What Area Diesel Service does

Area Diesel Service is an independent diesel fuel-injection and turbocharger remanufacturer, machine shop, and aftermarket parts distributor based in Carlinville, Illinois. The core business is rebuilding: the company repairs and remanufactures diesel injection pumps, injectors, and turbochargers in-house across a dedicated fuel injection department, a turbo department, and a machine shop for custom work on diesel engines and components. Alongside the repair work it stocks and sells diesel performance parts, ancillary items, and hard-to-find vintage components for customers who want, in the company's own words, quality diesel parts "without the OEM price tag."

The customer base is the diesel aftermarket rather than vehicle OEMs: owner-operators, fleets, and independent repair shops, from single-truck owners to chains. Typical jobs described by customers include rebuilds of Stanadyne rotary pumps (VE-series) and matched injector sets, turbocharger service, and sourcing of parts other shops cannot locate. The company positions itself as a national mail-in and distribution operation, taking in components for rebuild and shipping finished parts back out, in addition to serving walk-in customers at its three branches.

Products and brands

Area Diesel carries its own house lines and a wide catalog of third-party brands. House and private lines include ADS Turbos, AFA (Axis Fuel Accessories), ATA turbo accessories, the Magnum and Magnum-HD performance ranges, Truck Edition performance modules, and the Turbo II Precleaner. Distributed brands span the major diesel fuel-system and forced-induction names: Bosch, Stanadyne (both injectors and fuel additives), Delphi, Cummins, Holset, Garrett, BorgWarner, Alliant Power, FASS, Racor, Dorman, Interstate McBee, PurePower Technologies, US Motor Works, Walker Products, AG Diesel Solutions, Bully Dog, and Durafit.

That mix, remanufactured injection and turbo hardware plus a broad parts catalog, is the signature of a full-service diesel aftermarket house rather than a single-product manufacturer. The turbochargers and fuel-injection systems it services and sells are the same categories it imports as cores and components (see Sourcing evidence below).

Locations and history

Val Leefers founded Area Diesel Service in 1973, building a 1,500-square-foot shop just outside Carlinville, Illinois with about $1,300 in inventory after learning the trade at other area repair shops. The company grew from that one-man operation into a three-branch business. The original Carlinville building, still company headquarters, has expanded to roughly 25,000 square feet and houses the fuel injection department, turbo department, warehouse, and machine shop. In 1984 the company opened a second location in the Des Moines, Iowa metro (Pleasant Hill, Iowa) to serve customers west of the Mississippi, and in early 2017 it added a third branch in Indianapolis, Indiana to reach the eastern Midwest and speed parts shipping to the eastern US. Across the three sites the total operation runs about 75,000 square feet, roughly 50 times the size of the first shop.

Ownership has stayed in the Leefers family across three generations. Founder Val Leefers remains president; his son Von Leefers is owner and vice president; and Von's son Tyler Leefers joined the management team in 2019 to oversee daily operations, after earning a diesel-technology degree and working in agricultural and large-bore diesel roles. Val's daughter Viki Leefers is also a long-tenured employee. The company reports about 49 to 50 employees across its locations, including factory-trained diesel technicians. In 2023 Area Diesel marked its 50th anniversary; the Macoupin County Fair renamed its tractor-pull track in the company's honor in recognition of five decades of local support.

Sourcing evidence

Area Diesel appears in US customs records as a modest but active importer. Its bill-of-lading history shows 9 US ocean-import shipments on record, with the most recent logged in June 2026, so the company is actively importing in the current year. The named foreign suppliers are Chinese turbocharger and auto-parts makers: Wuxi Taichen Machinery, Qingdao Carflex Auto Parts, Refone Auto Power, and Qingdao Goldmyk Industrial. That profile, turbo and injection components in from specialist overseas makers, fits a remanufacturer sourcing cores and parts to rebuild and resell, consistent with the turbo and fuel-injection work described above.

The volume is small in absolute terms, which is typical for a regional aftermarket house that buys much of its catalog domestically through distribution and imports only select turbo and parts lines directly. For buyers weighing nearshoring and tariff exposure on diesel components, the record shows a supply base concentrated in China for the directly imported turbo hardware.

Coverage caveats: these are US ocean-freight records only. Air, truck, and rail movements, and most domestic distribution purchases, do not appear; some records name freight intermediaries rather than manufacturers; and product categories come from declared manifest codes, which are noisy. Absence of a record is not evidence of absence.

Frequently asked questions

What does Area Diesel Service do?

Area Diesel Service remanufactures diesel injection pumps, injectors, and turbochargers, runs a machine shop for custom diesel engine and component work, and distributes diesel performance parts. It sells its own ADS Turbos, AFA, and Magnum lines plus brands such as Bosch, Stanadyne, Cummins, Holset, Garrett, and BorgWarner, serving owner-operators, fleets, and independent repair shops nationwide.

Where is Area Diesel Service located?

Area Diesel Service is headquartered at 1300 University Street, Carlinville, Illinois 62626, in a roughly 25,000-square-foot facility. It also operates branches in the Des Moines, Iowa metro (Pleasant Hill, Iowa), opened in 1984, and in Indianapolis, Indiana, opened in 2017. The three locations total about 75,000 square feet.

Who owns Area Diesel Service?

Area Diesel Service is an independent, family-owned company. It was founded in 1973 by Val Leefers, who remains president. His son Von Leefers is owner and vice president, and grandson Tyler Leefers joined management in 2019, making it a three-generation family business.

How many employees does Area Diesel Service have?

Area Diesel Service reports about 49 to 50 full-time employees across its three locations, including factory-trained diesel technicians. The company does not publish a formal headcount figure; data brokers that model headcount from LinkedIn profiles tend to undercount hands-on manufacturing and repair workforces.

Who are Area Diesel Service's customers?

Area Diesel Service serves the diesel aftermarket rather than named vehicle manufacturers: owner-operators, commercial fleets, and independent diesel repair shops across the US. The company does not publish a named customer list, which is normal for an aftermarket parts and remanufacturing business.

How long has Area Diesel Service been in business?

Area Diesel Service has been in business since 1973 and marked its 50th anniversary in 2023. It has operated continuously under Leefers-family ownership for more than five decades, growing from a single 1,500-square-foot shop to a three-branch operation of about 75,000 square feet.

Last verified September 27, 2026. Is this your company? Request a correction.