TPMS or tyre pressure monitoring system is a series of electronic sensors that are attached to the wheels of your vehicle to keep an eye on the pressure and report back if things go amiss.
It is a vital piece of safety technology that is installed on pretty much all modern cars and will trigger a warning light activation to alert you in the even that the pressure falls too lot in one of your tyres.
Since 2014 it has been a legal requirement that any car that is manufactured in the UK is fitted with a TPMS system as a matter of road safety.
As a mobile tyre fitting company, we frequently replace TPMS sensors and systems when repairing or replacing tyres at the roadside and are well acquainted with all the ins and outs of the technology at this point in time.
Direct vs Indirect TPMS
There are two different common types of TPMS system and it is important for you to know which is fitted on your own vehicle.
A direct TPMS system works by a sensor being placed inside the valves of each tyre on your car. These sensors monitor pressure in real time and transmit the information wirelessly back to the car itself.
This is considered as the most accurate way of monitoring tyre pressure in real time and provides incredibly accurate readings. The only potential negative of a direct TPMS system is that they are more easy to damage than indirect systems sure to their location protruding from the tyre.
Should your valve be damaged, the sensor will often be destroyed or damaged beyond repair and a replacement will be needed.
Luckily, mobile tyre fitting firms such as ourselves can replace a TPMS sensor when we repair or replace your tyres, saving you the hassle of planning a visit to the shop. It is worth noting that on occasion a TPMS warning light will indicate low pressure in the tyre when the reality is that the sensor itself is faulty.
Either way give us a call.
In comparison, an indirect TPMS sensor works through the use of ABS wheel speed sensors that will utilise relative wheel speed to identify wheels which have begun to rotate faster than expected and are therefore potentially underinflated.
Whilst the theory that wheels rotate faster when underinflated is sound, an indirect TPMS is nowhere near as precise, and can give incorrect readings in some cases.
In fact, it doesn’t give precise readings of tyre pressure at all, simply warning you that there may be an underinflation based on its observations.
Is a TPMS system assessed in an MOT?
Yes! Any car that is fitted with a TPMS system will have it assessed as part of their MOT and faulty sensors will lead to a fail in the same way as any other fault.
For this reason it is worth having your TPMS system checked by a professional on a regular basis to spot any faults at the earliest opportunity.
