Things we wish we knew before buying the iCheck TPMS
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 13 ส.ค. 2023
- Is it worth investing in a tyre pressure monitoring systems? We did and we found there were some things that they don't tell you when you go looking for information. So in this video we share our experience the good and the bad.
Hopefully this video will help you make an informed decision if you are considering buying one.
I purchased our Icheck 8 senor system late May. Ellected 8 as could see zero sence in monitoring spare wheels.
Was very aware from the Webb site I may have needed a booster, but elected to trial first and see if reqired.
Installed our icheck system this June, a tad fiddler as I had to reallocate sensors locations to suit all eight sensors being on road of tandem axle opposed to single axle and spares as programmed when purchased.
I was fortunate, all 8 of my sensors frequencies transmitted back to my monitor, so no booster required in our situation, obviously not always required.
Im extremely happy to report that on our very first trip away it has saved us a caravan tyre, as the front wheel/tyre obviously flicked up a screw and the rear tyre ingested it. I was amazed, as we have towed our van since 2004 with just one prior punture years ago but as soon as I fit Icheck we get a punture, Murphy's Law I guess coming into play.
For the record I never utilised the lock nuts, but certainly do run dust covers.
I got around off road pressures by programming 15 psi low allowing me to opt down to 25-28 for gravel and down to 15 psi for sand. Once below 15 it will alarm alerting you prior to distroying a tyre off road.
Totally impressed by the system, especially as it saved a tyre already.
Totally recommend them.
Thanks for sharing this 👍interestingly a week after releasing this video out monitor alerted us to a slow leak in the front LH tyre and we were able to avoid damaging the tyre ($35 repair v $400 replacement). We are very happy with the system too
Cheers Paul and Wenda
I had a similar system on my motorcycle. It alerted to a front tyre that had a slow leak and I was able to take control of the situation before any damage occurred. I now have tpms on every vehicle. The locknut is a anti-theft item so you could possibly leave them off when desired.
Yeah we’re a big fan of the TPMS and wouldn’t be without it now
Cheers
Thank you for the very straight forward feedback. I too have wondered about the limitations for the larger caravans out there. One thing Icheck are brilliant at is listening and upgrading / redesigning their accessories, so hats off to them. BSAFE on your travels.
Thanks Shawn yeah that’s been our experience with iCheck. Their newer system seems really good.
Cheers Paul
Love your videos and practical advice ....thanks again!
Thank you 😊
Hi Paul, another informative video, thanks 😊
Hope you & Wenda are well. Safe travels.
We're looking forward to the Arnhem Land videos ❤
Thanks Lyn 😊 yeah can’t wait, we are off to Arnhem Land on Friday(very excited)
Cheers
Very helpful information thanks for sharing. It is great to know what to watch out for 👍
Thanks 😊
Hey guys, thanks for sharing this information. A really important topic and one every caravaner should be aware of! Some great tips for others to follow. Take care and looking forward to the next adventure where we’ll be stopping by!🤠
😂 thanks. Next trip is Arnhem Land 👍
Another great video..thank you as a fellow nomad into year 2 of travelling.
@@eckahesketh9789 thank you 😊 it’s a good lifestyle eh?
Cheers
Been using iCheck monitor for ages now with a single axle caravan. (We also had to purchase the extender which immediate fixed the dropping out problem) We love it and would not be without it.
Yes now we have it sorted it is great 👍 in fact it alerted us to a slow leak in one of our tyres yesterday on the Central Arnhem Road and we avoided damaging the tyre.
Cheers and safe travels
Thank you for all the information at least now I'll know what to look for! And I like your solution for powering the booster 🤗
Thanks Evie glad it was helpful. The booster solution has made all the difference. We are now big fans of the TPMS 👍
Cheers Paul
Thank you for a very realistic review. Reading the fine print is not my strength and also finding a solution for power to the booster…. Again I found that very helpful.
Thanks, glad it was helpful 👍iCheck have released a new version of the TPMS and apparently it addresses most of the issues we experienced
Cheers Paul
Hi Paul, I have the same system as you have. I ordered the extender when I originally bought the system. Our Van is 15ft about 7m draw bar to spare. I didn't need the booster on ours.
It has saved us before when an tyre went up in high temperature.
You can also set the unit in car only mode, so when not towing it doesn't alarm. Keep up the good videos
Thanks 😊 yeah it certainly give you a peace of mind when you’re towing
Cheers
Another Great and informative video 😊👍🏽
We got to test it out on the Central Arnhem Road! And it saved us three times 😱
good honest review thanks.
