Top 10 TPMS Questions, Answered

A factory TPMS usually doesn't watch a caravan or trailer, so check your manual. An aftermarket kit puts every tyre, car and van, on one screen with live pressure and temperature.

External sensors screw onto the valves, so you fit them yourself and swap the battery yourself. Internal sensors sit inside the tyre, so a tyre shop fits them and balances the wheel. flatMATE kits use external sensors. For internal sensors, email info@flatmate-tpms.com for a quote.

A direct TPMS reads each tyre from its own sensor, so you see a real number for every tyre, not an estimate from wheel speeds. It's still worth checking with a good gauge now and then.

It depends on the sensor and how much you drive. External sensors take a battery you can swap yourself. Internal sensors are replaced whole when the battery runs down, at a tyre shop.

A tyre or hub running hotter than the rest can point to a slow leak, a dragging brake or a bearing on the way out. Seeing it early means you can pull over and check.

Yes. Count every tyre you want watched, car and van, and pick a kit with that many sensors. One screen shows them all.

You can't see a pressure drop by eye: a tyre at half its pressure can look normal. Pull over somewhere safe and check it with a gauge.

Heavy van tyres often run higher pressures than car tyres. Check that the kit's pressure range covers the figure on your van's placard.

Not when they're screwed on firmly and the seal sits right. Spray a little soapy water on the valve after fitting: no bubbles means no leak.

A booster relays the signal from the van's back tyres to the screen, so they stop dropping out. Whether you need one depends on your rig.