Santiago’s Auto Repair

Since 1986, Volkswagens have been a huge part of the Pomona Swap Meet. One of PSM’s participating vendors, who also has a long history with VW’s, is Santiago’s Auto Repair. This full-service restoration shop has been keeping VW’s on the road since the 1980’s and they continue to help customers realize their vision with their classic or even modern VW. We regularly see Santiago’s at the Pomona Swap Meet with quality VW parts.  According to Jerry Uribe of Santiago’s, there has been a growing increase in the number of people who have taken an interest in vintage Volkswagens. But why?

According to Jerry, it’s all about the gasoline. He references his vintage 1958 European-spec VW Beetle, with its original 1100cc four-cylinder engine. “I can run the heck out of it and I only have to fill it every three weeks. Believe me that eight gallons will get me really far!”

Eight gallons for three weeks? Yikes! With some of our vintage rides, that’s not even one way to the car show, let alone three weeks worth of driving! So now we see the appeal, plus vintage Volkswagens are just as uniquely cool half a century later as they were when they were gleaming in the showroom.

Santiago’s team has earned lots of new customers with the variety of VW parts that they have available for sale at the Swap Meet.  Additionally, they’ve got a good number of folks who remember the shop from its original days. “We’ve run into people who knew the shop from back in the ‘80’s,” says Jerry. “It’s good to have people who appreciate your company’s history, but there are plenty of new customers, too.”

Santiago’s can handle general repairs, but also specializes in bringing vintage VW’s back the way a customer wants. Do you want to fully restore that old VW Type 2 (that’s what we generally consider to be the bus)? They can do that. Want to lower, chop and fully customize that cool VW you bought last weekend? They can help you with that too. Got a bit of rust damage or even been in a fender bender? They’ve got you covered.

Back in their original days, Volkswagen would even advertise their vehicles as a simple and more affordable alternative to traditional water-cooled cars and that’s still true today. A vintage VW can be a very simple machine to keep on the road and parts are still readily available. With interest in these cars remaining strong all over the world, there are still a great number of reproduction parts as well as new original stock parts that can be found, and Santiago’s is a great place to find those parts.

But with anything that’s popular and is becoming more so, vintage Volkswagens and their parts are also appreciating, according to Jerry. We talked briefly about the unusual VW Thing and how they would almost give them away in the past, but today, “a rusty body might get $7,000 – sometimes more!”

So if you’ve been waiting to restore that vintage VW or you think it might be cool to make your modern car a little more fitting to your style, Santiago’s can help you. They can do full engine work, including rebuilding, right on the premises. They are also able to do welding, fabrication, chop tops and much more.

Maybe now’s not a bad time to take that vintage VW that’s been a project for all these years and start realizing your vision for that car. Or there are certainly plenty available at Pomona, too. And who doesn’t appreciate going for weeks on less gas than some of us put in our portable generators?

Be sure you stop by Santiago’s Auto Repair at the next Pomona Swap Meet on Road 33, Spaces 15, 17 and 19.  Ask for Santiago and find out how he can help with your rebuild or restoration.

This article was written by Tony Barthel of the Curbside Car Show Calendar which features a whole new way to easily add or find your car show. Share your car show or other automotive event with the world today – it’s free and easy. www.curbside.tv

The Santiago’s repair crew make time to talk to each one of their customers.

Santiago’s Auto Repair spaces are always busy with VW enthusiasts.