OK, this isn't strictly speaking a Volvo question -- but this is the only auto group I follow. On these new-fangled cars, the dashboard computer can give you the pressure in each of the tyres. How do they do that? cheers, Henry
Obviously this means they are battery powered and have a limited life usually 5-7 years, afterwhich they have to be replaced. Not sure if any have replacable batteries. I would imaging battery life will get longer for newer devices. I have had an aftermarket set in for >5 years now still working well, although I have had a few problems because of the special valves it needed to mount the sensors. Mounting to the rim provides a much better solution. The last point is that they are quite inaccurate (even though they measure temp aswell), and many manufacturers specifying them as OE have run into problems caused by accuracy, such as unnecessary warnings to the driver or refusing to drive anywhere because it thinks the tyre pressure is too low when it isn't.
Ha! That's the danger of over-sophistication, isn't it? 'Great new ideas' have to be made 99% reliable before they're acceptable. Reminds me of when I was a kid, back in the '60s, and the Corvettes came out with retractable headlights. 'Man, that's _cool_!' I said. 'Oh, yeah, it's 'cool', all right', said my dad. 'But it's not new. There were cars in the old days that had those too', he said. 'They were so 'cool' that in the winter they'd freeze shut and you'd get stuck somewhere, unable to drive home at night!' cheers, Henry