Thanks 👍
Hey guys great presentation easy to understand and obviously as I have dual axle I will need the booster completely agree with that they should come with advice that you may need the booster depending on length of van than you
Thanks Jose, yeah the booster does make a difference
Cheers
I just did approx 15.000kms around the the centre of Oz, 50/50, dirt/bitumen, had no problems at all with the TPMS, a great product and it did save 2 tyres from being destroyed on rocks and corrugations on a single axle caravan 👍
Wouldnt drive without it now
Yeah ever since we sorted the problems with it, we have had no issues. We wouldn’t travel without it now 👌
Cheers
Another excellent video presentation. Thank ypu
... I'm curious to know how you keep your round photos on the caravan walls😊 we are wanting to place grandchildren photos up in our caravan
Thanks again 👍we get the stickers from www.wondermade.com.au they come in different sizes. You can do it all online. We update ours annually as the grandkids get older
Cheers Paul and Wenda
We dispensed with the lock nuts too, couldn't use them anyway due to the rims being too proud. The missus and friends have just completed the CSR from Vic (at Wiluna today) and no issues with the system, she does check the sensors daily to make sure they're secure, so far so good.
Awesome, can’t wait to do the CSR, hopefully next year 👍
We just came up the Central Arnhem Hwy and they worked fine (no lock nuts)
Cheers
I bought the iCheck gear on the word of TH-camrs (obviously got paid to say it's good). I have found the tyre pressure system to be inaccurate to about 3-4 psi cold and worse when hot.The deflators 3-8 psi. I no longer use the deflators and have gone back to my quick deflator and do one tyre at a time. I still use the pressure system for the alarm but take no notice of the pressure they tell me the tyres are at. I have a very good quality electronic tyre pressure gauge and have checked it against others so I know it is correct. I tow a single axle van so have no problems with the sensors on the van.
I enjoy your videos as they are no nonsense and informative, keep them coming.
Thank you 😊. I’ve never checked the accuracy of the pressure read out?
Will check that out. We are hitting the central Arnhem highway next week so want to be sure
Cheers
I have the iCheck TPMS system fitted to my vehicle and single axle van and reckon that the pressures seem to be pretty accurate, certainly within a range that I can live with, although I appreciate your homework and diligence and don't dispute it. I have five air pressure gauges and they all provide different readings, sometimes three to five PSI different from each other.
One of the things I have been surprised at is the increase in the tyre temperatures from cold to hot. Rule of thumb says that if the temperatures increase by four PSI after running for thirty minutes, your tire pressures are correct. Below that your pressures are too high, because they are not flexing enough and above that, the tyres are flexing too much and therefore creating excess heat.
However, the tyre pressures seem to increase disproportionately above the four PSI rules, given the weights of the car and van. Moreover, the change in temperatures don't seem to correlate with the pressure increases.
What are your experiences in this regard?
I bought a set of six to include my camper trailer. Being prudent I also bought the booster but found I don't need it. Maybe I will when we upgrade. I find the system gives me peace of mind and I glance at the screen every few minutes when driving. Wouldn't be without it now.
Yeah they are good for peace of mind when towing and seeing the tyre pressures. We are off to Arnhem Land next week so will be relying on them to get us through 😊
My wife pestered me to get one for motorhome, i did and fitted it and on the first trip we were going down a steep windy road and it alerted me and gave me time to pull over safely. I feel that without it there was every chance i could have rolled the motorhome, glad i listened.
When i saw you open your box and saw the 10 sensors i assumed it would of had the booster, very poor icheck!
Yeah we think they are a great product and could be lifesaving but only downside was the running around we had to do to get it to work. To their credit iCheck now highlights the need for a booster
Cheers
Vast majority of people do not need the booster. It is only needed by some. Doing your homework helps before buying. You do realise that it states on the box that a booster may be required?
I also have the same TPMS system for my 4WD and Camper trailer. I have never needed the booster as it works fine. On my very first trip I got a warning on one of the trailer Tyres where it lost pressure rapidly through a faulty valve . I stopped the vehicle before the tyre had fully deflated and put the spare on. The only repair job was a new $2 valve and the tyre was fine. So pretty much paid for itself on first trip out.
