Guest Post by Kokoda
I am submitting this info on TPMS in an effort to inform TBP readers of financial hazards and solutions to those hazards. Any additional insight or correction is appreciated.
The Benefit: TPMS alerts the driver to a low tire pressure condition at one of the wheels.
IMO, except for vehicles with Low Profile tires, the TPMS are nothing but a scam to create business for Dealerships and drain financial resources from individuals. I drove for 50 years without TPMS – No Problemo.
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A TPMS sensor is in each tire and contain a battery which lasts from 5-7 years. One day the TPMS pressure warning indicator will appear in the Instrument Cluster. If all tires are checked and air pressure is OK, then a failed sensor exists on one of the wheels. Went to dealer – charged me $75 to find out what tire has the failed sensor. Then informed of a ridiculous charge to fix the problem II beat feet). Then you would go thru this process on the next sensor failure in another tire.
Note: When you have new tires installed, the shops remove the existing TPMS sensors and install them on the new tire that is going on the SAME Wheel. The calibration process identifies a specific sensor to a specific wheel.
Solution:
If the TPMS indicator appears on the Instrument Cluster and the actual tire pressures are OK, and the sensors on the vehicle are 5 or more years old:
- The tires are fairly new – do not go thru a diagnosis; just install 4 new sensors and have them calibrated.
- The tires are worn and due for a change – wait until you have 4 new tires installed and then have 4 new sensors installed. If the warning light bothers you, use black electrical tape.
Note: The Dealerships are notoriously expensive. They also have specific brand name sensors. There are Universal Sensors – you can even buy your own sensors and bring to install. Do not use Dealerships. Ask private repair shops the costs involved – shop around.
My son had put on new tires in TX just before driving to CT and he also had new Universal sensors installed, but not calibrated (to each wheel). I asked the Honda dealer (CT) and they said about $135 to calibrate. I took it to Sears and they charged $20.00.
Just thought of something while reading this:
If YOU rotate your tires instead of driving to a shop, the sensors have to be recalibrated to each new wheel. The owner’s manual should provide this very simple method (differs by vehicle, but mostly is just pressing a button for 3 seconds and listening for a beep).
I was going to comment, but then realized that you were not referring to a condition that seems so rampant across US society: Total or Temporary PMS.
I worked in the Tire Industry for 20
Years and I can tell you that TPMS is a hassle and a burden. The TPMS Sensors were the US Governmemt’s answer to the Firestone-Ford Recall in 2001(not sure exact date). Simply put it was a way to make sure lazy people would put pressure in their tires. The Sensor works using RF (Radio Frequency) which is read by the OBD (onboard diagnostics),. Each Sensor has a serial number that is unique. Some vehicles require recalibration after moving positions of the wheels, and those vehicles tell you specific location of the low pressure tire. Others just need to be “reset” using a button located under the dash,in the glove box, or on the info panel. Some need to be reset through the on board info display menu. There are many things that can cause a false reading, including the tiny air port on the sensor, which allows the psi to be read and gauged, being blocked by mounting paste or rim seal. It can also be cold weather, water or moisture in the tire cavity and an previously stored error code that hasn’t been cleared. Usually when a battery in a sensor is dying, it will work intermittently for a while with an error code- coming and going while driving. Another frequent issue is a slow leak that occurs over the course of a week or two, that results in a low psi light. This is often caused by a torn grommet that seals the sensor into the rim, a valve core that is corroded and stuck in a slightly contracted position, or corrosion on the rim around the base of the sensor but that isn’t allowing for a flush seat. Battery life is 5-7 years, but I saw Toyota sensors go 12+ multiple times. There is typically two separate errors, one for low psi and one for a sensor malfunction, which is listed in the Owners Manual to discern which issue you are experiencing. Sensors do not always need to be removed when installing new tires or exchanging them seasonally. As long as your shop is careful and knows how to mount the tires without putting the sensor under stress. It is good practice to have sensor parts kit installed once every couple of years if you do seasonal changeovers. I highly recommend Costco, because their costs for Sensors, Parts Kits and Replaement or Recalibration is much much lower than most places. Not only that but we used to get the most up to date information and training from the manufacturer. We knew more about sensors at the warehouse that I worked at than anyone in the country for a while because we worked on all types of vehicles and in 2008 when it became mandatory to have sensors, we were installing winter tires on brand new vehicles and we had to learn everything on our own. Trail and error, as well as research paid off.
Goodyear often wont hang new tires without new sensors. Had to explain that i did not care, at all, if those sensors worked or not. They noted it on my bill in red. Not a feature i need. I tow all the time which requires higher rear tire pressure to stiffen the sidewalls to reduce sway on heavy loads. This means i physically check tire pressures often. The only time i ever had one of these lights come on it was temperature related, not pressure, at about 30 below zero.
