Tire pressure monitoring system

[wv109323]

I have a 2009 Subaru Forester. For about the last 6 months the tpms light is coming on. It starts flashing and then stays on for a while then goes off. I understand 10 years or 100k miles is the life of the sensors. Is there or what type of diagnostic equipment is needed to diagnose my problems. Is there a universal tool or is it brand sprcific? What is needed to reset new sensors?
My research shows tools for GM products but I don't know what is needed for a Subaru.

[1911sw45]

It just depends. They was mandated after 2007. Yes they are only good for 6-10 years the batteries go dead. Yours tell what tire position or just a low tire icon? Some have to have a magnet to trigger the new sensors. They run off a certain mhz. Most Fords I believe is 433mhz. But they do very.

[lefty o]

batteries, or moisture mixed with cold can cause them to not read either.. if you need to replace and plan on keeping the vehicle for a while, buy OEM. the aftermarket ones dont seem to last as long.

[rockshooter]

go to where you last bought the tires- the sensors have a rebuild kit with new batteries
Loren

[tomme boy]

You can not replace the batteries. You have to replace the whole sensor. VDO are the ones that are the easiest other than OEM. But the OEM are $$$$$ VDO get it from Amazon. But they need to be taken to a shop to have programmed. I sell LOTS of them and the Schrader brand is the most difficult to program. It takes their equipment to do it. VDO you can use any MAC or Snap-on stuff.

[uscra112]

Criminy! One more reason to keep my old cars and truck!

[quack1]

When mine go, I'd be inclined to just not replace them and ignore the idiot light. Over 50 years of driving without tire sensors, periodically checking tire pressure is a pretty well ingrained habit.

[uscra112]

At least 15 years ago VW had a system that relied on comparing the count rates coming from the anti-lock brake sensors on each wheel. What ever happened to that? Have they locked it up with a patent? It required no additional hardware whatsoever. And it did work.

[Dieselhorses]

Have almost 200k on Toyota and still working. Don't pay 150.00 for a new OEM set, get from Amazon for 69.00 for 4. Also, there should be a button underneath dash to "reset" sensors if they start giving a false reading. (See manual)

[redhawk0]

I had a 2007 Silverado that I kept getting the TPMS warning. Since it was 9 years old at the time, I went to ebay and bought "pulls" from a tire dealer. They were Cadillac wheels that were exchanged for different wheels by the dealer because the customer wanted different wheels than what was on the car at the time of purchase. The TPMS sensors were brand new but couldn't be sold as new.

Anyway...I got mine for $15 a piece for OEM. It might be worth looking into.

redhawk

[waksupi]

Can they be totally disabled? More stuff to go wrong.

[jimlj]

If/when you replace the valve stems, spring for a full set, including the spare if equipped. It's not worth the hassle fixing one and having to go back in a few months for another. Speaking from experience here.

[quilbilly]

Electricians tape over the idiot light on the dash is what I do when I put my snow tires on then just watch the tires for low pressure. When spring comes and I put the regular tires back on, off comes the tape.

[Tripplebeards]

If the tires were just changed the tire tech probably broke one. If not corrosion build up from moisture build up from what ever air hose aired up the tire. Could be a bad sensor. Could have left the valve cover cap off and the valve and sensor corroded. Could have bumped a curb. Or the tpms sensor is not communicating with your brain box. What ever it is forget about it and just check your air pressures like before Obama passed the law in 07’ to put these stupid things in cars. Dumbest invention on the planet. You wanna know how many customers I have had over the years screaming at myself and my employees thinking their life is ending because their light is on and they THINK they have a flat tire. Come to always find out 99.9% of the people either overinflated their tires or they are 4lbs low and the light came on. No apologies ever. If you are going to waste your money DO NOT buy an aftermarket sensor. Nine out of ten times they won’t program and you are stuck with it because a parts store will not take electronics back. The only way to get it replaced correctly...take it right to Subaru. I’ve been managing service departments on and off for 30 years and have had to swallow every aftermarket tpms sensor made on most imports after trying to program them. I’ve taken my beating and Subaru’s and Honda’s go to the dealer for the reset...even if we installed it.