That’s great 👍we’ve also saved a couple of tyres using the TPMS and wouldn’t travel without it now. It’s only on the larger dual axle caravans that you’re likely to need the booster. Apparently the new model works well
Cheers
Hello both. My wife and I have just started watching your journeys. Great information and experiences. We are both avid off grid caravaners spending most of our weekend journeys (still working) on battery, solar and gas. Love the little Drone excursions as well as I am also looking into this little activity myself. Question regarding your two aerials on the front of the cruiser. Are you operating UHF and VHF and if so, what are the advantages of the VHF compared to UHF.
Thanks great to have you joining us 👍. It is quite a journey sorting out those three!
One aerial in for the uhf and the other is for the Telstra CelFi signal booster. It was one the ways we tried to improve data speeds so we can work remotely
Cheers Paul
Forget about the locking thing if you got to adjust tyre pressures all the time that would be a pain keep it plain and simple leave them off just hope they dont get stolen , and cheers your video was very useful thank you 👍
Yep we figured the same thing. Great to hear the info was helpful 👍
Cheers Paul and Wenda
We have the same system and installed the booster from new and it works a treat… however on a recent trip to QLD the RHR tyre on the car alarmed due to over pressure / temp and the right hand tyres on the van were running slightly higher the the left… I soon realized that was the exhaust side… RHR tyre close to tail pipe and hotter air on right side of van. Have adjusted to allow for this.
Yeah makes sense. We also noticed that the tyre pressures and temp can be higher on the side facing the sun.
Cheers
Exactly 💯 %.... if you need the 10 one for a duel axel, it's always or their claimed working distance... let alone the spares as you said.
100% should be included for free in the 10 kit.. the price is insane
To Ichecks credit they have updated their webpage to highlight the need for a booster. So hopeully it help people, like us, who may not realise it is most likely needed for larger vans
Cheers
@@beyondthegreyoz a duel axel will always be 8m plus from dash to wheel though...
Hi thanks for your insightful report. I’m just about to get a tpms system and am considering this system. Did you find the tyre pressures reported were accurate? I’m also thinking about hooking two of the monitors up to the valves on my AirbagMan airbags. And are you still happy with this system or should I look at another product.
G’day Mark we are happy with the TPMS it works fine now. It saved us a few times in Arnhem Land so we would be happy to recommend them. ICheck have updated the tpms so they even better now. Still requires the booster for larger vans
The pressures reported are quite accurate
Cheers Paul
Hi Paul another great video I have this system found it to be good but the only thing I found to be a little annoying is if on the van you take a sensor off the alarm goes off like it should but if you disconnect the van and drive off nothing no alarm then after a while you notice it flashing nothing bad apart from that it’s good safe travels
Thanks Glenn, yeah now that it’s up and running it seems fine. It was a bit frustrating having to chase up solutions for what I would consider a quality product. But it does give you peace of mind when you can’t see the wheels on the van on those dusty roads 😉
Cheers
If you press set and + for 3 seconds it disconnects the van alarms and you get no alarms
@@daviddevaus436 thanks for sharing this 👍
I never knew about TPMS, but after getting two separate nail punctures in the same tyre I think I'll need one before doing a trip.
Same tyre! That would be frustrating. One week after put this video up the TPMS alerted us to a slow leak in a tyre and saved us from driving on it flat. $35 repair v $400+ replacement. And we got to choose where to stop. We’re sold on the TPMS 👍
I had a very similar experience with another brand of TPMS (starts with 'O' and they make great uhf radios too). I purchased a 10 sensor kit, with the plan being 4 on the car, 4 on the caravan and 2 on my rear suspension air bag valves. I could never get the all the sensors to work correctly, and I am thinking that part of the issue was the distance between my caravan tyres and the monitor - just like you. Anyway, to cut a long frustrating story short, I ended up removing the 4 sensors on the caravan and I put back the original TireLinc TPMS that came with my Jayco caravan and they are working correctly. I have also left 4 of the 'O' sensors just on my car tyres and they too are working correctly. I never could get the 'O' branded sensors to work correctly on my car air bag suspension though so I ended up buying a cheap ebay motor bike pair of TMPS sensors that uses a phone app to monitor. So in essence I paid close to $500 for a TPMS that I could never get to work correctly and I now have a total of 3 different TPMS systems between on my car, caravan and air bag suspension valves !
Wow that’s messy! Yeah it’s frustrating when you have to chase things up like that!