I can’t wait until they come out with windshield sensors on the blades to tell me when it’s raining.
They already do. My son’s new Dodge Durango can sense when liquid hits the windshield. He was washing some dust off the hood and some water hit the windshield then the wipers came on. Freaked my two granddaughters out! LOL!
Ha Ha Ha LOL!
I understand that I am a dinosaur, but just how hard is it to monitor your tire pressure? I have eyes that still work, for the most part and I keep a tire gauge tucked in the sun flap on the drivers side.
PMCS is your friend.
In the history of automobiles there has never been a single serious accident caused by incorrectly inflated tires.
This is why such things as tire monitors are a stupid waste of money, especially with modern radial tires.
Folks- New village idiot!
If jackasses who were too lazy to check the tire pressure on the couple generation back Ford Explorers and had rollover accidents hadn’t sued for millions of dollars, the rest of us wouldn’t have to suffer with TPMS on all new cars and trucks. To HSF’s point, it’s ridiculously easy to monitor and check your own tire pressure, and tire pressure gauges are cheap and fit easily into the myriad of cubbies and storage compartments in available in any vehicle.
In Canada, some cars use passive monitoring via the ABS sensors to monitor tire pressure and have features that allow the car to relearn the tire pressure when you swap the summmer and winter tires so you don’t have to go to the dealer. Other cars, (looking at you Toyota) and I believe all new vehicles in the US due to laws, use active monitoring which needs the special tire stems which break and can fail.
If your car uses the special tire stems and false TPMS alerts are pissing you off enough to do something, there may be life hack available to help you. A number of people on the VW forums report successfully using a cheap workaround using readily available plumbing parts where one places the valve stems with the pressure sensors in a piece of ABS pipe, seal the pipe up and pressurize it to the recommended tire pressure for your vehicle and then place the sealed ABS tube in your trunk. The vehicle’s TPMS system doesn’t monitor whether the sensors are actually installed on the tire valve stems, only that they are in the general proximity of the car, so TPMS sensors are effectively defeated without tripping an error code that will cause you to have to take the vehicle to a dealer.
Regular checking of tite pressures has sort of fallen by the wayside as self service stations have replaced full service ones.
For that matter, finding a self service station with an air hose to fill low tires has become more and more difficult leaving the time between fill ups with unchecked or unfilled tires.
I have 2 cars where these stupid sensors are faulty. No way am I going to pay to get them fixed. I Look at tires and check the pressure myself, duh!
Just ignore all dashboard lights – tire pressure, brakes, traction control – except the check engine or oil light.
Personally, TPMS helped me solve a problem recently.
Details: 2011 Fusion. ODO: 175,000
Needed new skins.
Dealer quote on 4 Michelins: $1200. Hell no.
Found (4) on Craigslist, at 60% tread. Asking $200
Went to the rug jockey owned shop in a shady part of town for this low price enticement.
The Michelins were for a SUV, so he offered (4) Continental all seasons w/ 80% tread,
installed and out the door for $350. Done deal.
A week later, on a Sunday night, the TPMS lights up. Blew it off. Bad mistake.
Next morning, it’s still on, but I have to get to work. I’ll drive to a station and get some air.
Nope. Goes flat, and I’m riding the rim. Turned around and limped it back home.
Later that day, tried to remove the problem tire, but couldn’t even bust free the lugs.
Guessing the Chaldean ‘tech’ didn’t have the torque setting on his pneumatic impact driver reduced.
Almost dropped a testicle trying to bust free the lugs with a 4-way. Much cursing.
Refilled the tire with a f’kin bicycle air pump. Got a good cardio workout w/ that, LOL.
Drove the Fusion to work.
The re-inflate lasted a day or two, when the sensor came on again. Refill again at a station;
good for another 2 days, until I could either pull it and inspect, or figure out WTF was going on.
Visual inspection: no nails anywhere.
Took it back to the tire place in the ghetto. Early Saturday morning again, before the natives are awake and restless, but still had my piece on my hip, just in case.
End result: They pulled it, dunked it, and found a small pin hole in the side wall.
Grabbed another one from the yard full of stock, replaced it, and it’s been good ever since.
So, in my case, the TPMS alerted me to a ongoing problem that needed attention or resolution.
As much as I’d like to get in the habit of routinely checking PSI, call me lazy and with an attitude
that if a problem rears it’s ugly head, I’ll cross that bridge when I come to it.
End of story.
But, Koko’s info was helpful. Will bookmark this post for future reference.
