Local mechanic sells automotive repair kits through new business venture

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BIZ BUZZ

IDAHO FALLS

Man launches company that sells automotive repair kits

IDAHO FALLS – Since childhood, Nathan Hansen has enjoyed tinkering with cars. It’s an interest he acquired from his uncle while working in his shop.

After a long career as an auto mechanic, the 40-year-old Idaho Falls man launched Renegade Solutions Company. It sells repair kits for Nissan Rogue heating and AC blocks. Hansen tells EastIdahoNews.com the HVAC unit in these vehicles tends to quit working over time because the bore that holds the temperature-regulating device strips. The cracking locks the regulating device in place, preventing it from rotating to hot or cold air. His kit allows you to install a piece that permanently repairs it, so you never have to spend money at a shop or dealership. See a repair and how the kits work in the video above.

Hansen has a patent for his product, which was approved by the federal government. Since launching the website last year, he’s shipped kits to Canada and nearly every state in the U.S. He tells EastIdahoNews.com he couldn’t be happier about the response.

He’s hoping to partner with a dealership to increase his footprint.

EastIdahoNews.com sat down with Hansen to learn the inspiration behind this product and why he started this venture.

During the winter months several years ago, Hansen says one of his longtime customers dropped off his daughter’s Nissan Rogue because the heater wasn’t working. Hansen knew from experience the heating motor had probably quit working. That’s exactly what he discovered when he took it apart.

“I knew this was very expensive and I was trying to figure out a way to help (the customer) out,” Hansen recalls. “I put a patch on there to get him by.”

Not long after that, his mom’s car, also a Nissan Rogue, had a similar issue.

Noticing a pattern, Hansen did some research and discovered heating and AC failures is a common problem in this type of vehicle.

He made a simple repair to fix the problem. His desire to help his customers prompted him to refine his method. It gradually evolved into his DIY automotive repair kits, which he sells online. The response has allowed him to focus on building his business full time.

He’s actively developing kits to address other issues on other types of vehicles.

A passion that runs deep

Hansen got his start as a mechanic years ago as a high school intern at Wackerli Auto Center in Idaho Falls.

He was raised on a 700-acre farm on the north side of town near the Idaho Falls Regional Airport. It’s been in his family for five generations. His great-grandfather, Farrel Lawrence Hansen, bought the land about 100 years ago.

Farming and automotive mechanics run deep in Hansen’s family. After buying the family farm, his great-grandfather became the original owner of what is now Broadway Ford.

His great-uncle, Bob Hoff, collects old cars and WWII-era planes. Bob’s dad, Mark Hoff, and his brother, Phil, invented the first Farmhand hydraulic tractor loader.

Tinkering with machinery was part of Hansen’s upbringing and it’s an interest he acquired naturally.

“My uncle … ran a shop (on the property),” says Hansen. “I’d wander out and see him working on stuff. He wasn’t a real social guy and didn’t have a lot of friends. I was the only one over there most of the time and I just got really interested in (how things work).”

Hansen speaks highly of Skyline High School’s automotive program, where he attended high school and got involved. The program allowed him to take courses at then-Eastern Idaho Technical College.

He completed the program at EITC and became an intern at Wackerli Auto Center.

After serving a mission for his church, Hansen obtained his ASE master certification — the gold standard in automotive mechanics. He worked at another shop in Idaho Falls for a time before returning to Wackerli.

Today, he repairs vehicles at a private shop on his family’s farm.

“One of my contributions (to the farm) is (mechanic work). If they have a pickup that goes down, I’ll fix it and charge it to my shop. It’s nice to have a little money coming in (to support my mechanic work),” he says.

Hansen formed Renegade Solutions Company in 2023, but didn’t start selling kits until September 2024.

At the time, he wasn’t sure what would happen, but he’s thrilled with the success of the business and that there’s a market for these kits. He hopes the business will eventually support his family.

“Some days, I thought this was totally nuts, this was a pipe dream. But I kept going,” Hansen says. “We’ve had a better response than I thought, and I’m super ecstatic!”

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