Fortunately, with our workaround, ours seems to be working fine now 👍
Cheers
Paul
you can get tee pieces to fit on your wheels, so you don’t have to remove the pressure sensor to put your tire pressure up or down
Thanks, yeah that would be handy 👍
Cheers
Thanks for a good update on this. Wish it was out before I bought mine. I have the same issue, of a twin axle van and dropping out. That combined with the airing down and up issue you mentioned, means mine is currently sitting on the bench at home. Not sure how you can sell a system for a twin axle van without alerting people to the fact that it might not work, without buying other components.
When I bought mine 2 years ago the website suggested anything over a certain distance may need to booster to get the reading to the readout.
@@anthonymcneil8778 Good to know, must have missed that!
Thank Mark, yeah it a good product and worth the investment however it was advertised as a dual axle caravan solution. We probably didn’t read the fine print either 😂. Did notice that Icheck have since updated their add to include a big red disclaimer if you van is over 8mt
Cheers
Yeah I noticed that has been highlighted now. So that’s good to see 👍
We have the iCheck TPMS system on our car and van, and have not set up different modes for off-road and on-road. Instead we're relying on the automatic adjustment of the alarms to new readings once we've either aired down or up.
Is this the correct way to go?
BTW, we use the water/dust covers, but the lock nuts are being kept in reserve and may be used if we're in an area where we feel the sensors may be at risk of being stolen.
Hi Alan, ours is and older model, the newer model of the TPMS has automatic sensors which will adjust every time you screw them on so there is no off road mode anymore. We think it's a much better system now 👍
Cheers Paul & Wenda
While I was watching the clip there was an advertisement for that same item on the right hand side of the screen in the feed. I have never noticed that before. Is it normal or coincidence?
Haha not sure but wouldn’t surprise me if TH-cam selected the add
Id be surprised if there isnt 12v dc power on one of the plugs on your drawbar between car and caravan for charging the van, id assume that booster is meant to wire in somewhere there, and mount to your drawbar
Good point, I’m sure there would be a way to splice it to one of the 7-pin wires anywhere along the cable
Cheers
TPMS has saved my butt twice on my motorcycles. Over the years have followed various vehicles with rubber smoke billowing from under mudguards.
Two big issues in my industry. Installers not fitting equipment properly and DIY’ers not fitting equipment properly 😂
Yeah not much good if they’re not installed properly. Our TPMS saved us just recently alerting us to a slow leak in front LH tyre 🙏
I just finished a lap of oz and tried increasing my pressures with really good results. I noticed you had your car tyres set at around 40psi. That may be the reason you blew two tyres. Try 55psi in the rear and 45 in front. The van can handle 50psi with no probs. Give it a try you may notice better fuel economy and better handling. Travel safe
That sounds a bit high? But I’ll check it out 👍thanks for the tip
Cheers
@@beyondthegreyoz agree that does sound high. Will depend very much the tyres you are running and definitely the roads. We do a lot of gravel so we would never run that high and tend to run similar to what you have when on the blacktop.
Plus 20% on all pressures on plaq
@@beyondthegreyoz My Essential van (tandem axle) has 70 psi stamped on the sidewalls of the tyres. The placard in the van which tells you weights etc. also has tyre pressures but says 55psi. So I run them to that. The little Makita tyre inflator works its little heart out getting it up to there but it does it. (At home I use a standard compressor).
@@mjpt57 yeah we’ve started running our tyres at 50-55 now. Seems that’s the go for blacktop. We have a bush ranger compressor and that seems to cope quite well 👍
Cheers
Thanks for the review. Think we'll just continue to kick the tyres periodically 😂😂😂
Haha sounds like a plan 👍
Howd you go with getting your booster to connect? I cant get mine to connect for some reason. Booster has power/red light but head unit not picking it up.
Ours seems to work fine. Haven’t had any of the sensors drop out when we plug in the booster. It’s supposed to automatically connect? Did you give iCheck a call?
@@beyondthegreyoz not yet. That's the next step. Thanks.
Hi Paul,
I have the same on the van and car i brought Tee pieces that fits the tyre monitor on then you can deflate and inflate the tyre with out having to remove the tyre monitor,
Stephen
Aroundtuit Australia
Oh wow that sounds good where did you get them? Have they been practical?
Thanks for that, we have another brand that has no booster and the van is good for a while then it drops out and beeps all the time. While a good concept I gave up on it.
Yeah very frustrating. Would’ve been handy to know beforehand instead of chasing solutions afterward!
Cheers
Should have purchased the Saftey Dave TPMS which comes with a booster ( which i dont neex on my dual axle van)spare
batteries and 2 year
replacement warranty.
