Kombi Haus Volkswagen repair and restoration has seen a resurgence in interest for vintage VW vans over the past few years. Cheyne Rowe, a shop sales associate with Kombi Haus since 2009, credits the hashtag #VanLife on Instagram for the renewed interest in camper-style vans, which has prompted Kombi Haus to pilot a VW camper van rental service through Outdoorsy.com.
Customers are VW enthusiasts, collectors and companies who come primarily from Northern California, though the business also has loyal international customers who ship their VWs from overseas or stop by while traveling in their vans from continent to continent.
Body restoration technician Miguel Gutierrez sands down the exterior of a 1986 VW van to prep it for painting. Restoration projects, which are often for private collectors or commissions from businesses, can sometimes take years to complete, as the shop collects specialized parts. Kombi Haus has 6-10 Volkswagens in the body shop at any given time.
Kombi Haus is slowly taking over a city block in Sacramento’s Oak Park neighborhood. Owner Justin Campbell opened the Volkswagen repair and restoration shop 20 years ago as a small garage on 34th Street.
The business now covers over 12,000-square-feet of space across three buildings in the Triangle District. While repair brings in the bulk of revenue, restoration is where Campbell’s passion lies. There is rarely a slow day at the Kombi Haus VW repair garage. Cars often queue up along the curb outside, and the repair department’s nine technicians complete 10-12 projects a day.
Technicians work interchangeably between the two repair departments and seven car lifts. Air-cooled engines were a signature trait of VW autos when the German automaker started in 1937, before the company transitioned to primarily water-cooled engines by the ‘80s. Above technician Cody Gee works on an air-cooled 1956 Volkswagen Beetle with a right-side steering wheel originally imported from Germany and assembled in Australia.
Comments
These guys are great. I own a custom trike which has a 1600 Type 3 motor I bought from them. I've been taking it in for regular maintenance and just completed a 2100 mile trip without any incidents or breakdowns. This 1973 engine purred like a kitten. Thanks Daniel!