If it were me forget about the light but if it bothers you I’d pay the dealer for the repair. Some imports like Subaru Need the factory tpms sensor and a factory tool to reset. I’ve wanted a lot of shop dollars sending the customer to the dealer after I wasted shop dollars, wasted parts, and paying a tech shop time I can’t recover. Your going to have to take it to surbaru and take your beating if you want it fixed.

Electrical tape over the light goes a long way.

[tinhorn97062]

Criminy! One more reason to keep my old cars and truck!

Same.

[dkf]

Can they be totally disabled? More stuff to go wrong.

You can remove them but the light will be on the dash. Most companies that do custom tuning of vehicles can do some adjustments on the TPMS (like if your tire pressure is different with larger tires) but that is not all vehicles. I do not know any that they can be turned off completely on. I talked to the shop that did the tune for Fords and at that time he said he could not completely disable the TPMS system. The government is mandating the TPMS so the manufacturer makes it hard to reprogram the PCMs to remove them.

[Tripplebeards]

It’s a liability for an auto center to remove them. You can do so yourself. I’ve seen them all put inside a spare tire in the truck and inflated to the correct air pressure so the light stays off several times over the years.lol ...their still in the vehicle and still registering according to the car.

[Tom W.]

On my Rav 4 the low tire sensor stays lit. I always do a walkaround the vehicle before entering it. I suspect the sensor is bad. I ignore it now....

[robg]

More. Electric **** you don't need and costs a fortune .

[JoeG52]

At least 15 years ago VW had a system that relied on comparing the count rates coming from the anti-lock brake sensors on each wheel. What ever happened to that? Have they locked it up with a patent? It required no additional hardware whatsoever. And it did work.

My 2014 Honda CRV has that. They call it Indirect TPMS.
http://www.collegehillshonda.com/blog/the-difference-between-direct-and-indirect-tire-pressure-monitoring-systems/

[fecmech]

When mine go, I'd be inclined to just not replace them and ignore the idiot light. Over 50 years of driving without tire sensors, periodically checking tire pressure is a pretty well ingrained habit.
How did we ever drive cars without these all those years?? A $5. pressure gauge and at least 1 good eye is all you need. Actually in a pinch just the 1 good eye!

[georgerkahn]

I have a 2016 Toyota TRD Off-Road, and had a set of wheels from a previous similar truck (2-vehicles back) which had my good Blizzak snow tyres on them -- reason I kept them -- and, when these snow wheels were put on the truck, replacing factory all-season, I was told I needed replace all four in-wheel sensors as the ones from my 2009 were not compatible with the 2016's. I bought genuine Toyota's over Internet for $100 less than dealer price, but they socked me eighty bucks to do the installs. YES -- I miss the good ole days when it was assumed the vehicle operator had enough smarts to check, and keep to proper inflation, their tyres! (In nearby P.Q. (Province Quebec) Quebec's Highway Safety Code requires winter tires between Dec. 15 and March 15 -- not a "nicety".)

[uscra112]

How did we ever drive cars without these all those years?? A $5. pressure gauge and at least 1 good eye is all you need. Actually in a pinch just the 1 good eye!

I still go by the manual temp sensor method. Drive for a while. Stop and get out. If the tire(s) feel too hot, they're underinflated.

That's how we judged tire pressure on the racetrack. The rubber has an optimum working temperature, not pressure.

[wv109323]

Another question. If I take the vehicle in for factory service will they demand the tpms is functional before they release it? Is there some goofy law or requirement that the tpms is working before leaving a dealership?

