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Chat Area => General Car Chat => Topic started by: Auto Addict on 11 January 2013, 12:12:14

Title: Stupid Tyre Dust Cap Question
Post by: Auto Addict on 11 January 2013, 12:12:14
The Insignia has a tyre pressure monitoring system.

When I bought it, the dust caps were missing.

Got them fitted last week (they were on back order), went to check the tyre pressures today and the dust caps won't unscrew.

Do I get a pair of pliers on them, or is there a special way?
Title: Re: Stupid Tyre Dust Cap Question
Post by: Lazydocker on 11 January 2013, 12:15:49
Are they metal caps?

Anyway... They need to be undone ;) Just proceed with caution ;) I've seen people tear the valve trying to undo dust caps :o
Title: Re: Stupid Tyre Dust Cap Question
Post by: Auto Addict on 11 January 2013, 12:17:20
Are they metal caps?

Anyway... They need to be undone ;) Just proceed with caution ;) I've seen people tear the valve trying to undo dust caps :o

Yes, metal, looks like they screw on, tightened by your usual ham fisted fitter, I suppose.
Title: Re: Stupid Tyre Dust Cap Question
Post by: Lazydocker on 11 January 2013, 12:24:16
Are they metal caps?

Anyway... They need to be undone ;) Just proceed with caution ;) I've seen people tear the valve trying to undo dust caps :o

Yes, metal, looks like they screw on, tightened by your usual ham fisted fitter, I suppose.

Just check there isn't a grub screw on them
Title: Re: Stupid Tyre Dust Cap Question
Post by: Marks DTM Calib on 11 January 2013, 12:25:15
Bugger, thats not good, you dont want to damage those!

I always fit them lightly with a bit of grease applied.

The correct answer at the moment is to go back and get them to remove them!
Title: Re: Stupid Tyre Dust Cap Question
Post by: Auto Addict on 11 January 2013, 12:26:52
Bugger, thats not good, you dont want to damage those!

I always fit them lightly with a bit of grease applied.

The correct answer at the moment is to go back and get them to remove them!

That's was my first reaction, but didn't want to make a bigger fool of myself than I already am ;D
Title: Re: Stupid Tyre Dust Cap Question
Post by: Lazydocker on 11 January 2013, 12:33:58
Bugger, thats not good, you dont want to damage those!

I always fit them lightly with a bit of grease applied.

The correct answer at the moment is to go back and get them to remove them!

That's was my first reaction, but didn't want to make a bigger fool of myself than I already am ;D

You can get away with it at your age ;)
Title: Re: Stupid Tyre Dust Cap Question
Post by: Marks DTM Calib on 11 January 2013, 13:13:25
When they first started to appear Vx had to replace loads as pretty much every rep car never had the tyres checked over the three years of ownership with possibly only the fronts ever being touched when the tyres were changed.

The result was corroded caps which would not come off (for me the plastic ones are a better idea), hence why I fit them with just a light touch and smear of grease.
Title: Re: Stupid Tyre Dust Cap Question
Post by: Andy H on 11 January 2013, 13:29:30
Where are the pressure sensors? I assume they are not part of the dust caps...........

I don't think that penetrating oil should be used near rubber so my first call would be boiling water on the cap to try and cause some differential expansion (& rubber gloves so you can grip the cap while it is still too hot to touch.
Title: Re: Stupid Tyre Dust Cap Question
Post by: Sir Tigger KC on 11 January 2013, 23:27:49
Why are you checking the tyre pressures when you have a monitoring system??  ???  ::)  :)
Title: Re: Stupid Tyre Dust Cap Question
Post by: feeutfo on 11 January 2013, 23:33:04
Too much custard.

Although it depends on the system iirc. The cheap ones just alert to a threashold, as opposed to give an exact psi. The former being fairly useless I would have thought, other than to convince BMW owners that the car somehow pumps its own tyres up. No really. ::)
Title: Re: Stupid Tyre Dust Cap Question
Post by: Sir Tigger KC on 12 January 2013, 00:22:49
I had a Peugeot 407 last year with a tyre pressure monitoring system.  One of the sensors had died and I nearly did too when I found out the cost of a replacement!!!  :o :o :o
Title: Re: Stupid Tyre Dust Cap Question
Post by: Auto Addict on 12 January 2013, 06:31:33
When they first started to appear Vx had to replace loads as pretty much every rep car never had the tyres checked over the three years of ownership with possibly only the fronts ever being touched when the tyres were changed.

