Anyone interested in a Group Buy - aftermarket Direct TPMS system?

Hi all,
I drive a 2010 Octavia VRS (petrol) and was interested in installing an after market direct tyre pressure monitoring system (TPMS). I don't consider the OEM provided indirect TPMS entirely reliable, as I found out on a recent trip.
I tried finding out if a VW Passat or other direct TPMS systems with OEM sensors could be retrofitted to the Skoda, but everyone I've spoken to says 'no' or 'extremely difficult' and costy.

After reviewing quite a few after-market products, I've narrowed down on two systems. One is from Orange Electronic, which is quite popular in the USA, and also given as a sample on Maverick's website (Fitting a direct Tyre Pressure Management System (TPMS) | my-gti.com)

Sample ebay price and details for Orange P409S TPMS - Orange TPMS Universal Tire Pressure Monitor 4 Sensors | eBay

The other one is from KiPoint (also sold as ORO in USA). It comes in various forms, but it is very close match to the one from Orange.
Sample ebay price and details - Passenger Car 4 Wheel TPMS Kit-Display Version B | eBay

I have already seen the Kipoint system on a friend's Toyota Corolla, and it works like a charm. It offers a bit more information than the Orange one, and has more re-setting options for rotating tyres e.g. diagonal rotation, etc

I wanted to know if anyone else is interested in a group buy for either of the systems, or if there are any other systems out there which are similar in price and functions. I don't really like the external type sensors such as TireDog, since they can be bitch when filling air, due to their anti-teft nuts.

Also does anyone have any experience in South Australia for hard-writing the unit once I receive it? Can normal auto-electricians / garages do it? I've tried various DIY guides from VWvortex, but am not really confident in messing around with the fusebox.

Thanks

My only question is - why would you??

I check my tyre pressures weekly on my 2010 RS (run 38 PSI fronts, 36 rears), using my own little hand-held gauge, and I add air when required. Is it really so important to have a tyre pressure monitoring system when you can buy a $20 pressure gauge from supercheap or similar and just keep an eye on the pressures yourself now and then?

Maybe I'm somehow failing to understand the value of such an after-market on-board system as you've proposed??

most leaks are slow leaks. The lower profile tyres on our cars tend not to show low pressure as obviously as they used to - especially on the rear of a FWD.

I belted a pothole in the Cabrio once and tore a 10c piece size hole in the sidewall of the front left, hence zero pressure. I just thought I'd simply bent something and continued all the way from Bringelly to Liverpool with the steering pulling left until somebody pointed it out to me.

Suprisingly, I check my tyres quite regularly too but I think a TPMS of some description isn't a bad thing.

No thanks, the standard tyre pressure monitoring system works just fine for us :).

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Originally Posted by brad

most leaks are slow leaks. The lower profile tyres on our cars tend not to show low pressure as obviously as they used to - especially on the rear of a FWD.

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I got a small nail in the OSR over Christmas the first I knew about it the little light came on on the dash so I pulled off the freeway and visually checked all the tyres. No visual difference so I went to a nearby servo and put air in, the OSR was at 20psi or thereabouts, low but in no way flat. Checked the tyres again the next day using my gauge at home with cold tyres and they were all within 1-2psi of each other so I balanced them up. Ten days or so later tyre warning light again this time while I'm on the GOR so pull into Lorne and sure enough the OSR was down near 20psi. Topped it up and went in the next day and had it checked which is when they found the nail.

I'm more than happy with the way the standard system works at this point but I'd like to hear what the actual advantages of a TPMS system are.

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Originally Posted by K1W1

I got a small nail in the OSR over Christmas the first I knew about it the little light came on on the dash so I pulled off the freeway and visually checked all the tyres. No visual difference so I went to a nearby servo and put air in, the OSR was at 20psi or thereabouts, low but in no way flat. Checked the tyres again the next day using my gauge at home with cold tyres and they were all within 1-2psi of each other so I balanced them up. Ten days or so later tyre warning light again this time while I'm on the GOR so pull into Lorne and sure enough the OSR was down near 20psi. Topped it up and went in the next day and had it checked which is when they found the nail.

