Engine Management sales were up 6.7% for the quarter, clawing back about a third of our sales shortfall in the first half.
It fits older vehicles and is relatively easy to install which are two hallmarks of DIY business, and while this line has recently been trending down 7% or so per year due to varied [Indecipherable] in lifecycle, it spiked up 10% in the quarter, which we have to assume is a temporary phenomenon.
Our Temperature Control Division was up 25% in the quarter driven by two dynamics.
In fact, our first half was down almost 20%.
Our baseline was a 40% decrease in volume in April.
Engine Management was 31.5% and Temperature Control was 29.2%.
Our longer-term gross margin targets would be Engine Management, 30% plus and Temperature Control 26% plus.
Looking now at the results in the P&L, our consolidated net sales in Q3 2020 were $343.6 million, up $35.9 million or 11.7% versus Q3 last year.
Our net sales for the first nine months of the year were $845.9 million, down $50.8 million or 5.7%.
By segment, our Engine Management net sales in Q3 excluding wire and cable sales were $190.9 million, up $10.1 million or 5.6%.
But for the first nine months of the year were down $40.5 million or 5.7%, finishing at $498.2 million.
Wire and cable net sales in Q3 were $38.7 million, up $3.5 million or 10% and for the first nine months were $105.6 million down $2.9 million or 2.6%.
While the wire and cable business continues to be in secular decline and we still believe it will decline 6% to 8% on an annual basis, sales this year have been positively impacted by an increase in DIY sales as consumer stayed at home during the pandemic.
Our Temperature Control net sales in Q3 2020 were $110.4 million, up $22.1 million or 25%.
However, for the first nine months, sales were down $7.4 million or 3.1% versus last year, ending at $234.2 million.
Our consolidated gross margin in Q3 2020 was 31.4% versus 29.9% last year, up 1.5 points, for the first [Technical Issues] 28.7% [Phonetic] [Indecipherable] versus 28.9% last year, down 0.2 points.
Looking at the segments, Engine Management gross margin in the third quarter was 31.5%, up 0.8 points from Q3 last year, while for the first nine months of 2020, it was down 0.3 points to 29%.
Temperature Control gross margin in Q3 2020 was 29.2% up 3.2 points from 26% last year and for the first nine months, it was up 0.5 points to 26%.
Consolidated SG&A expenses in Q3 were $59.5 million, down $0.4 million in Q3 '19 and came in at 17.3% of sales versus 19.5% last year.
For the first nine months, SG&A spending was $163.7 million, down $16.8 million at 19.4% of net sales versus 20.1% last year.
Our consolidated operating income before restructuring and integration expenses and other income net in Q3 of '20 was $48.3 million or 14% of net sales, up 3.6 points from Q3 '19 and for the first nine months was 9.3% of net sales, up 0.5 points from last year.
As we note on our GAAP to non-GAAP reconciliation of operating income, our performance resulted in third quarter 2020 diluted earnings per share of $1.59 versus $1.02 last year and for the first nine months, diluted earnings per share of $2.53 versus $2.51 in 2019.
Turning now to the balance sheet, accounts receivable at the end of the quarter were $238 million up $102.5 million from December 2019 and up $69 million from September 2019.
Inventory levels finished the quarter at $311.4 million, down $56.8 million from December 2019 and down $28.8 million from September 2019.
Looking at the cash flow statement, it reflects [Phonetic] the cash generated from operations in the first nine months of 2020 of $78.6 million as compared to a generation of $43.1 million last year.
During the first nine months, we continue to invest in our business and use $13.2 million of cash for capital expenditures, which was higher than the $12.3 million used in the first nine months of 2019.
Financing activities included $5.6 million of dividends paid and $8.7 million of repurchases of our common stock, both of which occurred during the first quarter.
Financing activities also included $44.9 million of payments on a revolving credit facility.
We finished the third quarter with total outstanding borrowings of $12 million and available capacity under our revolving credit facility of $238 million.
I believe this is an appropriate and a proper move after 53 glorious years, where I had the privilege of being part of the Company's growth from roughly $20 million in our core business when I began to well over a $1 billion today.

Summary:
Our Temperature Control Division was up 25% in the quarter driven by two dynamics.
Looking now at the results in the P&L, our consolidated net sales in Q3 2020 were $343.6 million, up $35.9 million or 11.7% versus Q3 last year.
Our Temperature Control net sales in Q3 2020 were $110.4 million, up $22.1 million or 25%.
As we note on our GAAP to non-GAAP reconciliation of operating income, our performance resulted in third quarter 2020 diluted earnings per share of $1.59 versus $1.02 last year and for the first nine months, diluted earnings per share of $2.53 versus $2.51 in 2019.