The result was corroded caps which would not come off (for me the plastic ones are a better idea), hence why I fit them with just a light touch and smear of grease.

Went to the dealers yesterday afternoon, and yes, wrong dust caps fitted.

Two sensors broke when they tried to remove them, plastic ones fitted now. :y
Title: Re: Stupid Tyre Dust Cap Question
Post by: omega3000 on 12 January 2013, 07:50:11
Quote
fit them with just a light touch and smear of custard

 ;D :y
Title: Re: Stupid Tyre Dust Cap Question
Post by: Auto Addict on 12 January 2013, 07:53:16
Quote
fit them with just a light touch and smear of custard

 ;D :y

No no no, that's a waste of custard ;D
Title: Re: Stupid Tyre Dust Cap Question
Post by: Marks DTM Calib on 12 January 2013, 08:17:06
The system depends on the tyres being accurately inflated from time to time so you can recalibrate the system
Title: Re: Stupid Tyre Dust Cap Question
Post by: Auto Addict on 12 January 2013, 08:44:41
The system depends on the tyres being accurately inflated from time to time so you can recalibrate the system

Yes, I check them every week, that's how I discovered the problem :y
Title: Re: Stupid Tyre Dust Cap Question
Post by: Del Boy on 12 January 2013, 09:04:57
Get the metal ones off, the amount of cars I've had where they've corroded and they stuck on there, even tyre fitters hate them. What was wrong with the black plastic caps I don't know, hence why I bought 1000 of them to replace every metal set I should get in the future :).
Title: Re: Stupid Tyre Dust Cap Question
Post by: feeutfo on 12 January 2013, 14:52:51
Quote
fit them with just a light touch and smear of custard

 ;D :y

No no no, that's a waste of custard ;D
hmmm, will it stop brake squeal I wonder? :)
Title: Re: Stupid Tyre Dust Cap Question
Post by: YZ250 on 12 January 2013, 20:42:52
How do TPM's cope when we caravanners up the pressure for towing by about 10psi. Are they just set for a minimum range and not affected by over-inflation? :-\

My alloy valve caps come off really easy. I fit them and within a week someone has nicked them, so I stick with the plastic ones now.  ::)

Too much custard.

Although it depends on the system iirc. The cheap ones just alert to a threashold, as opposed to give an exact psi. The former being fairly useless I would have thought, other than to convince BMW owners that the car somehow pumps its own tyres up. No really. ::)

Oh but they do my good man..........when you have SIT's installed.   ;) ;)
Title: Re: Stupid Tyre Dust Cap Question
Post by: Andy B on 12 January 2013, 20:54:41
How do TPM's cope when we caravanners up the pressure for towing by about 10psi. Are they just set for a minimum range and not affected by over-inflation? :-\.....

The TPMS fitted to my Merc is the type that just uses the ABS to look to see if a wheel is spinning faster than others ie it's flat. (pressure / temp sensors type was an option) After inflating tyres, you just go to the menu on the screen & tell it that all tyre are now OK ....... I suppose it works it out from that.
Title: Re: Stupid Tyre Dust Cap Question
Post by: YZ250 on 12 January 2013, 21:01:35
How do TPM's cope when we caravanners up the pressure for towing by about 10psi. Are they just set for a minimum range and not affected by over-inflation? :-\.....

The TPMS fitted to my Merc is the type that just uses the ABS to look to see if a wheel is spinning faster than others ie it's flat. (pressure / temp sensors type was an option) After inflating tyres, you just go to the menu on the screen & tell it that all tyre are now OK ....... I suppose it works it out from that.

Ah, that sounds logical, as you clear the message until the next 'event'.  :y
Title: Re: Stupid Tyre Dust Cap Question
Post by: Andy B on 12 January 2013, 22:09:55
Get the metal ones off,  ......

