LEAF daily taught me more about my customer base and the technology, and made me think about range anxiety, hypermiling, and the importance of charging infrastructure.

Our customers love to find out that we not only service and repair hybrid/EVs, but also drive them ourselves. They also appreciate that we have a free Level-2 ChargePoint station on-site, as well as a fleet of hybrid and EV service loaners. While any repair shop will change the oil on a Prius, immersing ourselves in the technology and becoming EV and hybrid drivers ourselves, have been differentiators. As a result, we draw customers from throughout Massachusetts and across state line.

Old school auto shop with new school services

As an aftermarket repair facility, we offer creative repair solutions that the dealer cannot provide. An example is what occurred when a customer brought in a Chevrolet Volt with a charging issue. The pre-heater for the high voltage battery was generating a fault code that prevented charging. As opposed to the Chevrolet dealer,  who quoted thousands of dollars to replace the entire battery relay assembly, we sourced a recycled heater element in good condition, simply replacing this single part at a huge savings to the customer. Our approach to problem solving allows older hybrid and EVs owners to keep their cars on the road at affordable prices. 

We also upgrade EVs in ways the dealer is not willing, or able, to do. We are an authorized Ingenext dealer, offering an array of Model 3 and Y upgrades unavailable from Tesla. Although Nissan refuses to  improve range by installing a larger battery into an older LEAF,  we will. In fact, our professional-quality process utilizes specially engineered hardware to ensure the new battery is properly sealed and will have a long life.  

Finally, we recently partnered with a start-up  to provide reliable lithium-ion battery rebuilding services that will utilize OE cells rather than installing risky aftermarket units not designed for the vehicle’s battery management system. When available, we expect this new service to be yet another cost-effective option to keep older EVs on the road for years to come. 

As the landscape of the automotive world continues to change, Leo & Sons Auto is poised to continue to provide cutting edge repairs for the car of the future. These days, we are also encouraging and training other repair shops to do the same and look forward to what’s next for the industry.