2025 AARO Symposium & Trade Show – Event Itinerary

September 17–20, 2025 | Hilton Mississauga/Meadowvale

Get ready for four powerful days of learning, networking, and inspiration tailored for shop owners, technicians, and automotive professionals. Whether you’re interested in electrification, business growth, or cutting-edge diagnostics, there’s something for everyone.

DAY 1: Wednesday, September 17 – EV DAY

Get Ready for EV Day with AARO!

Welcome to the automotive repair and service event that’s redefining the future of our industry. Whether you’re already working with EVs or just starting to explore the shift, Your attendance at this event will get you up to speed—fast. Dive into powerful conversations that will drive your business forward.

This is your opportunity to get fully informed on how the electric vehicle (EV) industry is evolving. Join us for a full day dedicated to all things EV—featuring presentations from leading suppliers, insights from top shops on how they’re equipping technicians with the training needed to work on EVs, and hands-on experiences including the chance to test-drive a variety of EVs on site.

Keynote Speakers

We’re kicking things off with insights from one of Canada’s most influential voices in the EV and mobility space—James Carter of Vision Mobility. A leading expert and thought leader in the global transportation shift toward electrification. Don’t miss this opportunity to hear from someone at the forefront of the mobility revolution.

The afternoon will feature a high-profile guest speaker from the Government of Ontario, offering timely insights into the province’s role in shaping the EV ecosystem. (Speaker to be announced soon!)

DAY 2: Thursday, September 18 – Business Training + Trade Show

Fuel Your Knowledge. Fine-Tune Your Strategy. Dominate the Road Ahead.

Day Two is packed with dynamic, must-attend sessions designed to empower shop owners and their teams with the tools and insights to thrive in today’s rapidly changing environment. The day will include:

• Sessions on vehicle and shop security, vehicle theft prevention, and how to protect your business from credit card scams
• A powerful communication workshop from Dale Carnegie—learn how strong customer conversations drive loyalty and retention
• Legal essentials for Human Resources compliance from WeirFoulds Employment Law Group
• Discover how Support Ontario Youth can streamline your apprenticeship journey
• Without changing your shop management system, learn how to evaluate your shop’s performance with the PME Guru dashboard and compare to your region and set-up objectives

Closing Keynote: A thought-provoking closing session with Canada’s best known and most respected public opinion analysts David Coletto, who will unpack how political uncertainty is impacting businesses like yours across Canada.
 

Cap Off the Day on September 18 at the AARO Trade Show!

After a full day of learning and inspiration, join us for the AARO Trade Show—a must-attend event for all members. This is your prime opportunity to network with industry peers and connect with leading vendors in a relaxed, welcoming atmosphere. Enjoy refreshments while meeting the day’s presenters and exploring the latest innovations from top aftermarket suppliers. Whether you’re looking to strengthen existing partnerships or spark new ones, the trade show is the perfect setting to build valuable relationships that drive your business forward.

DAY 3 & 4: September 19th-20th

 
Lindertech Technical Training – Advanced Learning at Its Best!
Whether you’re a seasoned technician or looking to level up your skills, this is the must-attend training event of the year.

Renowned as the industry leader in high-quality, advanced automotive technical training, attendees will have the opportunity to attend four unique training sessions that provide the opportunity to dive deep into cutting-edge diagnostics and repair techniques guided by some of the best in the business.

DAY 3: Friday, September 19 – Lindertech Technical Training

Level Up Your Skills with Industry Experts

8:00 pm to 5:00 pm
Subaru 101 – Scott Shotten, Trainer

With Subaru’s sales growing, are you seeing more of them in your shop? This class covers aftermarket scan tools to Subaru’s SSM4. We will explore different sources of service information and Subaru terminology. Module programming will be addressed. A portion of the class will be spent diagnosing issues with the AVCS system on the chain driven engine applications effectively. Whether you are new to Subaru, or have some experience already, this class should have something for you to take back to the shop and put to use right away.

1:00 pm to 5:00 pm
Air Fuel Sensors Demystified: A Technician’s Approach to In-Bay Diagnostics – Scott Weatherall, Trainer

Air fuel sensors have been in use for years but still technicians remain confused on how to diagnose them. Following manufacturers flow charts can be confusing and sometimes quite vague on how the information is presented. This course will allow the technician to look at the air fuel sensor in an easier manner using equivalency ratio that is a readily available PID to determine with the use of fuel trim and rear O2 sensor the systems operation. By using these bits of information, the technician can determine if the air fuel sensor is functioning correctly or a problem. Combining theory and real-life case studies we will simplify the functionality of the sensors and control.

DAY 4: Saturday, September 20 – Lindertech Technical Training (Continued)

There are two training tracks available – please select one
 

Track 1

8:00 am to 12:00 noon
Diagnosing Turbocharged Vehicles with Volumetric Efficiency & Fuel Trim – Scott Shotten, Trainer

This class starts with a quick review of scan data and volumetric efficiency on naturally aspirated engines and quickly moves on to diagnosing turbocharged applications using similar techniques. When testing MAF equipped vehicles, there is a definite difference in how fuel trims and VE behave. We will cover the theory and how to use these techniques for diagnosis. With a little bit of math, don’t worry… we have calculators for that, we can predict what VE should be for any given application or situation. These techniques will help us understand, and reinforce trust, in the multiple “LOAD” PIDs you may see in a data list. Fuel trims are also a very important piece of this puzzle. Case studies of actual good and broken vehicles will be used.

12:30 pm to 4:30 pm
Diagnosing Difficult Misfires – Mark Lemay, Trainer

Misfires can be difficult to diagnose once you get beyond the routine failures such as Ignition Coils, Spark Plugs and Fuel Injector problems. This class looks at what you do and how you do it to solve misfires that go beyond the normal range of diagnostics. This class will go into detail on how the PCM registers misfires compared to how a technician looks at misfires and how the misfire system can be fooled. We will cover why some misfires don’t set codes and why misfire codes are set when there is no misfire. Several strategies will be employed to separate a real misfire from a false misfire as well as techniques that you can use to get to the root cause of the misfire.

Track 2

8:00 am to 4:30 pm 
TESLA Model 3 Maintenance and Service – Dave Giles, Trainer

This fast-paced training course delivers everything today’s technicians and shop owners need to know about servicing the Tesla Model 3—one of the most common EVs now moving into post-warranty ownership. In just one day, you’ll gain the skills and confidence to take on real-world Tesla maintenance work, from common service tasks to high-voltage system diagnostics. We’ll cover essential procedures, including brake and suspension service, HVAC checks, cabin filter replacements, and high voltage systems—highlighting Tesla-specific nuances every technician should know. You’ll get ‘under the hood’ with an in-depth look at the Model 3’s high-voltage battery system, teardown methods, contactor and fuse replacement, and coolant loop inspection. We’ll explore Tesla’s advanced thermal system, including how to properly service the heat pump and isolate cooling faults, plus walk you through key components you can service—despite Tesla’s closed ecosystem. You’ll learn how to access service mode and service mode plus along with Tesla Toolbox 3, navigate service documents, and perform diagnostics with both OEM and aftermarket tools. We also share dozens of proven tips and tricks to help you build a strong EV service offering— like battery service, marketing maintenance packages to Tesla owners, and providing services Tesla
won’t. Whether you’re expanding your EV repair business or just starting to take on Tesla’s, this course equips you with high-value, safety-first training to grow your customer base and build EV trust in your shop.

Register Online