TPMS has alerted me more than once when I had problems with a valve stem leak on a track day. Would the leaks have caused me to wreck? Probably not, but at 130+mph it was good to know sooner rather than later there was a problem. It also alerted us to a nail in my wife’s car well before the tire got low enough to see visually. I plugged the tire in a few minutes before she left the house, and she was on her way. So, on balance I’m cool with TPMS. Some manufacturers like Ford cheap out and use crappy rubber stems/mount kits – and the sensors tend to put more strain on them (tire shops call them “kits” and will try to convince you to replace the kit at $10-20 a pop.) The TPMS sensors can be picked up on EBAY fairly cheaply ($50 for a set of 4 typically.) The “kits” can be had for a couple bucks each at NAPA, but I prefer to replace the rubber kits with metal stems, which are a few bucks more found online.
I’m “tired” of the new technologies and no wonder Sears is bankrupt.
Like a lot of internet posts about automotive subjects this one has a few problems.
First of all TPMS is now into the third generation and the information to the driver has gotten much better. First gen systems used sensors or the current speed sensors to alert to a low tire not which tire is low. 2nd gen would tell you what wheel but only if ” retrained ” to the proper position on the vehicle. 3rd gen is almost like Bluetooth in that the tire sensors learn positions during a drive as well as being smart enough to compensate for temp. These sensors also enter sleep mode quickly moving toward a sensor with lifetime of the vehicle durability and another whole host of problems for the line technicians.
As an auto professional the biggest problem I have with these systems is the fact that the manufacturers were allowed to ” do their own thing ” on these systems. Big fail. Like they did with OBD2 the manufacturers should have been closed into a room and told to agree on common names, connectors and frequencies for the systems. To be able to service all TPMS systems we need 3 different tools one o them being an OE clone laptop just for one fucking car line.
The OP’s system prolly represents about 25% of all current TPMS systems in use.
Cricket remembers the history behind the introduction of the TPMS.
If I recall correctly, it was a combination of crappy Firestone tires, that came standard with the Ford SUVs, and when the Firestones were under inflated, and the SUV was driven like a sedan, by a soccer mom, at highway speeds, then the bead would pop, and the vehicle would overturn.
So, it was a combination of all the worst case scenarios.
Unfortunately, we now live in a world where manufacturers of autos have to engineer for worst case scenarios, and so we get:
automatic braking, adaptive cruise control, lane change notification, and eventually auto-pilot and self driving cars.
Am I the only one who thinks that putting all this automation into a car is going to lead to a world where driving is no longer fun?
and that this trend is intentional?
Billy Bob, it was actually due to a poorly designed rear suspension on the Ford, that they tried to cover up as a ‘tire’ and ‘tire pressure’ problem. While certainly low tire pressure exaggerated the problem, it was the action of the rear suspension that was the main culprit. Ford changed the design quickly. But yes, the TPMS stuff was born from it. And yes, the TPMS systems have their own issues for sure but they have gotten better. It’s probably more about lawsuits now ‘if your sensor was activated and you crashed, we told you, so best of luck with that’
However, they have saved me more than once from potential blowouts. Once with my whole family in the car, driving 6 hours very late, and it beeps at me at around 24psi. For sure I would not have known on this trip and it would have blown out for sure. While I like to think I could have handled it, and I have many times, ya never know. In this case it allowed me to get the tire fixed (hard at 2Am) and keep the trip going well, vs going for it on a temp spare at reduced speeds on an intersate with a fully loaded car. Hell a lot of smaller cars don’t even come with a spare anymore.
Pretty soon the TPMS will be integrated into the (D) function. In other words it won’t let you put it into gear or go into higher gears unless the sensors are all in the green.
Better have the green to get them into the green.
It’s all a scam.
Mine always go apeshit when it gets cold outside. Really annoying.
i want the option that says when idiots are texting/tailgating me or when
the cops are writing the ticket tax and the secret laser activates and
melts the offenders dashboard:>:> PLEASE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
What I found useful about this article:
Blah Blah Blah
If the warning light bothers you, use black electrical tape.
Blah Blah Blah
In my personal experience, the American ones (GM) are trash and the Japanese ones (Subaru, Toyota) work well.
I agree and disagree. We have a TPMS which we purchased from Eez. We travel with a van and an 18′ travel trailer. We love the TPMS on our unit. It’s not that we are not capable of checking tire pressure (which we do) and it’s not that we forget to check (we don’t). What we really like about this system is it alerts you to a problem before you have a blowout and crash your ass off onto the side of the road. When your trailer and double axles are far behind you are not aware you have a flat or a low tire when you are rolling down the road until real trouble happens. This system allows you to realize you have a problem BEFORE you have a blowout. A lot can happen during a 5-hour trailer trip. The system was very easy to install and it reads correctly (during setup we checked it against our tire gauge) and not overly expensive. So, I do understand if people do not want to spend another couple hundred dollars for this type of system but it really does offer “peace of mind” while you are on a trip. The valve stem readers easily move to new tires as long as the tire is in the same rotation position. However, you can also easily reprogram so it’s not a huge concern.