On June 1, 1986, Al Heikes opened the doors to Heikes Automotive at 419 Main Street.
Thirty-seven years later the business is closing as the Heikes' family members move on to new phases in their lives.
While Al has retired, his sons Dan and Ron have continued to be a part of the business.
Al worked at Coryell Auto and Mike Perry Chevy & Olds in Wayne before purchasing the business from Mern Mordhorst. He had also gained mechanic experience serving in the military in Korea and Vietnam. Some of his training came from attending classes at the GM Training Center in Omaha throughout his career.
He said he purchased some equipment from Mike Perry when the business closed.
"This building had been Herb's Buick, which I believe started in the 1940s and then was M&S Oil after that. There was a showroom in the front part of what is now the office," Dan said.
Dan said before his father opened Heikes Automotive, he (Dan) had worked at Mike Perry Chevy & Olds also and the day after he graduated from high school, he was sent to a specialized electronics training.
"My mechanics training was somewhat unconventional, because I got on-the-job training between my junior and senior year in high school at the GM Training Center in Omaha" Dan said. He also had several training opportunities while at the dealership.
Ron graduated from Wayne High School in 1987 and has been a part of the business since that time.
"We have been able to take advantage of trainings offered by AC Delco. Testings are offered by the National Institute of Automotive Service Excellence in a number of different areas and we are then certified in those areas," Dan said.
In the 37 years the family has owned the business, a number of significant changes have taken place.
Two of those mentioned were the number of computers in a vehicle and the change from rear-wheel drive to front-wheel drive on vehicles.
"Today, the average vehicle has 25-30 computers that communicate with each other. There are miles and miles of electronic wiring in a vehicle," Dan said.
The change to front-wheel drive in vehicles made it necessary to make adjustments to the wrecker service offered by the business.
"The wrecker came with the business when we bought it," Al said. "Even before actually purchasing it, I ran it and we still have that same wrecker today."
Al has numerous stories in regard to using the wrecker and said he has had to set up two over-turned combines and a floater (piece of farm equipment) with 900 gallons of water in it.
"I have also had to pull cars out of the creek a number of times. I saw what I would call a number of miracles in the time I have gone on calls and seen some disasters," Al said.
Al quit going on wrecker calls after he turned 70 and stopped coming to work in 2020.
"I would like to thank the fire departments and law enforcement we have worked with throughout the years," Al said.
He also encouraged everyone to wear seat belts when in a vehicle.
Dan noted that today's vehicles last a lot longer than in the past, many have 200,000 miles or more.
Another change in the automotive repair business came in 1996 when the industry standardized the codes used to determine engine problems.
"All vehicle manufacturers now use the same codes for diagnosing problems, including imports," Dan said.
With the close of the business, Dan will begin working for the city of Wayne and Ron is working on finding employment.
The building and area around it will be cleaned up and plans call for eventually selling it.
"I will miss coming to the same place every day for 37 years, but nothing stays the same. There are some advantages to being the boss, but the disadvantage is having no one to take your place. I will not miss the 3 a.m. wrecker calls," Dan said.
As they move on to new chapters in their lives, the Heikes family would like to thank all their customers for their support over the last 37 years.
