Quote:
Originally Posted by Leoshashi A teaser of what's coming up. And No, it's not the Sensairy which everyone is going gaga over these days. Stay tuned. ![Smile](https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/images/smilies/smile.png) |
The TPMS saga: I was fascinated with this since my school days, when some variant of Scorpio first came with it. Then I slowly learnt how important this feature is, and how it has been made mandatory in US for all cars after 2007. Infact, nothing troubled me more than the sight of a wreck due to a tyre burst. This upgrade was always there in my subconscious mind.
The Indian startup
Sensairy fueled this desire even more. Everything looked great, and it was infact almost finalized. The only reasons why I didn't go with Sensairy were:
1. Wanted to have a clean system. No hanging mobile anywhere for having the pressure readouts in front of me. This point specially won't matter to owners of new gen cars which get Android Auto, and hence can get the readouts on the screen in a cleaner way.
2. Sensairy was in contention over others from Aliexpress because of the
support they were promising. I don't believe in products without any kind of support. What helped in MGA's case was that Nippon was backing the product. Hence no sweat over any failed batteries or tyre valves. Not saying that Sensairy is bad, but it was my assessment that I'll be able to deal with Nippon and Maruti better. Secondly, what is sold by Maruti is essentially a
Schrader UK made product. A quick search on the internet revealed that this is a common product in aftermarkets, and there won't be any shortage of anything even if Maruti/Nippon fails to provide support.
What finalized the deal for me, was that I found this setup lying at a dealership which shut shop in 2016. They were selling their huge inventory at unbelievable prices, and I found one set of this TPMS lying there, 2015 stock. While I cannot reveal the price I paid for obvious reasons, I can roughly hint that I paid less than half the price of a Sensairy system.
I was obviously worried about the battery inside the sensor, and hence took the setup to Nippon's local service centre. They were kind enough to replace the sensors with brand new units FoC and also registered the product on the date of sale.
Time for some pics:
The box
Contents
Part number and MRP
Backed by Nippon, service centre in every city
Made by Schrader, UK
Installed
Wheels balanced
Two options were available for mounting, a double sided tape or a velcro. I used the provided velcro strips, as the display unit uses AA batteries, which needs to be replaced every year or so. So the setup should be removable.
View from Driver's seat
The backlit of the TPMS matches the vintage looking green color of the speedo console.
A closeup: It shows the stats of the front left tyre, after a 120kms morning run
It has already saved me once, when some vandal deflated one of the wheels in a shopping complex, but the wheels appeared properly inflated. The actual pressure was way below the company recommended 27PSI. I was promptly warned once I entered the car.
The device has motion sensors, which detects movement/activity and turns ON. It automatically switches off after a minute if no movement is detected.
Regards,
Shashi