I've just put four new metal caps on my Merc because one of them was a black plastic one. As Mark has already suggested, I'd used a wipe of silicon grease on the threads of each as I fitted them. The old caps came off OK anyway.  ;)
Title: Re: Stupid Tyre Dust Cap Question
Post by: Marks DTM Calib on 12 January 2013, 22:18:14
How do TPM's cope when we caravanners up the pressure for towing by about 10psi. Are they just set for a minimum range and not affected by over-inflation? :-\.....

The TPMS fitted to my Merc is the type that just uses the ABS to look to see if a wheel is spinning faster than others ie it's flat. (pressure / temp sensors type was an option) After inflating tyres, you just go to the menu on the screen & tell it that all tyre are now OK ....... I suppose it works it out from that.

That system is normally called DDS (Deflations Detection System) and is a standard Bosch setup which is part of the ABS setup (it detects a differential speed difference between wheels)  :y
Title: Re: Stupid Tyre Dust Cap Question
Post by: Andy B on 12 January 2013, 22:23:04
How do TPM's cope when we caravanners up the pressure for towing by about 10psi. Are they just set for a minimum range and not affected by over-inflation? :-\.....

The TPMS fitted to my Merc is the type that just uses the ABS to look to see if a wheel is spinning faster than others ie it's flat. (pressure / temp sensors type was an option) After inflating tyres, you just go to the menu on the screen & tell it that all tyre are now OK ....... I suppose it works it out from that.

That system is normally called DDS (Deflations Detection System) and is a standard Bosch setup which is part of the ABS setup (it detects a differential speed difference between wheels)  :y

Now I know  ;)  :y
Title: Re: Stupid Tyre Dust Cap Question
Post by: Marks DTM Calib on 12 January 2013, 22:26:00
Got it on the mum bus
Title: Re: Stupid Tyre Dust Cap Question
Post by: Auto Addict on 13 January 2013, 09:15:41
Just a thought, could the Insignia be programmed to monitor 6 tyres?

Thinking of the caravan.
Title: Re: Stupid Tyre Dust Cap Question
Post by: feeutfo on 13 January 2013, 09:18:29
Does fitting a new tyre affect these?
Title: Re: Stupid Tyre Dust Cap Question
Post by: Auto Addict on 13 January 2013, 09:44:18
Does fitting a new tyre affect these?

Don't think so :-\
Title: Re: Stupid Tyre Dust Cap Question
Post by: albitz on 13 January 2013, 14:38:26
My old Cavalier has its own unique version of tyre pressure warning.When I go around corners the mudflaps scrape the road due to very soft front suspension.Yesterday It was very obvious that the n/s was making a much louder (and earlier) scraping noise at any attempt at cornering.Had a look at the tyre on that side this morning and its almost flat. ;D
Title: Re: Stupid Tyre Dust Cap Question
Post by: Broomies Mate on 13 January 2013, 18:07:48
I thought it was just young ladies and old people who didn't know they had a flat tyre????

No point in trying to tell either of the above they have a flat...... the young lady thinks you are trying to crack onto her and drives off and the elderly people cant see you anyway!  >:(
Title: Re: Stupid Tyre Dust Cap Question
Post by: Shackeng on 13 January 2013, 18:15:20
I thought it was just young ladies and old people who didn't know they had a flat tyre????

No point in trying to tell either of the above they have a flat...... the young lady thinks you are trying to crack onto her and drives off and the elderly people cant see you anyway!  >:(

Thanks very much!!! >:( >:( >:(
Title: Re: Stupid Tyre Dust Cap Question
Post by: Broomies Mate on 13 January 2013, 18:20:28
I thought it was just young ladies and old people who didn't know they had a flat tyre????

No point in trying to tell either of the above they have a flat...... the young lady thinks you are trying to crack onto her and drives off and the elderly people cant see you anyway!  >:(

Thanks very much!!! >:( >:( >:(

I'm surprised you even saw the post!  :P :P :P
Title: Re: Stupid Tyre Dust Cap Question
Post by: Shackeng on 13 January 2013, 18:26:26
I didn't, my secretary - who can see- brought it to my attention! :) :) :)