Lou Apples Auto Spares Buys Damaged and Non-Running Cars
Spring cleaning season tends to shine a light on the things we have been putting off, and for a surprising number of South African households that includes a car that no longer earns its keep. Perhaps it was declared a write-off after a crash, swamped in a flood, or quietly gave up one morning and has been parked in the driveway ever since while its owner weighs up the options. With the October clear-out in full swing, Lou Appel's Auto Spares in Selby, Johannesburg wants drivers to know that a wrecked or dead car is still worth money, and the yard is spelling out precisely how it buys vehicles.
Operating under the Lou Appel name for over 90 years, the company is constantly on the hunt for accident damaged and non-running cars. Each one is dismantled at the yard, and the parts that still have life in them are returned to the market for other drivers, mechanics and workshops to use.
Which vehicles the yard will consider
A broad spread of vehicle conditions is welcome at Lou Appel's. The list takes in cars suffering from engine trouble, water damage, mechanical breakdowns and electrical faults. No matter how bad the shape, the yard says it will put a fair deal on the table, and that a broken-down car need not stay a weight around its owner's neck.
For plenty of owners, this beats pouring money into repairs that outstrip the car's value, or watching a vehicle rot on the property. Even a car that is no longer worth fixing is packed with components that work perfectly well, and a yard that dismantles cars properly can hand those parts a fresh purpose.
The six step buying process
To keep the experience fast and open for sellers, Lou Appel's has split its buying method into six clear steps.
Step 1: First contact. The seller gets in touch with the team by calling 011 493 8260, sending an email, or completing the online form, and a consultant replies inside 24 hours. That consultant runs through a handful of simple questions about the car and asks for photographs.
Step 2: Review of photos and details. The photos and vehicle information are gone over closely so the team can gauge the car's state, after which a preliminary offer follows. Lou Appel's calls these offers fair and transparent.
Step 3: Acceptance and inspection. Should the seller be satisfied with that preliminary figure, a face-to-face inspection is booked. Usually this falls on the day after every photo and detail has come through, scheduled whenever suits the seller.
Step 4: Offer confirmation. An assessor goes over the vehicle and locks in the offer. According to Lou Appel's, nothing is tacked on in hidden fees or extra charges.
Step 5: Paperwork. With the inspection wrapped up, the team takes care of the paperwork at the yard. So it all moves faster, sellers are asked to have the following on hand: proof that the vehicle licence is current, the original vehicle registration document, a certified ID copy of the owner or title holder, proof of residence from the past three months and their banking details.
Step 6: Payment and removal. Payment lands straight away, and Lou Appel's then collects the car from the seller's property. The business understands that parting with a vehicle can sting, so it tries to keep this closing step swift and respectful.
What happens to the car next
Each car the company takes in feeds its stripping operation on Booysens Road in Selby. As one of Johannesburg's longest-standing used parts yards, Lou Appel's runs a Scrap Yard stocked with a huge spread of makes and models, all dismantled carefully so every usable piece is ready to sell again. Components are checked and, where it can be done, tested, and the inventory turns over regularly as fresh vehicles roll in, spanning engines, gearboxes, body panels, electrical parts and beyond.
Engines form a big slice of that inventory. The yard runs a dedicated engine room filled with local and imported second hand petrol and diesel engines and gearboxes, and the website listings span brands from Audi, BMW, Ford and Toyota through to Volkswagen, Nissan, Opel, KIA and plenty more. Anyone after Engines for sale can look through the brands online or phone the team, who are on hand to talk through compatibility, specifications and installation needs before any money changes hands.
This is the point where buying wrecked cars and selling parts meet. A car that came off worse in a front end smash, say, might still carry a healthy engine, gearbox or rear body panels. Bringing that vehicle in, taking it apart and testing its pieces lets a driver somewhere else in Johannesburg fix their own car with a quality part rather than forking out dealership prices for new.
Second hand parts for motorists, mechanics and fleets
Walking through the yard you will find private car owners, mechanics, workshops and fleet operators among the customers. Appetite for used Engines runs high with drivers keen to keep an otherwise solid car going after an engine gives out, and with workshops chasing a dependable replacement unit for a client. Lou Appel's says each engine is checked over so the buyer walks away with something reliable.
For anything else, the business operates a request a part service. Customers supply their vehicle make, model and year along with the part they are after, via the website form or over WhatsApp, and the team gets back to them with availability and pricing.
Three generations in Selby
The story goes back to Max Appel, a blacksmith who purchased the ground the yard still occupies today. His son Lou Appel launched a second hand parts venture on that land, thought to have first traded as Lou Appel's Motor Graveyard. When Lou Appel died in February 1982, his son Raymond set up Lou Appel's Auto Spares TVL (Pty) Ltd in January 1983 and carried the business forward. Raymond then sold a large share of it to his own son in 2014, carrying it into a third generation.
That deep history is part of why the company bills itself as the home of a million spares, and why it has the setup to buy, strip and resell cars on a serious scale.
Trading hours
Lou Appel's is open Monday to Thursday from 08:00 to 17:00, Friday from 08:00 to 16:30 and Saturday from 08:30 to 12:30. Sundays are closed, and on public holidays customers are advised to phone ahead. Drivers looking to sell a damaged or non-running car, request a part or browse the engine listings will find all of it at https://louappels.co.za/.
About Lou Appel's Auto Spares
Lou Appel's Auto Spares is a used auto spares company on Booysens Road in Selby, Johannesburg. It provides second hand car parts, engines, gearboxes and body parts for most vehicle makes and models, dismantles cars at its own yard, and buys accident damaged and non-running vehicles. Trading under the Lou Appel name for more than 90 years, it is now run by the third generation of the founding family.
Media Contact
Lou Appel's Auto Spares
Email: info@louappels.co.za
Phone: +27 11 493 8260
Website: https://louappels.co.za/