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And that's why a proper TPMS is useful. The indirect TPMS is useless as it relies on the end user to reset the system and it can take ages to warn of a leak and by then tyre damage or car damage may have already occurred.

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I'm more than happy with the way the standard system works at this point but I'd like to hear what the actual advantages of a TPMS system are.

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Information on Direct and Indirect TPMS is here - Volkswagen Tyre Pressure Monitoring System (TPMS)

Direct TPMS will pay for itself through fuel savings alone, the potential to save you through having tyres that are always inflated correctly and notify you the moment air starts leaking or the temperature of the tyre starts increasing is priceless IMO and these benefits are why the USA made direct TPMS mandatory. The savings they will make in reduced accidents/deaths and fuel savings are enormous across the whole country.

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Originally Posted by RSOK

My only question is - why would you??

I check my tyre pressures weekly on my 2010 RS (run 38 PSI fronts, 36 rears), using my own little hand-held gauge, and I add air when required. Is it really so important to have a tyre pressure monitoring system when you can buy a $20 pressure gauge from supercheap or similar and just keep an eye on the pressures yourself now and then?

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Can you check the pressure and temperature of the tyres every few seconds when driving? There's your answer.

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Originally Posted by Maverick

these benefits are why the USA made direct TPMS mandatory. The savings they will make in reduced accidents/deaths and fuel savings are enormous across the whole country.

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I get sceptical about these sort of claims on the Internet or anywhere without source references.

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Originally Posted by Maverick

Can you check the pressure and temperature of the tyres every few seconds when driving? There's your answer.

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Do the tyre pressures and temperature change to the point where you need to know every few seconds? There is your question.

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Originally Posted by K1W1

I get sceptical about these sort of claims on the Internet or anywhere without source references.

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The link to my website constantly refers to the FMVSS 138. A google of this comes back with this draft document - http://www.nhtsa.gov/DOT/NHTSA/Rulem...-fmvss-138.pdf

There are unquantified benefits related to crashes caused by blowouts, stopped vehicles
with flat tires, handling characteristics, and hydroplaning. An estimated 23,000 crashes
and 535 fatal crashes annually involve blowouts or flat tires. Since the agency does not
collect tire pressure during its crash investigations, the agency cannot estimate how many
crashes are caused by the influence that low tire inflation has on blowouts, vehicle
handling, and hydroplaning. Theory and limited testing show that low tire pressure has a
significant impact on all of these.
There are non-quantified costs and benefits that include the extra time it takes to inflate
tires more frequently, the cost to replace batteries in some direct measurement systems,
potential maintenance costs of TPMS, the property damage savings from avoiding
crashes or reducing delta V in non-preventable crashes, and the savings in time and
congestion from avoiding crashes.

And there is plenty of information on fuel savings, tread savings and so on. The final documents have more detail on this.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by K1W1

Do the tyre pressures and temperature change to the point where you need to know every few seconds? There is your question.

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The tyre pressure and temperature can change in seconds, I rarely look at my TPMS and if a tyre falls outside the parameters that I set it alerts me with flashing and an alarm. This allows me to make an educated decision as to what do, ie a slower leak I can slow down and get off the highway to a safe place or if it's a fast leak I can pull over before a tyre is damaged.

Tyres are all you have keeping you on the road.

Thank you all for your feedback. I do agree that the indirect TPMS that came with the car may be good enough and hence there is no need for a direct TPMS system. However in my case it did not alert me in time for a slow puncture, but perhaps I must have forgotten to reset it after filling air.
I really wish I could retrofit an OEM TPMS to make it display the readings via the MFD. However since that is proving too difficult, I think I'll bite the bullet and purchase the aftermarket one in the next few days.

I agree with Maverick regarding the comment about 'tyres are all your have keeping you on the road', and for me and my wife, any tool which provides guidance to make a more informed decision is worth looking at. But I do agree that for some this maybe an overkill.