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Electric Vehicle Repair

-Poughkeepsie NY

 

Electric and Hybrid vehicle systems are becoming more prevalent in the Hudson Valley. Some motorists are interested in these vehicles for many reasons. Some say they like the sound, some believe the cost of operating is lower, or they do not need maintenance to prevent breakdowns. Here is a recent example of electric vehicle repairs we have performed frequently and a little story about the problems with non experienced technicians who are not familiar with electric and hybrid systems.

 

This european electric var made by VW has been on the road for 4 years and is out of warranty when the car began to display many codes and errors. The customer initially brought it to a dealership and after 2 months they were unable to repair the problem suggesting it was too expensive to fix.

 

There were multiple codes for a couple of systems. Our manager assisted the technician on the repairs and they found a cooling system problem for the battery pack. The battery pack was overheating. This fault can cause the vehicle to stop suddenly and refuse to charge because the temperature can climb too high and possibly cause a fire.

 

Sensors on the battery pack monitor the temperatures.

 

We dismantled the systems and tested our suspected items. We found the electric cooling fan motor had a fault. 

We ordered a replacement induction board assembly and due to covid is was on backorder from Germany - not one unit in the USA and none in Germany - they had to wait for production - this tool a month to get the part. We then looked further as to why the motor failed, the ducts were very clean however the air intake source has a screen to prevent dirt from entering, our manager cleaned the screen because a fan with a intake side restriction will spin in a relative vacuum causing it to overspeed and this was thought to be the reason for failure. This is an example of a possible maintenance item apparently overlooked.

 

The new unit ran well and the battery temperatures returned to normal, a 10 mile road test showed excellent results and no more codes. The vehicle performs well and it is fixed. We used a Autologic and VAG Com laptops to diagnose and ensure operation. All well now!

 

If you are a technician who needs to move up to to a shop where you can learn the new technologies coming consider joing a full line repair shop like Arlington Auto & Tire where you can grow and have a career that pays currently up to $51 per hour worked. Some even higher. With knowledge all is possible.