LAS VEGAS — Heading into 2010, Tenneco has its sights set on continued coverage, some specific models and a new warranty.
Monroe shocks is pushing its covers in the coming year, including pressing its first to market and late model applications, says Bill Dennie, director, Ride Control Channel Management, Tenneco. The company also is going after Kia and Hyundai for 2010 as part of its coming 160-plus new SKUs.
Part of that push is going to its quick strut models as an option for technicians. The quick strut, w\hich has been on the market since 2003, according to Dennie, has quickly increased use each year since.
“Your installer might say let’s go ahead and put all new parts on it,” Dennie explains. “It’s really an ease of installation. But if they don’t get a consumer to replace everything, they work to put the top model on.”
In addition to the emphasis on coverage, Monroe also is offering a limited lifetime warranty for the first time.
Steeling the show
The Walker brand, Dennie reports, this year is focusing on catalytic converters. Its new part numbers cover 49 states and Canada, as well as offer a universal fit for pre-OBDII and OBDII vehicles.
But Dennie says the biggest news about Walker this years is moving to stainless steel offerings with OE fit, form and function. He says this combined with more extra prescious metals mean fewer MIL illuminations for no reason.
“We are the largest OE suppler, so we know what was done when the vehicle was made and we can make our aftermarket parts fit exactly,” he says.
Flip books are being promoted for both Walker exhaust and Monroe brakes, promoting its 50,000 mile campaign and educating both the technician and consumer, Dennie states. Also, training will be offered in 40 cities nationwide to promote catalytic converter education.
As for Monroe brakes, the company will start pushing out its offerings as shrink-wrap packed pads. The chance, Dennie says, is in response to customers’ requests. They said the previous vacuum packing was difficult to clear out from small pieces, though it served a good purpose in keeping pieces from rattling around the box.
It also is continuing to increase coverage, as Monroe already has brakes available for the 2010 Ford Taurus.
