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15 | W aterloo C hronicle | T hursday,M ay 9,2019 w aterloochronicle.ca 519-746-7900 www.kwhonda.com 465 CONESTOGO RD., WAT. ExclusivE HONDA | ONE FOcus | ONE REsPONsiBiliTY Make everyda life easier LAWN MOWERS STARTING FROM dayyy PLUS FREIGHT & TAX HRS2166PKC PLUS FREIGHT & TAX Open 7 Days a Week Lunch 11am to 2:30pm • Dinner 3pm to 9:30pm LUNCH: $12.99 • DINNER: $15.99 (Pop included in Buffet) TAKE OUT MENU AVAILABLE ALL DAY TAKE OUT BOX $9.99 519-742-9000 700 Strasburg Road, Kitchener (Forest Glen Plaza) www.spiceindia.ca Large All You Can Eat Indian Buffet Treat Mom this AtAt It began back in 1959 when Kitchener's Clarence Logel bought a chicken farm on Bridge Road East. As a mechanic who owned an automotive re- pair shop at the time, Logel was constantly searching to find replacement parts for cars, so he started buy- ing some junkers and built a reputation. "Back then, when it came to car parts, a Chevy was a Chevy, a Ford was a Ford, a Chrysler was a Chrysler, and a Dodge was a Dodge," said John Logel, Clarence's grandson and third-generation owner of Logel's Auto Parts. "If you bought a Chevy, that one alternator/starter engine transmission would fit seven different models, so it was a lot easier to be a recycler those days and sell used parts." The business eventually began separating out the aluminum and steel com- ponents from used vehicles and shipped them to be melted down - the same pro- cess as today. "Nothing's really changed with that process to reclaim it and bring it back to its original form," said the younger Logel. While markets for metal and some materials have changed along with tech- nology, business has re- mained steady for the Kitchener automotive recy- cling facility, which now processes 5,500 vehicles a year and is getting set to cel- ebrate its 60th anniversary this spring. Logel's now employs more than 40 people and is known for its community involvement - sponsoring local sports teams at all lev- els, and events such as Mo- parfest, the Grand River Bass derby and the Manu- life LPGA Classic. It also donates cars to the local fire department for training. A fire back in 1997 de- stroyed the original build- ings at the Bridge Road lo- cation; however, many years after rebuilding, Lo- gel's recently opened a sec- ond site in Erin - a 75,000- square-foot processing and distribution facility that's mainly used to extract late- model car parts, usually from vehicles purchased through auction. Logel says it's the first completely indoor automo- tive recycling facility of its kind in Canada. It wasn't until about a year ago that Ontario's Ministry of the Environ- ment enacted regulations requiring automotive recy- clers to take cars apart on an impermeable surface. Before then, you could turn them upside down outside, he said, adding that reputa- ble members of the Ontario Automotive Recyclers As- sociation, including Lo- gel's, had lobbied for the changes for years. "Most people don't really think about what happens to your car after you trade it in," Logel noted. "It's a mas- sive appliance, it's a mas- sive part of your life, and it's like, 'OK, what happens to all the dangerous fluids, from the Freon to the anti- freeze to the oil - and that's where we come in. That's part of our business to en- sure these vehicles are re- cycled safely." It's estimated that if you break everything down in a vehicle - the plastic, metal, copper and other elements - about 80 per cent of it can be reused. Logel's recycles most trade-ins destined for the junk heap at local car deal- erships, shipping out a transport truck a day with 18 crushed vehicles that go to Whitby for shredding. For its customers, how- ever, it's all about finding the proper replacement parts, from body panels and doors to headlights and bumpers. "If we don't have it used here, we are connected to almost every reputable re- cycler in Ontario," Logel said. "We have a network of trucks and can get just about any part within 24 hours." Logel's five-year parts and labour warranty for used parts is something most manufacturers won't offer even on new ones. It stipulates that if a part fails or breaks, Logels's will find you another one. Because there isn't a re- pair shop on-site anymore, customers under warranty also receive a cheque for the standard cost of instal- lation, as per the Mitchell1 automotive guide. That's what a man learned after his wife re- cently knocked off a side mirror for the third time, backing out of the garage. Logel said he's hoping to see his loyal customers re- turn for an anniversary cel- ebration in June. There will be a barbecue and car- crushing on display. But it can get emotional, he warns. "We've seen a lot of peo- ple cry," he said. "You can have a car for a long time - you've got memories." LOGEL'S AUTO PARTS CELEBRATING 60 YEARS BILL JACKSON bjackson@kitchenerpost.ca BUSINESS LOCAL RECYCLING FACILITY PROCESSES 5,500 VEHICLES A YEAR ADDRESS: 116 Bridge St. E, Kitchener, Ontario N2K 1J6 PHONE: 877-960-1519 WEBSITE: www.logels.com John Logel looks back on six decades as the third generation owner of Logel's Auto Parts on Bridge Street East in Kitchener. Bill Jackson/Torstar