Tyre deflate sensor problem........

leveller2911

Evening all, I have a problem with our 60 plate Ford Focus Ecotec titanium.

We were travelling home on Saturday afternoon when the "tyre deflate" alarm went off and the light on the dashboard came on. I stopped the car and checked the tyres and they all looked fine,pressures seemed fine so we continued home.

On arriving home I checked the pressures again and they were fine. I then tried to reset the sensors on the dash by pressing and holding the "OK" button on the steering wheel as stated in the manuel , it comes up with the message "pressures stored" but the warning light stays on and it still says "tyre deflate". It would help if it told me which one but it doesn't.

My wife checked it today and its still saying "tyre deflate" but all 4 tyres seem fine.

Could it be a faulty sensor? If so what would the cost of a replacement be?.

Any advice much appreciated.

forgotmyname

Does the spare have a sensor? It could be a faulty sensor or a faulty unit that detects the signal.

You need it plugging in to find out where the fault is.

Johno100

forgotmyname wrote: »

Does the spare have a sensor? It could be a faulty sensor or a faulty unit that detects the signal.

You need it plugging in to find out where the fault is.

I'd be highly surprised if it has got a spare, I have a 60 plate focus and that just comes with a can of gunk.

Iceweasel

Johno100 wrote: »

I'd be highly surprised if it has got a spare, I have a 60 plate focus and that just comes with a can of gunk.

What 'can of gunk'?

If that's what you got - you've been cheated.

It should have come with a 'Mobility Kit' - probably the Continental one - which comprises a small compressor and a plastic bottle of latex-like sealant.

My sister-in-law has that Conti kit and there's nothing wrong with it - but she also sourced a narrow space-saver wheel & tyre which is strapped to the boot floor.

But judging by the number of kits for sale on eBay - a lot of folks don't trust them and get rid.

There shouldn't be a can of anything - far less a can of gunk!

Or am I taking you too literally?

forgotmyname

I wouldnt buy any car that didnt come with a spare. It may have the can of gunk but a spare is available.

Ive had punctures that a can of gunk would not fix. If a car comes with a spacesaver i change that also. I dont mind a full sized steel instead of an alloy but not a spacesaver.

MX5huggy

Have you taken it for a drive? As I understand it these systems detect differences in rotation speed of the wheels caused by the tyre diameter changing. There are no pressure sensors.

kensiko

leveller2911 wrote: »

Evening all, I have a problem with our 60 plate Ford Focus Ecotec titanium.

We were travelling home on Saturday afternoon when the "tyre deflate" alarm went off and the light on the dashboard came on.

Unfortunately these are one of those products that are great in theory but when they go caput are very annoying! Best thing we ever did with an S-Max was remove all the sensors and replace them with standard rubber valves.

For the sake of manually checking tyres every week or so it was worth the saved money for us. We were quoted £120+VAT to change 4 sensors as I was told by Ford that because they are metallic they do tend to snap/break easier than rubber valves (which had happened to one of ours with another on its way out).

Instead we paid £15 to replace all 4 with normal valves and just don't use the sensors on the dash which Ford actually advised!

And don't get me started on electric handbrakes :rotfl:
£600 to replace a tiny microchip board plus towing as it was an immovable object! A normal cable type handbrake would have been a fraction of the cost.

As with most car luxuries, great when they work but a nightmare if they don't.

Strider590

I don't understand stuff like this, if a driver isn't capable of "feeling" when they've got a flat tyre, then they shouldn't have a drivers license.

DTDfanBoy

Strider590 wrote: »

I don't understand stuff like this, if a driver isn't capable of "feeling" when they've got a flat tyre, then they shouldn't have a drivers license.

I noticed that one of my tyres was 2 psi under pressure yesterday morning when starting the car, best of luck 'feeling' that

giraffe69

I don't understand stuff like this, if a driver isn't capable of "feeling" when they've got a flat tyre, then they shouldn't have a drivers license.

But these devices alert you in the case of a slow puncture or loss of air before it gets to the critical point of a flat tyre. Doesn't work, of course, if you have an explosive burst but most of the time it is a useful device.

Strider590

giraffe69 wrote: »

But these devices alert you in the case of a slow puncture or loss of air before it gets to the critical point of a flat tyre. Doesn't work, of course, if you have an explosive burst but most of the time it is a useful device.

I'm sorry, but I certainly notice a difference in how the car feels if a tyre is losing air and way before it gets to the point of being "critical".

Any driver who pays attention to their vehicle will hopefully be able to say the same.