The owner of one of Montreal’s most active collision shops shares his hands-on experience with AI on the shop floor.

Among the highlights of the CCIF Montreal conference program on September 17, 2026, Nick Allegretta’s presentation — owner of Fix Auto Décarie in Montreal — stood out for its deeply practical, real-world grounding in the daily operations of a Canadian collision shop. While much of the discourse on artificial intelligence in the automotive industry remains abstract, Nick Allegretta shared his experience: what he tried, what worked, what didn’t, and why he continues to invest in these tools despite the challenges.

AI in a collision shop: a progressive learning curve

Nick Allegretta was straightforward: integrating AI into a collision shop does not happen overnight. It is a progressive learning process that requires time, training and a firm commitment to changing some deeply ingrained work habits. The applications he presented include customer communication management, repair cycle optimization and real-time performance indicator analysis. In each of these areas, AI has not replaced members of his team — it has made them more effective.

The message for hesitant shops

For Canadian shop owners and managers watching AI tools hit the market with curiosity — or skepticism — Nick Allegretta’s testimony at CCIF Montreal 2026 is an invitation to start small, experiment, and learn from experience rather than waiting for the perfect solution. In an industry undergoing profound transformation, those who learn by doing will gain a decisive head start over those who wait and see.

Picture credit: Fix Auto Descarie