Continental is expanding its range of workshop equipment to get Europe’s garages and testing organizations ready for upcoming legal tightening regarding vehicles’ particulate emissions. Moving into this product segment in continental Europe for the first time ever, the technology company is presenting the DX280 DC and the CCP800, two exhaust emissions testers for car workshops, at Automechanika 2022 in Frankfurt, Germany. With introduction of the new exhaust emissions testing devices Continental makes another step towards one-stop shopping in service equipment for its workshop partners.
“There are few things worse for a workshop owner than to admit to a customer that they don’t have the right equipment to test the customer’s car; gaining customer satisfaction always means increasing service levels,” says Niels Melcher, head of the Emissions & Special Tools program in the business segment Automotive Aftermarket at Continental. “Using our new service equipment, our partners can continue to offer mandatory exhaust emissions testing to their customers, even with stricter market-specific testing specifications, at a reasonable price. They thus not only keep their customers satisfied but can also increase revenue.”
The DX280 DC is a measuring device for exhaust particles that works according to the diffusion-charging (DC) method and thus meets the stricter test requirements for Euro 6 diesels. The CCP800 is a trolley-based emissions system equipped with a gas analyser and measurement units for smoke, oil temperature and RPMs. It includes everything in just one box and therefore is the new mobile centre for exhaust emissions testing in workshops. Both systems are introduced under the Continental brand. “Exhaust emissions testing has become a crucial business for workshops because every car has to be tested regularly. That means regular and additional revenue for each workshop,” says Niels Melcher.
Markets with different test specifications for exhaust emissions
The advanced diffusion-charging technology is designed to also fulfil requirements for measuring petrol particles that are expected to be issued in the near future. This should relieve workshop owners from the decision which technology to choose. These regulations on petrol particles, however, are still pending in most countries. Also, the regulations in the exhaust emissions testing sector differ from country to country. New and stricter regulations concerning particulate measurement for diesel cars apply, for example in the Netherlands, Belgium, Germany and Switzerland from January 2023. What most of them have in common: the previous method of opacity measurement with an opacimeter is no longer sufficient for newer cars. “With our two new exhaust gas test systems, we now cover these different requirements in the various markets, and we can build up on our experiences made with our distributors in the Netherlands and in Belgium, where we had a very successful start. No matter what country will introduce particle number counting in the future – we are well prepared,” says Niels Melcher. Continental relies on the experience of its British workshop equipment supplier subsidiary Crypton, which is well known for low maintenance and robust products. Crypton has been a world leader in emissions testing systems in many markets for many years
Most of the components from Continental’s emissions testing portfolio are available in cabled as well as Bluetooth versions, which gives workshop owners freedom to make the right decision for their needs. A Windows PC hosts the legislative program that supports the correct execution of the testing (described solution with legislative software for UK, Belgium and the Netherlands). It displays readings and calculates results which then can easily be printed thanks to the integrated printer. Both the DX280 DC and the CCP800 with all optional components will be rolled out in the different European markets depending on the legislation applicable in the respective market.
Continental’s emissions testing portfolio further features the 682 gas analyser, a microprocessor-controlled exhaust gas analyser module, employing Non-Dispersive Infra-Red (NDIR) technology and the DX260 smoke meter, a partial flow opacimeter suitable for free acceleration and full load testing of all sizes and types of diesel vehicles.
