Tire pressure monitoring method on 2007 Polo?

[puterfixer]

Hello everyone,


Please shed some light on a technical question about the VW Polo I bought last year (in Europe, if that matters). I need to find out the method used to monitor tire pressure: is it determined by ESP when a tire turns faster than the others (deflated, smaller circumference), or by sensors in the tires?

The aftermarket metallic caps mounted on the rear wheels air valves are stuck, and I can't check the pressure or inflate the rear tires when the computer warns me. I need to replace the air valves entirely to solve this problem.

If Polos don't get fitted with internal air pressure sensors, then I can get simple air valves and have this fixed in an hour. But if the tires have sensors (commonly a part of the valve, inside the rim), I'll need to find the exact part number, order them, and wait a couple of weeks before proceeding.

So far, one guy at the service said he can't find any sensors in my car's configuration, and another one said that Polos don't have individual pressure sensors - only higher models do (Golf, Passat). However, another VW service technician implied that there are pressure sensors inside and they need to open a tire up to see the sensor part number, order it and replace mine in a few weeks.

Can anyone confirm which is it, please? Thanks in advance.

[puterfixer]

Problem solved, with the help of a knowledgeable sales consultant - service technicians were clueless.

By default, VW Polo and Golf don't have pressure sensors mounted in the tires. The computer can detect lower pressure the same way as a skidding wheel while braking: ABS detects the speed at which each wheel is turning. A faster turning wheel in normal driving conditions indicates that the wheel is slightly smaller in circumference than the others, which can happen if its pressure has decreased.

It's easy to find out if you have air pressure sensors: they are part of the air valve, and use the external part of the valve as a radio transmitting antenna. Therefore, this external part must be metallic. If it's a simple rubber valve, you don't have an air pressure sensor.

Thanks for reading, hope this helps! Tonight I'm getting the car fixed in less than 30 minutes