Tyre Pressure Warning

[henshaw]

Just bought a Mk1 2.2HDi Exclusive to replace Mk1 2.2HDi SX (failed cambelt). New car has tyre pressure warning system and ESP, neither of which are mentioned in handbook which came with car. How does tyre pressure warning work? just had a flat tyre warning when all tyres and spare fully inflated. Would like to disable this feature as I don't want to get inaccurate messages. How do I go about doing this?

 

What does ESP do? Is it of any use? I have no idea if this is working on this car. Didn't seem to need any help in dodgy conditions the the old C5 SX.

 

[seanodwyer]

There should be a check button on the right behind the steering wheel. This tells you the tire pressures (only says OK!) and service interval and any general warnings. I used to get false positives on my BMW Z4 tire pressure sensors which was usually as a result of new tyres or if one had lost some pressure.

[seanodwyer]

Here's a pic of the page in the manual. 

http://i790.photobucket.com/albums/yy182/seanodwyer/Tyre%20Pressure.jpg

Edited May 18, 2015 by seanodwyer

[henshaw]

Regret, no such buttons on my car. Don't want to check tyre pressures, want to turn facility off.

[paul.h]

If you want to disable the tyre warning then it would need to be done in a diagnostic using a Lexia. You could check if all the transmitters are installed - they are built in to the tyre valves. If faulty there is also a fix in the C5 Technical section Common Problems pinned topic (copied here) which could be cheaper than a diagnostic unless you already have a Lexia. Also check all the pressures are very close since the warning may be if one tyre is a few psi low.

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26. Tyre pressure sensor failure.

This seems to be a particular problem on the mark 3 C5 (2008 on) where the valve stems can crumble. It is possible to just replace the stems with a repair kit for £9.99, ref Robhall77. See http://www.citroen-o...sor/#entry75957

Plastic caps instead of metal will also help.

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ESP is supposed to make it less likely for you to have a skid by application of brakes on relevant wheels. On a slippy surface you could try accelerating to see if it works when it will light up an icon on the dash. If you get stuck in snow you may need to switch it off to help you get going.

 

I guess you have checked the service record of your new car to see if the timing belt and associated bits have been replaced.

[henshaw]

Thanks. Yes. Well maintained with cambelt water pump exhaust and DPF all changed fairly recently. On collecting the car, after stopping at a garden centre on my way home, I had one instance of the flat tyre message. As I said, all tyres including spare are ok. All have the sensors, but I'd rather dispense with these so I don't have problems when I replace tyres. What would happen if I replaced tyre sensors with standard tyre valves? I've managed to drive 50+ years without needing such a devices so I think I can manage a few more years without having them. I haven't tried talking to Citroen service centre yet to see if they can make the change. Not sure what the tyre pressure devices do or how they do it as I vary the pressures according to load and when towing caravan. This is why I'd like to ditch the system as I don't want to keep getting spurious unwanted warbles and messages on the display causing unneccessary distractions. I thought there might be an easy user way of dealing with this as you can in stopping automatic lighting switch on but obviously not.

[seefive]

You will probably have problems with the mot if you disable tyre sensors. They are a legal requirement on new cars and have to work if installed on older cars.

[henshaw]

Have re-read handbook and this says go to Citroen service centre to get it sorted if you regularly change tyres eg for winter/snow tyres or use tyres without sensors. Most C5s of the mk1 age didn't come with sensors so I guess the MOT testers won't know and if they do know, will they let a tyre down to see if it works? I think not.

[seefive]

Sorry to bang on about this, but if you disable the system, I think you will get a message saying "Tyre pressure/s not monitored" on the screen, which will be a fail.

 

Not sure if this can be erased from the car's "DNA"

[paul.h]

The MOT testers manual can be seen on-line and it looks as if the tyre pressure monitoring is only checked on vehicles first used from 1/1/2012, copied below:

 

The inspection of the tyre pressure monitoring system (TPMS) only applies to passenger vehicles with: · four or more wheels, and · not more than 8 passenger seats excluding the driver’s seat, and · first used on or after 1 January 2012 

 

An additional thought if it is disabled, is this classed as a modification and therefore should be reported to the insurance company ? Also if an insurer is basing its premium on the car's safety features and one of them is not working, then if there was a claim they might reject it.