Facing tech inspection without worry: Wulf Gaertner Autoparts expands its range of kingpin repair kits

Hamburg, 02. December 2013. Examining the kingpin bearings is part of the standard statutory regular test in accordance with the operating license. Any replacement of worn components involves considerable time and money, as the vehicle is down for at least one full day. To help vehicle owners increase efficiency, Wulf Gaertner Autoparts has developed high-quality repair kits de-signed to pass technical inspections. High-grade materials, precision manufac-turing and reliable surface hardening are what distinguish MEYLE solutions from conventional products offered on the independent aftermarket. The added extra: Wulf Gaertner Autoparts’ repair kits are geared to the needs of repair businesses as they include the kingpin as well as the needle and axial bearings. As some of the latest additions to the product range, the company now also offers repair kits for the Mercedes-Benz ACTROS (04/96-10/02), ATEGO (01/98-10/04) and AXOR 2 (10/04--).

Tiny part, great job. During operation peak loads acting on the kingpin bearing com-ponents can be as much as nine tons resulting from the overall vehicle weight, une-ven road surfaces and braking forces. Wear eating away at the kingpin and the nee-dle or axial bearings leading to excessive play in the kingpin bearing. The result: poor roadholding and increased tyre wear. Thus, the factors determining part life are quality and workmanship of the materials used.

With its kingpin repair kit Wulf Gaertner Autoparts supplies independent workshops with a value-added superior-quality solution. The MEYLE parts offer threefold wear protection:
1. MEYLE kingpins are manufactured from toughened and hardened heat-treated steel.
2. The needle bearing is made from high-strength, hard-wearing rolling bearing steel. Unlike the standard part, the MEYLE design does not use the rolling bearing cage which increases overall load-bearing capacity, as the load now spreads across twice as many needles thereby maximising load-carrying per-formance.
3. The axial bearings are also designed without rolling bearing cage, allowing more rolling bodies to be used, which again adds extra load-carrying capacity.

Surface hardness and core strength are two of the critical specifications which de-termine the quality of the MEYLE repair components and are therefore monitored by in-process controls.

The complete MEYLE repair kit including bearings and kingpins is now also available for the Mercedes-Benz ACTROS (04/96-10/02), ATEGO (01/98-10/04) and AXOR 2 (10/04--) under the MEYLE ref. 034 033 0061/S1. The range of products also features repair kits for all popular Mercedes and MAN models rounded out by solutions covering major Scania, Volvo, RVI, Dennis and DAF applications.