The next generation: MEYLE-HD bushing for VW with four-year warranty

Hamburg, 14. February 2013. Rubber mounts rank among the most vulnerable automotive components. Designed to absorb the high effective loads occurring during acceleration and braking and to stabilise the control arm, they are subject to critical levels of strain. To maximise part performance Wulf Gaertner Autoparts AG's experts have continually been seeking new ways of engineering parts. With impressive results: In February, the Hamburg-based manufacturer will be presenting the third generation of its MEYLE-HD bushing featuring a brand new material, making the bushing last significantly longer than its OE equivalent while enhancing tracking stability.

Under the loads acting on the bushing the rubber will crack causing the fissures to grow towards the part's interior and along the surface. This can cause the rubber strip to break and the part to fail prematurely. As this can adversely affect the vehicle's tracking stability, the condition of the rubber bushings is checked as an integral part of every general inspection. The pass certificate will not be issued unless the cracked bushing, however small the fissure, has been replaced.

Wulf Gaertner Autoparts' earlier bushing generations already featured four strips instead of the usual two to increase damping performance. Additionally, the company's engineers have

redesigned material dimensions to reinforce the part's strip geometries and part diameters compared with the OE solution.

For the latest HD bushing generation local stress peaks resulting in premature OE part failure were eliminated using FEM (finite element method) calculation models simulating body stress and strain complemented by video films showing bushing behaviour during operation. Based on the results of dynamic component tests made from a wide range of materials an entirely new part has been modelled using a design and materials ideally geared to the loads it has to bear. The newly developed solid HD rubber bushing features a rubber compound designed to reduce tensile loads while maximising part life and increasing roadholding characteristics. Wulf Gaertner Autoparts' four-year warranty on HD parts is a testament to the company's uncompromising commitment to quality.

Wulf Gaertner Autoparts' cooperation partner and tooling specialist SAUER Spezialwerkzeuge offers a professional silent bushing removal/installation tool to ensure correct fitting of the MEYLE-HD bushing.

The new MEYLE-HD bushing fits a variety of applications including VAG models VW Polo, Skoda Fabia, Seat Ibiza, Skoda Roomster, Seat Cordoba and VW Fox.