Baum’s Service Center

My dad has always gone here with his VW & told us we should too, he was so right! Doug always fixes up our VW with money to spare, unlike the other places that nickle & dime you til you are broke.

This has been a long time coming.
Back December of 2014, I was starting the first leg of my journey from New York City to Texas. I was loaded down with stuff… things, and I thought they were all going to go up in flames. I saw the end of my van! Wait, my van did not burn down, I had been driving for 4 hours and the battery light went on, knowing that this can be an indication that the belt to the alternator broke, which in and of itself is not so bad, but when you also know that that same belt runs the water pump to cool the engine, you get pretty adept at pulling over quickly and safely to check on these things. That is what I did, and what i found was smoke and flames coming out from under my engine compartment, I grabbed my computer and thought, this is it. Then I remembered that i had a fire extinguisher, it has been in the van since i bought it and I had never needed to use it. So I grabbed it and shot a bit up into the flaming area. Upon further inspection the alternator that i had bout and replaced a little over a year had blown up… literally. The top of the alternator blew off and the thick gauge wire that led to it had melted and basically severed itself. The plastic around the cable is what started on fire. Luckily there was not enough substrate to keep the fire going, so my heroics may have been in vain, probably would have went out on its own, who knows.
So I got on the horn trying to find a VW shop with an alternator on hand and time enough to do it. It was a friday in late December, tough time to get in to a shop. Unfortunatley the first garbage told me they had the alternator but the replacement wiring harness that was needed for the different wires that connects the alternator to the batery and other components on the van would not be in until Monday if ordered that morning. Fortunately The guy on the phone said, call Baum’s they might be your best bet. So I did. I am so thankful I did. Doug had me back on the road in about 5 hours, that included the tow to get over there (about 1 hour away) and me grabbing lunch before I hit the road.
While Doug and team got the lift cleared I worked at getting the hatch open and getting the old alternator out and a new one put back in, after that we got it up on the lift and Doug proceeded to fabricate the wiring harness that would take until Monday to get there, did I mention I was trying to get home for Christmas. Well, he nailed it, I was so thankful to be dropped of at Baum’s. I look forward to stopping by, maybe just for a tune up in the future.
Highly recommend this shop to anyone!
Regards,
Bill

Anytime, every time. Baums is the place to go and get your VW fixed or hooked up or whatever it may be. You’ll even walk out with some coin in your pocket. Thanks Doug

Took my 85′ Vanagon for inspection and they tightened my E-​brake, welded a exhaust leak, and did the inspect all at minimal cost. Didn’t even charge me for labor. Couldn’t recommend it highly enough.

If you own a VW, you have to take your car to Doug at Baum’s. He knows all the ins and outs of these unique automobiles.
He works 12 hours a day, except during hunting season…
He’s usually booked 2 – 4 weeks out for normal service… so call early. But not unlike doctors, he can usually squeeze in emergency diagnosis.
Baum’s is the type of shop that remembers your name, knows your car and takes great care of you… every time.