Schaeffler Launches Repair Solution with Pulley Decoupler from the INA Brand

Schaeffler has become the first independent aftermarket company to offer a repair solution with pulley decoupler for the auxiliary drive. This INA repair solution will first be offered for BMW vehicles with 1.5-liter and 3-cylinder gasoline engines (like the BMW 3 Series). It should also be available for certain vehicles from Opel and Volvo by the end of the year.

In the event that you need additional vibration damping in the auxiliary drive, Schaeffler is now making its pulley decoupler, which has been in OE mass production since 2013, available for the first time as a component of its INA FEAD KITs. According to Christian Kos, Head of Engine & Chassis, Schaeffler Automotive Aftermarket, this makes Schaeffler the first company on the market to offer garages a suitable repair solution. The launch of the pulley decoupler will further widen the company’s range of products that garages can use to service the increasingly complex auxiliary drive.

The auxiliary drive initially started out as a simple belt and has evolved over the years into a complex system. This was mainly the outcome of increasing demand from customers for comfort features like power-assisted steering, air conditioning, power-assisted steering and start-stop systems as well as technological innovations like hybridization or downsizing. All these developments have led to a much higher load on all components of the auxiliary drive. The use of fewer cylinders, when they run at low engine speeds and cause smaller displacement, causes much higher rotational irregularities and vibrations. The pulley decoupler, which has arc springs and integrated torsion vibration damper, not only reduces vibrations and rotational irregularities in the auxiliary drive, but it also reduces the fuel consumption by two percent and CO2 emissions as it helps lower frictional losses.

The INA FEAD KIT portfolio, which has over 200 different repair solutions, has all the components that are needed for professional servicing of the complete auxiliary drive system. Every KIT comes with poly V-belts, guide and tensioner pulleys, and all the accessories that are needed for installation. Depending on the vehicle type and use, the KIT can also include an overrunning alternator pulley (OAP), a torsion vibration damper (TVD), a pulley decoupler or a water pump.