Lou Appel's Auto Spares has opened spring by reminding Johannesburg motorists that the fastest route to a hard to find second hand part is usually to ask for it by name. The Selby business, which has traded under the Lou Appel name in one form or another for more than ninety years, is pointing drivers, independent workshops and home mechanics towards its online part request service as the warmer months bring the usual lift in repairs, restorations and pre holiday servicing.

September is the point in the South African year when a lot of postponed work finally gets booked in. Cars that limped through winter with a tired engine, a noisy gearbox or a cracked bumper come back onto the ramps, and the bill for new original parts sends many owners looking for a used alternative. That is the gap a long standing second hand spares yard fills, and it is the reason Lou Appel's has built its site around a simple request form rather than an endless parts catalogue.

How the part request service works

The request page asks for six things: first name and surname, a cell number, an email address, the vehicle make and model, the year of the car, and the specific part or parts needed. Once that is submitted, the business calls the customer back. There is no obligation attached to the enquiry and no need to know a part number in advance, which matters for owners who can describe the problem but not the component. Anyone who would rather speak to somebody straight away can call the yard on 011 493 8260 or use the WhatsApp option on the site, where an agent is on standby.

The reason the callback model suits this kind of business is that stock moves. Vehicles arrive, get stripped, and their usable components go onto the shelves, so what is available in the second week of September is not what was available in the first. A request that is logged with the make, model and year lets the team check against current stock rather than against a list that was accurate a month ago. It also means a customer who is out of town, or who cannot get to Selby during trading hours, still gets an answer.

Stripped vehicles, tested components

Behind the request form sits the yard itself. The Scrap Yard is where complete vehicles are taken apart with care so that the parts worth keeping stay in usable condition, and it describes itself as one of the most established operations of its kind in Johannesburg. Engines, gearboxes, body panels, electrical parts and a long tail of smaller components all come off vehicles that arrive through the yard, and the inventory changes as new stock is brought in.

Components are inspected and tested before they are offered for sale. Customers can either come to Booysens Road in Selby and look at what is on the floor, or send the vehicle details through the site and get availability and pricing confirmed before making the trip. For anyone restoring an older car, or keeping a work vehicle on the road on a fixed budget, the ability to see and handle a part before buying it is part of the appeal of a physical yard rather than an anonymous listing.

The engine room

The engine side of the business is listed separately. The Engines for sale section carries local and imported second hand petrol and diesel units along with gearboxes, and it is organised by manufacturer so that a buyer can go straight to the marque they need. More than thirty makes appear on that list, running alphabetically from Alfa Romeo through to Volvo, and the stock numbers next to each brand give an honest picture of depth. Volkswagen, Audi, Toyota, Ford, Nissan, Opel, Kia, BMW and Mercedes all carry meaningful counts, which reflects what actually comes through a Johannesburg yard rather than what a catalogue wishes it stocked.

Both naturally aspirated and turbocharged units are covered, for modern vehicles as well as older ones, and reconditioned and low mileage options appear alongside standard second hand stock. Buyers comparing used Engines against the cost of a rebuild or a new unit are usually weighing three things: whether the unit fits, whether it has been checked, and what it costs. Lou Appel's states that its engines are carefully inspected and tested for quality, performance and dependability, and that pricing is kept competitive without dropping the standard of what goes out the door.

Who the yard serves

The customer base splits roughly three ways. Independent workshops and mechanics need a reliable source of second hand components so that a repair quote stays inside what the owner is willing to spend. Private owners come looking for one specific item, often a body panel after a knock or an electrical part that has failed on a car old enough that the dealer network no longer carries it. And then there are the restorers and enthusiasts, who need parts for vehicles that stopped being supported years ago and who benefit most from a yard that has been accumulating stock for decades.

The makes handled cover most of what is on South African roads. Toyota, Ford, Hyundai, Kia, Nissan, Opel, BMW, Mercedes, Volkswagen, Audi and Renault all feature, which means the bulk of the passenger and light commercial parc in Gauteng is catered for. That breadth is what makes a single enquiry worth sending rather than phoning around, because one request covers a business that already handles the majority of common makes.

A third generation business

The company's history is unusually well documented for a spares yard. It was started roughly ninety years ago by Lou Appel, the son of a blacksmith named Max, and traded originally as Lou Appel's Motor Graveyard. Lou ran it until his death in February 1982, and his son Raymond took over in January 1983, forming Lou Appel's Auto Spares TVL (PTY) Ltd. Raymond passed the business on to his own son in 2014, putting it into its third generation. Very few businesses in the sector can point to that kind of continuity, and it is part of why the yard is comfortable inviting people to come and look at stock in person.

Alongside selling parts, the business also buys damaged cars, which is where a good deal of its incoming stock originates. A vehicle that is not economical to repair after an accident still holds a great deal of value in its components, and routing it through a yard that strips it properly keeps those components in circulation instead of scrapping them wholesale.

Trading hours and getting hold of the yard

The yard trades Monday to Thursday from 08:00 to 17:00, Friday from 08:00 to 16:30, and Saturday from 08:30 to 12:30. It is closed on Sundays, and the business asks that customers call to enquire about public holidays. The website form and the WhatsApp option are available outside those hours for anyone who wants to lodge a request in the evening and take the callback the next working day. Readers can find full details of the stock, the engine listings and the part request form on the Lou Appel's Auto Spares website at https://louappels.co.za/.

About Lou Appel's Auto Spares

Lou Appel's Auto Spares is a used auto spares business based in Selby, Johannesburg, supplying second hand car parts, engines, gearboxes, body panels and electrical components for most makes and models. Now in its third generation, the business has traded under the Lou Appel name in one form or another for more than ninety years. It strips vehicles at its own yard on Booysens Road, inspects and tests components before sale, buys damaged cars, and takes part enquiries by phone, by WhatsApp and through an online request form.

Media Contact
Lou Appel's Auto Spares
Email: [email protected]
Phone: +27 11 493 8260
Website: https://louappels.co.za/