TPMS replacement dilemma

[Wicker Man]

The tyre pressure monitoring system on my 2006 V8 Vantage has not worked at all in four years since I bought it from a main dealer. It's not bothered me until I asked four a leaking valve to be looked at during a service. I baulked at the £740 quote to replace the whole system. A new valve stem from Astonbits for £15 did the job, but getting the corroded old valve off caused the tyre fitter a whole load of grief.

The wheels are currently being bead-blasted and repainted and I'm not sure whether to:

1. Just fit a new set of standard tried and tested rubber Schroeder valves - <£10
2. Fit a new set of original type metal valve stems to maintain the appearance of originality, maybe with a smear of copaslip to hopefully prevent future corrosion? - £40
3. Fit new metal valves with the old sensors, and try to figure out how to get them to work.
4. Fit new valves and sensors for £200+, ditto, try to reset the system.
5. Cough up £740+ to a main dealer and hope that the batteries don't give up after a year and a day.

I think option 2 is probably better than having a 'working' system that gives false alarms that seem to be common. What is the collective experience of our TPMS system. Is it worth fixings do if so, how?

[leerandle]

Personally, depends on if you want a system to tell you if your tyres are losing pressure ?

I have a 2006 and was in exactly the same position. I originally ended up buying 4 new sensors and getting them coded to the car.

But then, a couple of years later, i bought some new alloys and had them fitted with standard valves and no TMPS (disconnected from the unit I believe).

I now just occasionally check the tyres myself.

Its a really old system and very expensive for what it is.

[Cold]

The four sensors from my car are sitting in the bottom drawer of my toolbox. I don't miss them.

[PatCub]

Or you could fit something like these.

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Auto-TPMS-Tire-Pressure...

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/APP-Bluetooth-TPMS-Car-...

[SL500UK]

I pulled out the cable under the glove box on my TPMS 5 or 6 years ago.......

[goddo]

Correct me if I'm wrong, but I was led to believe that if TPMS was a standard fit, then the car could fail the MOT if they did not work.
Quite how an MOT tester checks to see if TPMS is working, I have no idea. Does he let the tyre pressures down and wait for the warning light to appear or is there another method?
I can't quite see how the system affects the safety and efficiency of the car.

[goddo]

Apologies Wickerman, I just reread your post and your car is pre 2012 so the TPMS legislation does not apply.

[Wicker Man]

PatCub said:

Or you could fit something like these.

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Auto-TPMS-Tire-Pressure...

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/APP-Bluetooth-TPMS-Car-...

Blimey, they're so cheap, I've ordered both! I will wait to assess the quality before I fit either though.

As far as the MoT is concerned, I believe TPMS becaome compulsory in 2012 and is an MoT check item from then on. So I don't think I need to worry about that, and it hasn't been a problem for the last four tests.

[Wicker Man]

Here's a picture of my TPMS sensors, three originals and one replacement that is apparantly compatible with my car: Note the witness marks on one valve that came off relatively intact.



And here's how I raised the car using much head scatching and then four scissor jacks and some old alloys: