About Us
Baum Tools Unlimited, Inc. was founded in Los Angeles, California in 1959 by Charles Baum. Beginning as a tool jobber driving a VW bus all over the US, Chuck supplied Volkswagen and Porsche dealer technicians and repair shops with metric hand tools from Belzer Tools of Germany. Soon realizing that the use of VW special tools not only saved time for the mechanic, but generated higher earnings for the repair shop, he expanded into the growing line of VW and Porsche special tools. As his customers businesses succeeded, so did Baum Tools.
As the business grew through the 1960’s, Baum Tools expanded into Mercedes, BMW, Audi, Volvo and Saab special tools. In the mid 1970’s Baum Tools opened a Southeast division. In 1983 complete operations were moved from Los Angeles to Sarasota, Florida.
Baum Tools has now assembled the most comprehensive “in stock” selection of OEM and aftermarket special tools for VW – Audi – BMW – Mercedes – Porsche – Volvo – Saab – Ferrari and Jaguar available anywhere in the world. With the 1997 addition of the second warehouse in Sarasota Baum Tools has more than eight thousand different items in stock. This makes Baum Tools a one stop shop for the European automotive repair and service specialist.
As a leading importer, manufacturer and distributor of European automotive special tools, Baum Tools has imported and distributed Stahlwille, Deutronic, Hazet, Matra, Peisler, Matador,Geodore, Belzer, Wiha, Wera and Kukko as well as most of the small contract OEM tool companies that have been building special tools for the German car manufacturers for years.
Returns and Cancellations
Orders may be cancelled before payment has been processed with no penalty. Cancellations after payment processing will be subject to the payment processor’s fees, typically around 3% of the transaction total.
No product may be returned without first contacting Baum Tools for a RA (Return Authorization) number. The RA number is valid for 30 days from the issue date. If the product is not received within 30 days, the RA will be cancelled. A RA will not be issued for invoices aged over 30 days.
To initiate the RA process, you must first submit a RA form. You can either call our returns Department at 1-800-848-6657 requesting the form to be faxed, or email the request to Nicole@baumtools.com. Once the RA claim has been confirmed, a response will be sent immediately.
A RA will not be issued for the following: invoices aged over 30 days, items not within warranty terms, items not purchased directly from Baum Tools, items specially ordered, or used tools. All errors in shipping must be reported with in 48 hours of receipt. All returns are subject to a 20% restock fee plus transaction fees if tool has not been used. Used tools are not eligible for any refund.
The product must be properly packaged with the RA number clearly displayed on the outside of the shipping box. The customer is responsible for paying the shipping charges to send the product to Baum Tools. A returned product without clearly marked RA number will be refused and returned to sender.
Original packaging should be used if available to minimize the potential for shipment damage. If items are damaged during return shipment due to insufficient packaging, it will be left to Baum Tool’s discretion to determine whether or not the product is resalable and if any refund will be issued.
All returned items must be sent via traceable means. Examples would be UPS and FedEx. Be sure to retain the tracking information for your records. The customer is responsible for the product until it is received by Baum Tools. Within ten (10) working days after receipt of returned items, credit will be issued.
Diagnostics
In the late 1980’s, as advanced electronic control systems where introduced into European automobiles, Baum Tools expanded into the area of diagnostic scan tools, quickly becoming the leader in the field for European diagnostic applications.
The problem finding good technical information
Several years ago we started hearing complaints from a lot of our long time high end German auto repair customers. They were beginning to fall behind because there just simply wasn’t enough accurate repair information easily available to the aftermarket. The non OEM information had a lot of critical holes when it came to German car coverage. For a longtime Robert Bentley Publications was the only publisher that supplied accurate German car repair information to the aftermarket. That was restricted to VW, Audi and later BMW. Since then the German OEM’s have done a great job in updating their repair information programs for the aftermarket. Shop owners can now subscribe to near dealer level repair information for VW, Audi, Mercedes, BMW, Porsche as well as Volvo and Saab. This is great but so costly that only the specialists can justify the cost associated with year after year subscriptions.
For many years we have been hosting high end German auto repair seminars. We have always supplied an extensive manual related to the subject of each of these seminars. Over time these manuals have grown into extremely valuable publications. We now publish these manuals for use in the shop. A must for guys that work with these specific vehicles. See the list in “HOT PRODUCTS” under “Training And Support”.
