Hi all

Sorry if this has been covered 1000 times already (as no doubt it has), so if someone's google-fu is better than mine this morning, i'd appreciate a link to a solution.

Had a flat fixed at a tire store today, as i was paying, i saw the disclaimer: "we're probably gonna destroy your tpms, and there's nothing you can do about it, get bent."

Needless to say, when i got in my car, the light was still on. I'm not sure if the sensor was destroyed or removed, but after a restart of the car, pressing the button a bunch of times, and even checking the pressure, the light is still on. I was in a rush to get to work (they told me it'd be a half an hour, it was 5x that), so i didn't go back in to complain (which only would have gotten me pointed to the sign anyway).

What's my best bet as far as a fix?
Do i have to go to the dealer?
What might it cost?
Can i get the parts and bring them to the dealer to save money?
I'm guessing self-fix on this isn't doable...

2005 (delivery sept 2004) mini cooper cabrio (no S)

thanks!
Eric

 

Find a used one here or on e-bay then have your local shop install them...dealer or any tire shop. Unless you have the tools to remove your tire and re-install them, it's a shop job. Labor should only cost about $20 though.

 

If the shops destroy them when changing tires, how does giving another one to a shop help me?
Are the destroyed in the process of removing the tire but not installing?
What should i be looking to pay for one of these?
Are there specific models that correspond to specific years/models on the mini?

thanks

 

OutMotoring has the sensors cheaper than the dealer. You might call them and see if they'll sell you just one.

https://www.outmotoring.com/mini-coo...nitor_set.html

I haven't had my tires off the rim yet, but I've read here of people reusing their sensors on different rims, by just swapping them over. I would find a different tire store to install your new tire pressure sensor.

Dave

 

He says he has a 2005, so there are no sensors in the tires....

They may have damaged the wheel speed sensor, or simply unplugged it.

Not that complicated on the early cars.

The sequence is to push and hold the button till it flashes then release and drive, the system will reset itself.

Check all your tire pressures first, and make sure they're all correct.

 

find a new place to fix your next flat!

as stated a GEN1 (and very early GEN2) do not use wheel mounted TPMS sensors, they use the ABS (aka wheel speed) sensor. VERY unlikely they unplugged the ABS sensor . . .

more probable is you are not reseting the GEN1 TPMS properly . . . you have to hold the button for a while ...

the system will reset to whatever your current tire pressures are so it is wise to have them correct.

******

option - get a DYNAPLUG and repair simple punctures yourself in 2 minutes..... http://www.dynaplug.com/

 

After i left the car off all day during work, when i started it in the evening, it was fine (light was off)

So i guess i don't know how to reset the warning! I had held it for 10+ seconds while the car was running, and also pressed it and held it while starting the car...

at least i don't have to get it fixed now!

Can someone explain to me how the abs sensor checks tire pressure? Is there no gauge inside the tire at all?

thanks
Eric

 

They don't check the tire pressure per se, they compare the speeds of the wheels, a higher pressure tire is slightly larger in diameter than one with low pressure - they can sense the difference in rotational speeds.

Do you have an owner's manual? There's a complete and simple instruction on how to reset the system in it. If not, you can download a manual from MINI USA's site.

 

That's pretty clever... I wonder how tire wear plays into it, and also why they stopped using that method and instead went with a much more complicated method involving powering wireless sensors and all...

 

Older system can have issues seeing pressure problems if all the tires are low since IIRC it is looking at relative differences among wheels as a key measurement technique. Supposedly its reponsiveness isn't that fast. The sensor type with individual wheel internal sensors doesn't need to compare among wheels nor look at earlier measurements vs. current ones. Instead it looks for pressure outside the permitted range directly. It can also look for rapid pressure drops. The best ones can also read wheel temps. directly.

Downside is of course those additional sensors and their expense and limited life. If many people don't replace those sensors on older cars, the simpler ABS based system may be far more accurate, since it would be the only system left working. Feds perhaps forgot about the KISS principle in their Explorer rollover zeal.

 

The owner's manual in my 2010, still says it uses tire rotation speed to detect low tire pressure. I wonder how often MINI updates the owners manual?

Dave

 

As you've noticed, MINI is not always quick to change the owner's manuals. When they switched to larger wheelbolts in mid-2006, they didn't update the owner's manual (or provide an addendum), even though the recommended torque setting went from 88 lbf-ft to 102 lbf-ft, which is a significant increase.

Mini updated the manual for the hardtop in 2007 to reflect the correct torque (no surprise there, since they had to rewrite the entire manual anyway for the new R56), but the cabrio owner's manual still listed the wrong torque in 2007. I'm not even sure if they fixed it in the 2008 manual. (EDIT - They did.)