There no substitute for quality.
Also not really to sit the monitor on thd dash as once its set up and if theres and issue with with pressure/temp an alsrm sounds
I keep my S D TPMS monitor in the console.
Thank for the tips 👍. We went with iCheck based on recommendations and to be honest the system works fine. It was just the hassle of trying to get it to work on the can.
Like the idea of stowing the monitor 👍
Cheers Paul
you don't need the locking nuts and dust caps. the instructions say they are optional and yea if i cant kill them you really wont. just get rid of the dust caps and locking nuts. Also not everyone runs vans, I don't need the signal booster so why should I pay for something I don't need just because you do need it? You will find the price of them is VERY fair. As for the offroad mode, there version 2 fixes that issue which was an issue, but yea version 2 is amazing and solves that problem.
Yeah they work fine without the dust caps and lock nuts. We just got back from Arnhem Land and they saved us three times so we are big fans of them and wouldn’t travel without them now. We also noticed they’ve updated the website to say larger vans will probably need the booster. We’ve heard v2 are great and as you say addresses the previous issues 👍
Cheers
Just wondering if you had success with your booster mate? Ours has done nothing to help.
Yes, ever since we connected the booster in the back of the car the monitor has held the signal from all of the tyres
Another example of a user not reading a product manual. Everything is in the documentation in easy to read format.
You assume it’s for caravans only. It’s for any vehicle with X wheels. Plenty of trailers with duel axles are shorter. Look at tradies trailers as an example.
Then to complain about the price etc. really? Don’t buy it then.
So many people blame others for their lack of basic investigating
Thanks for the feedback, while we didn’t read the fine print I have to say they were sold as a dual axle caravan solution. However at the time when I reviewed the website there was a disclaimer about needing a booster. I also seen that icheck now have highlighted the need for a booster in red, which is great. Still it is a great product. Now that we have it working it gives us peace of mind while towing
Thanks again for the feedback we appreciate all discussions
Cheers Paul
Yes could’ve saved me a heap of money. Needed to replace a tyre at Warburton Roadhouse. It cost me $750. Ripped off. 😡
What! $750! Since putting this video out we’ve saved 3 tyres
Cheers
$470, cheaper than a new tyre? Especially 1/2 way up the Gibb
When I looked at their website I quickly came to the conclusion that I would need a booster
Absolutely 👍
The booster works well.
Cheers
Ive had this system for 20 months. Been in use for about 18 months and the monitor internal battery has died. Contacted Sam at icheck and of course batteries are not included in their 2 year warranty. His arrogance shone through and offered to sell another monitor for $99...
He also said that he believed it was fine for the battery to last this long yet he sells an extended warranty for another year knowing that the batteries are likely to fail well before then.
After multiple emails and sam stating its not covered under warranty, i opened my monitor up to find a swelled up cheap Chinese lithium polymer battery in which can be purchased for a couple of dollars.
Very disappointed in his attitude with this whole situation.
May as well buy a cheaper setup if this thing is going to die so easily
Yep that type of experience shows how important after sales service is. For example we had the complete opposite experience with Dometic, they were so helpful that the issue with our fridge didn’t feel as bad.
It's a TP Monitor S not a TP Management S and am with others in that iCheck don't know what your trailer/caravan size is, so they can't be held responsible for you not seeing the Booster on there. Also if you researched it many others on YT have said to leave off the dust cap and lock nut, just as you learnt to for changing the pressures. Oh and you only have to take off 8 caps, not 10.
Thank you for your insights.
Cheers Paul
I’ve had my TPMS for about 2 years. When I bought mine iCheck had it written on their website that I may need a booster. I notice the same notice is still on their website, written in red so as to be noticed. As it turned out i didn’t need the booster but you can’t blame iCheck because you didn’t read the website properly
Thanks Anthony you’re right we could’ve been more thorough in reading the fine print and certainly will in future but the need for a booster written in red is a new addition so they must’ve had some feedback. Overall still think it’s a good product
Cheers Paul
@@beyondthegreyoz well I purchased my kit 2 years ago and I’m pretty sure the notice was there then because I purchased a booster for my van.
I don't think there was blame assigned, it was an opinion.
That sounds a bit harsh. Didn’t hear any blaming, just someone’s experience
So if your doing 4x4 and airing down that clearly not a option...
Yes that was a concern for us. Apparently the new version of the TPMS automatically detects the current tyre pressure so it should address that issue