Given the use of original parts, the cost of preventive measures for the average car owner can, to put it mildly, "bite." However, premature replacement of silent blocks helps prevent vibrations, beating, and extraneous noises, i.e., ensures driving comfort.
After leaving the official car service, most car owners simply ignore the replacement of silent blocks until obvious signs of the need for repair appear. And there are reasons for this – saving on the cost of parts and payment for work. Not everyone is willing to spend money on original components, and the use of cheap low-quality silent blocks transfers these parts to the list of "consumables." In addition, only proper installation can ensure the proper service life of parts, without which even the highest quality components can fail in the shortest possible time.
Since 1998, the number of rubber-metal parts per car has on average more than doubled. At an independent car service, it will benefit both parties to explain to the client the technical condition of rubber products (RTI), their residual service life. The durability of associated components depends on the performance of suspension silent blocks, which dampen and isolate various vibrations. Timely identification of weak points will allow timely replacement of parts, determine the interval for the next visit to the service station, and prevent unnecessary worry. In addition to silent blocks, other rubber products also need regular inspection: shock absorber strut supports, dust covers, belts, flexible couplings, engine, gearbox, and driveshaft mounts.
Technically improved products allow refuting the concept of "rubber products – consumables." Wulf Gaertner Autoparts AG produces optimized versions of parts in the MEYLE-HD version. Such parts are made not only from better materials and using different technologies, but also have design differences from original parts.
In simple silent blocks, the inner and outer sleeves are connected by a vulcanized layer of elastomer, usually rubber. During operation, rubber interacts with air ozone, swells, becomes porous, and microcracks form in it. Destruction is significantly accelerated in the presence of water. Under constant loads, increasing stresses arise in the intermediate rubber sleeve, and as a result, the rubber peels off from the cylindrical surface of the sleeves.
If the silent block is hydraulic, the process of its destruction is significantly accelerated, because the fluid contained in it simply leaks out. Subsequent replacement of a damaged hydraulic silent block with a similar part does not guarantee long-term service.
Computer modeling in the development of improved solid rubber silent blocks allows fully calculating the shape in which the elastic element will not crumple and will provide the same damping properties as the hydraulic version.
MEYLE-HD silent blocks are improved through the use of natural rubber and changes in the shape and method of filling/pressing the filler. The inner surface of the sleeve has a relief structure, which increases the contact surface and prevents the sleeve from peeling off from the metal. All MEYLE silent blocks are calibrated – the outer sleeve is made 5 mm larger than the required size, and after the poured filler cools, it is compressed with a press. This achieves much greater resistance of the sleeve to increased loads.
This is just one example of optimized MEYLE-HD parts. The German auto parts manufacturer Wulf Gaertner Autoparts AG has vast experience in the development and production of rubber-metal parts. In the rubber products category, the brand has parts for almost all car systems. The assortment also includes:
·bump stops and shock absorber strut supports with an increased contact area of the sleeve and damper, which increases reliability and service life
·dust covers made of natural rubber with corrosion-protected clamps
·oil deflectors, engine, gearbox, and driveshaft mounts made of improved rubber compound and with an optimized profile of contact surfaces
· flexible couplings made of synthetic fibers and high-quality rubber compound, resistant to climatic conditions and high loads
·torsional vibration dampers and drive belts made of ethylene-propylene rubber (EPDM)
·pipes and hoses made of EPDM with Kevlar fiber (Kevlar®-Fasern)
·stabilizer bushing kits, gaskets, repair kits for hydraulic cylinders, wiper blades, and more
The quality of MEYLE products is confirmed by the European Materials and Technical Supervision Service (EWIS AG). The brand's products are marked with the certificate and EAC sign, which replaces GOST standards and indicates that the products marked with it meet the requirements of the Customs Union.
It is worth recalling the large-scale loyalty program of Wulf Gaertner Autoparts AG for auto shops and service stations – "Key to the Ten." The entire range of MEYLE products participates in the program – more than 18,500 items covering 924,309 passenger car models. The most active participants will receive guaranteed rewards, and the 10 leaders of the loyalty program in each country (Belarus, Ukraine, and Russia) will receive certificates for trips to the best tourist cities in the world!
The official distributors of MEYLE products in Ukraine is the company Vladislav
The material was prepared by the international marketing agency "AGV-Aftermarket."
