Chances are, if you read this magazine, your mechanical skill goes far beyond the average driver, who more often uses his car as an appliance rather than a serious source of enjoyment. Unfortunately, while you may know every cubic centimeter of a 16-valve motor, rigging that trick alarm system might leave you in the dark. Or maybe you installed a stereo system with enough power to blast a Scud for the sky, but fitting those Neuspeed sway bars leaves you sliding in the dust. That seems to be the case with a great many readers who report that once they find the correct hardware, proper fitment remains a formidable obstacle; even finding the parts themselves can become the task from hell.

The staff of European Car thought about this quandary while on our annual northern California surf/work safari: Where could a VW enthusiast take his car for complete service and modification? One competent solution is in Santa Clara under the name New Dimensions. With over seven years of water-cooled Volkswagen experience, New Dimensions has established itself on the domestic tuners' map as a full service facility with an emphasis on service. Tim Hildebrand founded New Dimensions as a service/maintenance center and eventually found his company headed along the path of higher performance. However, instead of becoming just another huge warehouse full of performance hardware, Hildebrand chose to devote nearly all of his 8500 square foot facility to service bays.

"There is a lot of junk (performance parts) floating around out there," Hildebrand explains. "I don't want to carry stuff like that in my place because in the long run, the guy who puts it on his car is not going to be happy. We have an additional surcharge to install junk on cars; a lot of this stuff is untested-it won't make a car go faster but the ad says it does so the person buys it."

We got the feeling Hildebrand spoke from the type of first-hand experience that comes from getting burned purchasing inadequate performance equipment. The underlying theme at New Dimensions is service with tried and tested performance hardware.

New Dimensions sports a comprehensive engine development program complete with Clayton chassis dyno and Sun MCA computer analyzer. Engine work is carefully logged on a specification sheet so finished work is supported with hard numbers. During our shop tour, several New Dimensions employees were performing port and polish work, cc'ing heads and servicing stock VW vehicles on a multitude of lifts that comprise the greater part of the floor space. There was also ample space given to transmission rebuilding; tidy racks held finished units awaiting installation. In addition to engine work, New Dimensions is also an authorized Bosch Service Center, a distinction bestowed upon only the most capable facilities. All Bosch parts under warranty are fixed free of charge at New Dimensions.

While New Dimensions prides itself on a comprehensive service program, they do have an extensive line of quality products. Neuspeed, Zender, FOHA, Sachs, Bilstein, Recaro, and Hella are just a few of the dozens or possibilities that immediately confront the prospective customer. Hildebrand is quick to point out, however, that the majority of car owners are interested in interior appointments. "Traffic in the Bay Area can get pretty bad. The average VW owner wants to be more comfortable, so we do a lot of seating, steering wheels, shift knobs, instrumentation, alarm systems and stereos. With smog laws getting tighter in California, you're going to see a lot of people hesitating to modify late-model engines."

New Dimensions does ultra-high-quality electrical work on all alarm and stereo installations, emulating the factory with gold connectors, shrink wrap-all the trappings to make the fitment as tidy as the Germans would do it. "We don't make money on installations," Hildebrand adds. "I just want it to leave my shop as clean as possible."

In a nutshell, New Dimensions is a highly capable tuner with an emphasis on customer service. By listening to the individual's needs and financial abilities. While customer service isn't exactly a novel concept, it helps to surpass a number of outfits where sales volume outweighs customer satisfaction.