Continental made a number of product announcements on the opening day of AAPEX in Las Vegas.
Continental Blower Motors
The company has added 12 new and exclusive late model blower motor SKUs
to its world class line of HVAC motors, it said. The new motors increase the total blower motor line count to 521 SKUs and deliver overall coverage for over 340 million import and domestic cars, vans, SUVs, and light trucks on the road in the U.S. and Canada.
The new Continental Blower Motors are built in TS/ISO Certified facilities and tested to meet OE specifications for vehicle specific fit, form, and function. To ensure trouble-free installation and reliability, Continental uses electrical connections, mounting flanges, and ventilation tubes that are identical to the OE factory units. Every motor is fitted with an application specific blower wheel to deliver genuine OE performance. Continental never employs flying leads, wire splicing, corrugated tubing, or universal flanges.
Continental’s new blower motors will be available to the aftermarket in the first quarter of 2023 for applications on 2021-23 Ford Bronco, 2021-22 Hyundai Elantra, 2019-21 Infiniti QX50, 2021-22 Jeep Grand Cherokee, 2022 Jeep Wagoneer and Grand Wagoneer, 2021-22 KIA K5, 2019-21 Mercedes A, CLA, GLA, and GLB, 2020-21 Mercedes GLE and GLS, 2019-22 Mercedes Sprinter 1500, 2500, 3500, and 3500XD, 2022 Nissan Frontier, 2019-22 Subaru Forester, and 2021-22 Volkswagen ID.4.
“Our new blower motor offering delivers a new and profitable opportunity for our customers,” said Rick Wagner, Senior Product Manager Electric Motors. “These exclusive units are only available from Continental, and they come ready to install for easy, direct-fit replacement.”
ATE Disc Brake Pad coverage
Continental now offers expanded ATE Disc Brake Pad coverage for more than 95% of European vehicles. Semi-metallic and ceramic formulations are available for most models from Alfa Romeo, Audi, BMW, Jaguar, Land Rover, Mercedes-Benz, MINI, Porsche, Range Rover, Renault, Saab, smart, Volkswagen, and Volvo. The expansion brings the current ATE line count to 293 part numbers and provides service shops the opportunity to service over 104 million vehicles on the road in the U.S. and Canada.
ATE aftermarket brake pads have set the standard for friction in Europe and around the globe. ATE engineers utilize over 150 different friction formulations to ensure that the pads deliver the ideal braking solution for specific vehicle applications and provide full braking power instantly without fade, squeal, or judder. Every pad is engineered for low heat transmission to prevent pedal failure and equipped with underlayers and damping sheets to minimize noise and provide smooth operation.
“ATE Disc Brake Pads are formulated to strict OE friction specifications and built and tested to meet or exceed OE manufacturers’ quality standards. We subject our pads to over 50 rigorous tests to make certain that they not only meet OE manufacturers requirements, but also exceed our own even more stringent safety and performance criteria,” said Nathan Killeen, Product Manager, ATE Brake Systems.
OE hybrid battery cooling fan line for popular models from 2003-2021
Continental has dramatically expanded its Hybrid Battery Cooling Fan program to address the growing demand for hybrid cooling components that meet OE specs for true fit, form, and function, the company said. With the addition of seven new direct-fit OE replacements, Continental is now able to deliver exceptional coverage for popular hybrid vehicles from 11 makes for model years 2003 to 2021. The line features 21 SKUs that can cover more than 19 million vehicles on the road in the U.S. and Canada.
Continental OE Hybrid Battery Cooling Fans are now available for Buick LaCrosse, Cadillac ELR, Chevrolet Impala and Volt, Ford C-Max and Fusion, Honda Accord, Civic, CR-Z, and Insight, Hyundai Sonata, Kia Optima, Lexus CT, RX 400h, RX450h, RX450hL, and UX250H, Lincoln MKZ, Mercury Milan, and Toyota Avalon, Camry, Highlander, Mirai, and Prius.
“Hybrid battery cooling is critical to battery life and proper vehicle performance,” said Christina Bergstrom, Continental Senior Product Manager. “As hybrid vehicles age, their battery packs can begin to weaken after only five years of service, and the cooling fans may need to be replaced in the 7th and 8th year in order to maintain required cooling. Because we are seeing more vehicles coming into shops for battery service and fan replacements, we have increased our offering to meet the demand.”
Continental hybrid battery cooling fans are designed to restore original battery cooling performance to maintain the health of the battery and optimize overall efficiency. These fans feature an OE design that includes identical mounting locations and plug-and-play electrical connections to ensure a proper fit and easy installation.
Knock, cam, and crankshaft sensors
Continental has added new Knock, Cam, and Crankshaft Sensors to its fast-growing OE-engineered Engine Management Sensor line. The new sensors are designed to provide exact vehicle fit, form, and function, and are built in ISO/TS certified facilities to deliver the highest quality, dependability, and long service life.