Advanced German Auto Repair Seminars
We decided to encourage a few of our older more experienced shop owners and technicians to share their knowledge and begin to put on seminars devoted to specific vehicle systems. For over four years now we have been scheduling seminars specifically for VW, Audi, BMW, Mercedes and Volvo around the country (see Seminars under Hot Products for a few of our current offerings). Our seminars are geared for the experienced technician and don’t just blow across theory but get deep into systems focusing on chronic problems and how to deal with them. One great byproduct of these seminars is the networking techs are able to accomplish as a result. Everyone needs a technical support group to pull from. The BIMMERTECH group is a classic example of a successful pooling of resources. We plan to continue this type of training and to enhance our Euro diagnostic technical support group on line. In the future we will bring on high end training techs to focus on Porsche, Jaguar and Saab. Everyone can use a little more help with these and the opportunity to network with other techs that repair the same makes.
Some vehicles we service
Audi
A3, A4, A4 AVANT, A4 CABRIOLET, A5, A5 CABRIOLET, A6 AVANT, A7, A8, A8L, TT, TT ROADSTER, TTS, TTS ROADSTER, TT 3.2, R8, R8 V10, R8 SPYDER, R8 GT, S3, S4, S4 AVANT, S5, S5 CABRIOLET, S6, S6 AVANT, S7, S8, RS4, S4 AVANT, RS5, RS6, TTRS, ALLROAD, Q5, Q7
VW
BEETLE, NEW BEETLE, FOX, RABBIT, GOLF, GOLF GTI, GTI, GOLF R32, R32, JETTA, JETTA GLI, GLI, JETTA WAGON, PASSAT, PASSAT WAGON, CC, TIGUAN, EOS, TOURAN, TOUAREG, PHAETON, ROUTAN, CORRADO, EUROVAN, VANAGON
PLATFORMS (CHASSIS)
A3, A4, A5, B4, B5, B6, B7, B8, C4, C5, C6, D2, D3, D4, T4, T5, PL52, PL64, PL71
ENGINES
AEB, AGU, AJH, APH, ARX, ARZ, ATW, AUM, AVC, AWD, AWL, AWT, AWW, BJX, BKF, BKV, AJQ, APP, ARY, ATC, AUQ, AWP, BEK, BNU, BEX, BVR, APY, AUL, AMK, AMU, APX, BAM, BEA, BFV, BPJ, AXX, BWA, BWE, BPY, BYD, CDL, BHZ, CAEA, CAEB, CAWB, CCZA, CDNB, CDNC, BGP, BGQ, BPR, BPS, CEPA, ACK, ALG, APR, AQD, AMX, AHA, ATQ, AVK, ASN, BBJ, CAKA, CCBA, BFH, BDB, BHE, BMJ, BPF, BUB, AXZ, AUK, BKH, BYU, BPK, CDVA, BLV, BWS, BAR, BVJ, CAU, BNS, BYH, BAT, BFM, BGH, BGJ, BBK, BHF, BAR, BUH, BXA, BSM, BUJ, BAN, BHT, BSB, BTE, BRN, BTT, BJN, CFR, BDN, AER, ALD, ALL, ANV, ATE, AUC, AGN, APG, ADR, ARG, APT, AVV, ABF, ALT, AJK, ARE, BES, APB, AGB, AZB, AAH, AFC, AES,AAA, AFP, ACK, AQP, AUE, AXK, AYL, BDE, BDF, ABV, AEW, AKJ, AQG, AKC, BFL, BDP, ABZ, AKG, ARS, ASG, BAS, AHC, AKH, AQH, AVP, AYS, BCS, 1Y, AEF, AEY, 1Z, AHU, AGR, AHH, ALE, ALH, AFN, AHF, ASV, AVB, AVG, BRU, BXF, BXJ, ATD, AXR, BEW, BMT, AVB, AVQ, BSW, BJB, BKC, BLS, BSV, BXE, BPZ, AJM, ATJ, AUY, BVK, AWX, ASZ, AVF, BLT, ARL, BTB, BDK, AZV, BMM, BKD, BKP, BRE, BMN, BMR, BRD, CBDC, CFHC, CBEA, CBAB, CFFB, CBDB, CJAA, CAGA, CRBC, CBBB, CGLC, CUNA, BKN, BUN, CAS, BMK, CATA, CARA, CCMA, CEXA, BKW, BLE, CBWA, CCGA, AAZ, ABL.
