Tpms

[key76]

I know this has probably been covered many times on here, but I'm new to Volvo and looking at options.

Every car I have owned since 2003 has had TPMS with pressures shown live on the car instruments. Even my wife's Ford Fiesta has live pressure monitoring. Very useful when monitoring if you think you have a slow leak or a puncture and deciding whether you can make it home before it becomes too low to be safe.

For whatever reason (probably cost), Volvo have decided to go with a system which doesn't show live pressure.

I find this very frustrating as I have suffered a number of punctures over recent years and used to check pressure every time I used the car to make sure all was well. So much easier than using a handheld gauge.

Looking at aftermarket options, and there are many which replace the valve caps and have a small display to go inside the car on the dash or windscreen.

I want something small and unobtrusive so it doesn't look too much of an afterthought and came across this on Amazon. Has anyone any experience or alternative suggestions?

https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B07YWM2RB3

And for some reason the forum refuses to let me capitalise TPMS in the subject!

Thanks in advance.

[Bashy]

I think Volvo versions are not based on tyre pressure but something else thus not being able to show the actual pressures.

As for those gadgets, I have thought about them many times and given up after most of them have terrible reviews, always look are the bad reviews, never trust the good ones, so many dodgy reviews nowadays.

Whilst these ones do not have many bad reviews, I will point out one of the most common issues and that's the unit reacting with the valve and not being able to remove it, thus cannot put in air...

PS, I've always like the idea of the Bluetooth version

[Zebster]

While our Kia has it, I'm happy to not have TPMS on my Volvo as the internal batteries eventually fail and the replacement cost is relatively high. From a safety perspective I'm happy with the Volvo system that compares rotation speeds then simply flags if there is a problem and, in any case, I'd rather set the tyre pressures using a gauge that I trust to be reasonably accurate.

[key76]

I agree the manual ture gauge is more accurate. But it’s a ballache and not easy to do in a hurry or mid journey. Nice to see in an instant the pressure for peace of mind.

The longest I owned a single car with TPMS was 5 years and 75k miles and in all that time the valves never stopped working due to breakage or loss of battery power. I thought they were powered by kinetic energy like some expensive watches and so stayed powered due to motion but I could be mistaken.

[Bashy]

Originally Posted by key76

I agree the manual ture gauge is more accurate. But it’s a ballache and not easy to do in a hurry or mid journey. Nice to see in an instant the pressure for peace of mind.

The longest I owned a single car with TPMS was 5 years and 75k miles and in all that time the valves never stopped working due to breakage or loss of battery power. I thought they were powered by kinetic energy like some expensive watches and so stayed powered due to motion but I could be mistaken.

My lagunas were battery and between 50 and 70 to replace and then they needed programming at Renault

I deffo preferred the real-time view of the amount of pressure, they had that and a puncture alert where a red icon showed on the dash.

I really miss it and wouldn't be satisfied with just the alert to something wrong, I would prefer to see how much is lost, example, get in the car that morning, nsf tyre is showing that its lost a little, that right there tells you that there is a slow leak this urgent attention is not required

[key76]

I knew the Volvo didn’t have it when I ordered it but didn’t think it would annoy me as much as it does.

Maybe I am paranoid after a number of punctures, but I used to check more than once when driving just to make sure all was OK.

Now I have to rely on manual checks which are dirty as wheels covered in dirt and brake dust, and takes effort to do so doesn’t get done as often.

Shortsighted of Volvo when much cheaper cars have it.

I want to know an issue is building, not he told when has already become an issue.

Might give the item above a go. Not too expensive if rubbish. Will apply some silicone grease to the valve stem to hopefully stop any corrosion and make them easy to remove later.

[techwatcher]

Volvo used to use a 'direct' TPMS system using dedicated sensors up to a few years ago - my first V40 had such a system. However, even then they didn't provide live actual pressure readings, just 4 coloured dots in the settings similar to what's provided now, along with a TPMS warning light.

The warning light was triggered when the actual tyre pressure, adjusted for ambient temperature and/or pressure (can't remember the details), fell below a certain point.

I too would much prefer a direct system showing actual live tyre pressures.

[EssexExile]

The Volvo system looks at the speed of rotation of the wheels. A flat tyre has a smaller diameter so rotates faster than a tyre at the correct pressure, the car sees the difference and gives you a warning. Unless they all go down at once, then you're scuppered.

[Philip Fisher]

Mine has a direct system with the actual pressure of each tyre displayed in the centre screen. I bought a set of sensors for my winter wheels for 176 quid from Volvo. Surprisingly they worked out the box and did not require coding to the car.

That said I never look at the pressure display from one week to another. I rely on an alert from the system. That and of course being sensible about where I drive, looking at my tyres periodically for any signs of damage, uneven wear or bulging etc..

As for aftermarket tpms i have a tyrepal system in the motorhome. It was 100 quid about 5 years ago. It is a reliable bit of kit and causes me no trouble. Sensors are not self charging....

[volvo s60 2001]

Few months ago I had a message pop up on the driver display (see below) saying and showing which one of the tyre has low pressure. When I checked the tyre, it was .4 psi below the rest of the tyres, due to a very small hole, which I found after everything was ok for a week and then the message pop up again. So I think the system is quite sensitive and you can rely on it.

Another thing is that, a good car owner who cares about the car, safety, comfort, economy and so on, must check the tyres pressure at least once a month (even more often according to owner manual and tyre manufacturers )!