Application coverage is exceptional and includes Audi A3, A4, A6, A8 ALLROAD, Q7, RS5, RS7, S6, S7, S8, and TT; BMW Series 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, M Series, X3, X5, X6, Z4, and Z3; Infiniti QX56, Mercedes Benz C230 and SLK 230; Mini Cooper, Countryman, and Paceman; Nissan Altima, Armada, Cube, Frontier, Maxima, NV200; and VW Atlas, Beetle, CC, EOS, Jetta, Golf, Passat, Phaeton, and Touareg. The program covers 11,166,147 VIO in the U.S. and 1,085,901 in Canada.
“This is a brand new product category for our OE-engineered parts program and is designed to meet growing customer demand,” said Brendan Bachant, Continental Product Manager for Engine Management and Fuel. “These are genuine original equipment sensors that technicians and do-it-yourselfers can install with confidence and know that they will fit the first time, every time.”
Knock sensors are designed to detect engine ping caused by preignition and relay the information to the ECU to adjust engine timing and help keep the engine running smoothly. These sensors are an ideal repair for a rough running engine with a timing and knock sensor fault code and will help shops to restore the performance of their customers’ vehicles to OE specifications.
Continental TPMS Scan Tool Update PSA campaign helps technicians avoid service issues, delays
Continental is urging all automotive service technicians to make sure that their TPMS scan tools are updated with their tool manufacturer’s latest software. Continental has launched a national public service campaign to make sure that shops and service facilities are made aware that they need to keep their TPMS tools updated regularly so they can service all vehicle makes and models and help ensure trouble-free and profitable tire services.
The PSA campaign web page offers links to software update downloads for many of the most popular TPMS tools: http://www.updateyourtpmstools.com/
The site includes a technician survey, and all those who complete the survey will receive a hat, and will be entered into a drawing to win an Autodiagnos TPMS tool.
Keeping the TPMS scan tool up to date is one of the most important service steps technicians can take because many of the TPMS service issues they may encounter during a tire repair or replacement can be caused by out-of-date software. If the TPMS scan tool is not up to date, the technician will have problems diagnosing TPMS faults and relearning sensors to the vehicle.
“TPMS relearn tool manufacturers update software almost on a monthly basis. Many factors can initiate a software change, such as new vehicle model introductions or older vehicle recalls,” said Sean Lannoo, Continental Sales Technical Training Supervisor. “Keeping the relearn tool up to date with latest software will ensure quick and accurate relearns.“
Next Generation REDI-Sensor SE10008
Continental has just released its new REDI-Sensor SE10008 Multi-Application TPMS Sensor. Part of the next generation of REDI-Sensor TPMS sensors, SE10008 delivers exceptional application coverage for BMW, Chrysler, Dodge, GM, Hyundai, Jaguar, Jeep, Kia, Land Rover, Mercedes, Nissan, Smart, Subaru, and Volvo models from 2012-2022.
The new REDI-Sensor SE10008 features a metal clamp-in mounting stem and is compatible with autolearning, pressure by position, and tire fill alert systems. It gives shops and retailers a significant TPMS service advantage by dramatically reducing the number of sensor SKUs needed to service a wide range of incoming domestic, European, and Asian vehicles. Overall applications coverage for the SE10008 exceeds over 24.2 million VIO.
The new REDI-Sensor SE10008 comes ready to install, right out of the box, and requires no added sensor programming or cloning. It is preprogrammed at the factory, follows existing OE standards, and works with most major TPMS scan tool.
Overall, the next generation of REDI-Sensor features four multi-application TPMS sensors that can replace over 290 different OE sensors and provide coverage for over 168 million VIO from model years 2002 to 2022.
New Continental training video clarifies confusion between TPMS relearn and programming
Continental, has released an informative training video that clarifies the difference between “TPMS Relearn” and “TPMS Sensor Programming.” This is an industry service issue that continues to confuse many professional automotive technicians and tire specialists.
The new video, entitled: TPMS Service: Relearn vs Programming, was created to help service pros understand the difference between the two procedures and how they affect shop efficiency.
Sean Lannoo, Continental Sales Technical Training Supervisor explains, “TPMS service has proven to be a very complex issue in the aftermarket due to the proliferation of TPMS sensors on the market, the wide range of application criteria, and different installation procedures. Topping the list is the ongoing confusion between ‘TPMS Relearn’ and ‘TPMS Programming.’ These are two completely different procedures that are often misunderstood.”
The short but highly informative video is sponsored by REDI-Sensor™ Multi-Application TPMS Sensors. It features two Continental TIA Certified training specialists and educates viewers on the difference between a sensor relearn and sensor programming, when each step is needed, and why they both play a vital role in safe, effective, and profitable TPMS service. The video is hosted on the ‘Training Central’ section of REDI-Sensor.com and on the Continental REDI-Sensor YouTube page and can be accessed on demand by professional technicians who are looking to increase their TPMS knowledge base.
View the video here.
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