I asked my dealer again and to mount, balance and install sensors in a set of aftermarket wheels and tires I brought them would be $904 because of the sensors mostly.

Fortunately I've changed my mind about what I want and will just be ordering the whole set from Tire Rack now that they have sensors in stock again.

 

i like the sensors. was on duty for 48 hours and the car didn't move in that time. i started it up to go home and the light tripped. i found the right rear to be down 22psi. run flats dont show loss of air like regular tires so i never would have known. some feel the sensor is too sensitive since it will go off if one tire is 1psi different then the others. i like it better then the system in the mazda that only goes off shortly before there is so little air in the tire that it will come off the rim.

 

Question for reyd1 (or anyone else who may know)

I bought a set of 4 extra sensors for my 08 mcs from ebay.
I bought a set of used winter rims with snow tires already mounted (non tpms).

You mentioned creating a pressure chamber and putting the sensors in it. Did you actually do this? Can it be done with just one sensor or is the system looking for 4 signals?And do the signals have to come from each wheel area?
Couldn't I just put the sensors in the car and reset the monitor to tell it that the current pressure (though 0) is okay?Thanks,
woodstudio

 

TPMS BYPASS COMPLETE!

I put my winter wheels on that have no TPMS. The audible sound came up at start up. and then the continues image on the LCD.

So i was reading the manual and notice that if new wheels with new pressure ratings or what not are being used on the car the tpms must be reset.

So i did the instructions with my winter wheels on. Start the car, stalk button to set/info, then pressed reset for the tpms.

It worked. The sound does not come up on start up and there is no lcd indicator on the screen. I turned off the car and tried it again and it still worked! No sound, no image.

When summer comes, im sure you'll just have to do the same thing with your stock wheels / tpms wheels.

Hope this works for you, let me know how you guys make out

 

Give it some time to catch up it'll be back!

 

yep i tried that method of "work around" it took about 15mins or so and the warning came back on

 

I tried just putting it in the car. it didn't work.

 

haha well it hasnt come up for me yet. i hope it doesnt. Oh well.

 

The TPMS System is always on; even when the car is off the sensors are interrogated by the controller at least once an hour! If the pressure is outside of the acceptable range the error will latch. This being a safety feature the manufacturers have not provided a way for the user to disable the system. Good try though.

 

Yeah been driving around all day, and hasnt come up yet. Been about 10 hours since i posted my solution.

 

The ideal of having Americans keep their tires inflated fails when access to convenient air supply isn't the norm. It's hard enough to get us to develop good habits when the resources are convenient.

Legislation forcing service stations to provide pump-side air hoses in working condition with accurate standoff gauges is unlikely, and being a libertarian I hate to admit it , but it's needed. As long as there is no incentive for the service stations to provide it, it won't happen, and most of us will need an idiot light to tell us, in a scary fashion, to check our tires.

Sorry if this hijacks the original goal of the thread, I've got issues with "Service" stations..

Bill in P.G.

 

I recently drove a 2008 Pontiac G6 rental car I picked up at the airport. It had individual readouts for the pressure in each tire so it is nothing new. I'm surprised that the Europeans haven't picked up on this. Then again, I got an alarm one day driving early AM telling me the left rear was low when in fact it wasn't.

 

If the TPS sensors are working on all your winter wheels, once you've reset the TPS system, it shouldn't come back on unless your tires go down. In fact, the first time I ever got a TPS sensor alert, I re-set the system without filling the tires. The system remained silent until I got to a place with compressed air, refilled the tires and re-set the system again. It's been silent since.

Don't get me started on modern "service" stations. An interesting side note: the stock 17" run-flats have such a small internal volumn, I've found they can be topped off with a normal sized bicycle pump without too much work, about 20-30 pumps for 5 psi. A solution inspired by lack of compressed air at the local gas station.

 

Just put on a set of OEM JCW 17's to replace my stock 15's. ( bought them cheap off CL and thought I'd try a new look and feel) Of course the alert icon came on and I tried re-setting. No luck. Topped off the 17's t0 the correct air pressure and then tried to re-set. Still no luck. I'll get used to the little yellow icon alert I guess..........

 

Maybe the TPS sensors aren't there?

 

If you have rubber valve stems then you don't have the sensors.

 

Good point, the original owner took the TPMS off the OEM wheels and installed them on his aftermarket wheels....these 17's have rubber valve stems, with the flying saucer caps...

 

n_wong89,
Did your solution last??

 

i put a sticker over the tire pressure light got annoying to watch
problem fixed

 

My MINI has some kind of TPM system but my valve stems are rubber. Any vehicle that I've had prior to this one that had TPMS had metal valve stems. If and when I decide to buy new tires will I have to buy sensors or just new rubber stems. If the sensors arent in my valve stems, where are they? BTW, my MINI is an 07 so it has some kind of TPMS.

 

There was a switchover from the previous system which is ABS based to the TMPS based system somewhere during the early part of MY 2007 for the R56. If your car is early MY2007, it may not have TPMS.

 

Even the early 2007 had TMPS but it was a different kind of senors that measure wheel rotation against the other wheels to determine a low tire. So depending on the month made it may have that rather than the per tire pressure sensor.

 

So, as an associated question - how do you all pump up your tires now? Most service stations don't offer an air hose, and I found those 25c air stations to not work very well.

It's not an issue for me, I have a large air compressor in my shop, but for those who don't have ready access like this, what do you do?

I think as a previous poster mentioned, the dearth of access has led to the complacity of motorists about their tire pressures.

OH, and when I bought tire sensors from Tire Rack for my '09, he said I was lucky - the ones for the '10 cars and later are twice as much money! Wonder why?

 

I have put a small piece of blue painter's masking tape over the TPMS light on the speedo... At night you can't tell it's on. During the day, there's a small piece of blue tape stuck to the speedo clear cover; I hate how it looks but I hate seeing the light even more and I do check my air pressure on a regular basis.
IS IT A MAJOR PROJECT TO REMOVE THE SPEEDOMETER COVER TO PUT A PIECE OF TAPE (NEATLY) OVER THE IDIOT LIGHT?

 

I have a compressor in my garage with a 50' hose, so I do all my tire checks at home. I know of one gas station here in town with free air... all the others have gone over to coin-operated compressors, and I refuse to use those unless I have no choice.

You can get small portable compressors that run off 12V from the car's power sockets... I kept one in the boot for a while until I tried to use it the other day (nail in RR runflat), at which time it ran for a few minutes, pumped very little air, and then expired. I'll buy a better one, but just wanted to mention the option. This pump was small enough that I was able to fit it behind the little door in the RH side of the boot, so it was out of sight and out of the way. I also carry a plug kit just in case, for temporary fixes.

BTW, it sounds like the individual readout sensors may be a GM thing. My in-laws have a Buick Verano (surprisingly nice car), and every now and then we get a distress call from her Mom asking if I can take their car out and check the tires, as the sensor tripped and triggered the OnStar system...

Spridget