Where to buy purchase best price
Volvo 850/960/S70/S80/S90/S40/V50
S60, S80, V60, V70, XC60, XC70, XC90
Porsche 911, 912, 914, 924, 930, 944, 951, 964, 968, 993, 986, 987, 996, 997, 996tt, 997tt, 928, 980, 9PA
944 S, 944 turbo, 944 turbo s, 911 turbo, 911 turbo S, 911 gt3,911 gt2, 911 gt3 rs, 911 RS, Cayenne, cayenne S, cayenne turbo, cayman, cayman S, Boxster, boxster S, c2, c4, carrera, carrera s, carrera2, carrera 4, carrera 2s, carrera 4s, c2s, c4s, 928 gts
MB Mercedes Benz
601, 602, 603, 604, 605, 606, 617, 615, 616, 642, 103, 104, 117, 119, 103, 104, 111, 271, 272, 273, 112, 113, 120, 275, 156, 285, 612, 628, 137, 155
722.6,722.9,716.5,722.8
A-Class – Hatchback, B-Class – Multi Purpose Vehicle (MPV), C-Class – Saloon, Estate & Coupé, CL-Class – Luxury Coupé, CLA-Class – 4 Door Coupé, CLS-Class – 4 Door Coupé and Estate, E-Class – Saloon, Estate, Coupé and Cabriolet, G-Class – Sports Utility Vehicle (SUV), GL-Class – Sports Utility Vehicle (SUV), GLA-Class – Sports Utility Vehicle (SUV), GLK-Class – Sports Utility Vehicle (SUV), M-Class – Sports Utility Vehicle (SUV), R-Class – Multi Purpose Vehicle (MPV), S-Class – Luxury Sedan, SL-Class – Roadster, SLK-Class – Roadster, SLS AMG – Coupé and Roadster, 190 1982-1993, 300D 1977-1985, 300CD 1978-1985, 300SD 1981-1985, 300SDL 1986-1987, 300TD 1978-1985, 350SDL 1990-1991, 500SE 1984-1991, 500SEC 1984-1991, 500SEL 1984-1991, 560SEL 1986-1991, 560SEC 1986-1991, 300E 1986-1993, 300CE 1986 – 1993, A-Class 1997, C-Class 1993, CLK-Class 1998, E-Class 1995, SL-Class 1989-2001, Vaneo 1997-2004, Mercedes-Benz A-Class, W168 2000-2004, W169 2004-2012, Mercedes-Benz B-Class, W245 2005-2011, Mercedes-Benz C-Class, W203 2000-2007, W204 2007, Mercedes-Benz CL-Class, Mercedes-Benz CLK-Class 2000, W215 2000-2006, W216 2007, Mercedes-Benz CLS-Class 2004, Mercedes-Benz E-Class, Mercedes-Benz G-Class 2000, W210 1995-2002, W211 2003-2009, W212 2009, Mercedes-Benz GL-Class, X164 2007, Mercedes-Benz M-ClassMercedes-Benz R-Class, 2006, W163 1998-2005, W164 2006, Mercedes-Benz S-Class, W220 1999-2005, W221 2006-2013, W222 2014, Mercedes-Benz SLK-Class, R170 1998-2004, R171 2005, Mercedes-Benz SL-Class 2001, R230, Mercedes-Benz SLR-McLaren 2003-2009, 722 Edition 2006-2009, Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG 2010, Mercedes-Benz CLA-Class 2013
BMW
M50, 52, 52TU, 54, M60, 62, N52, 53, 54, 55, N62, 73, 62TU, N63, S63, S65, S85, S54, S52, S50, N42, 46, N12, N14, W10, W11, E30, E36, E46, E90, E91, E92, E93, E32, E34, E38, E39, E60, E61, E63, E61, E65, E66, E31, E81, E82, E83, E87, E88, R50, R52, R53, R55, R56, E53, E70, E83, E52, E85, E86 F01, F02, 318 ,323 ,325 ,328 ,330,530,525,540,630,635,645,650,735,740,750,850, M3, M5, M6, X1, X3, X5, X6, Z3, Z4 Mini Cooper, Mini Cooper S