[Handloader109]

I worked as contract engineer in the Nissan plant in Mississippi the year it opened. In the Tire mounting department. What a fiasco. More flats, more errors due to these stupid sensors than anything else.
More mandated Junk on a vehicle. Just how hard is it to walk around your car once in a while? DUH! I'd replace with nothing. Yes, I'm an old fuddy duddy that works on his own vehicles. Newest is a 2005 truck.....

[mold maker]

As weather turns cooler each Fall, I get a low-pressure signal from the same tire. Talk about a slow leak!!!!!!

[GregLaROCHE]

I’m shopping for a new car. This is the first time I’ve ever heard of tire pressure monitors. Would anyone venture to explain how they work?

Thanks

[JoeG52]

I’m shopping for a new car. This is the first time I’ve ever heard of tire pressure monitors. Would anyone venture to explain how they work?

Thanks

This is a pretty good explanation.

http://www.collegehillshonda.com/blog/the-difference-between-direct-and-indirect-tire-pressure-monitoring-systems/

[1911sw45]

I think in states that have yearly vehicle inspections you have to fix the bad sensors before they ok the vehicle.

[waksupi]

I think in states that have yearly vehicle inspections you have to fix the bad sensors before they ok the vehicle.

They considered a vehicle inspection law here in Montana years ago. Then they found out over half the vehicles in the state couldn't pass, and people raised hell. Considering we have seven reservations in the state, that would have put most of the Indians a-foot.

[GregLaROCHE]

They considered a vehicle inspection law here in Montana years ago. Then they found out over half the vehicles in the state couldn't pass, and people raised hell. Considering we have seven reservations in the state, that would have put most of the Indians a-foot.


I remember years ago, they did a survey and found that states, without inspections didn’t have anymore accidents than those that did. So some states stopped having them.

[Tripplebeards]

Here, most people have the changers just put in rubber stems and forget about the light and manually check their tire pressures once a month like they did before 07’ when Obonehead passed the law stating all vehicles had to have them in.

[rking22]

Well I learned something, this was the first time I heard this was mandated! Good grief, how have we survived without all this! Anyway, yeah replace with nothing, black tape over the idiot light and spend a wee bit on a code analyzer. They are dirt cheap now and will talk to a smart phone, that way you can check for new codes when you check your tires. But then I don’t have to deal with inspection none sense.

[Tripplebeards]

Yep, you can thank Obama for the mandate.

[blackthorn]

That stupid light in the dashboard is just like living next to a train track. After awhile ignoring it just becomes something that is there but don't register.

[Finster101]

Tire monitors are not meant for folks that take care of their vehicles. They are meant for the idiots that can't remember which side the fill is on and barely able to put fuel in the car.

[popper]

Actually I've had 2 tires go bad and light was a warning I needed repair PDQ. I keep mine working.

[wv109323]

The laws came about because of the Firestone tires on Ford Explorers. However a tpms would not have helped as a lot of the tire failures were ruptures with sudden pressure lose.
No doubt this was an effort of the do gooders and liberals to take care of the ignorant.. It also appears that the manufacturers made a mousetrap that needed OEM service so their service dept. and your wallet would be required

[Tripplebeards]

The laws came about because of the Firestone tires on Ford Explorers. However a tpms would not have helped as a lot of the tire failures were ruptures with sudden pressure lose.
No doubt this was an effort of the do gooders and liberals to take care of the ignorant.. It also appears that the manufacturers made a mousetrap that needed OEM service so their service dept. and your wallet would be required


No the problem was the Ford Explorer had such a crappy suspension that they needed a tire manufacturer to be dumb enough to tell Ford it was OK to run air pressures a third less than what the tire called for. The tires were litterly ran flat and took their toll and eventually blew out. Firestone ATX...they were rated at 35 lbs and Firestone told Ford it was ok to run them at 23 lbs. There isn’t a tire on the planet that could handle that long term with out blowing out. Someone at Firestone was dumb enough to OK and took their beating...bankruptcy. I remember doing the recalls like it was yesterday. Imo not the tires fault as it was ran too low in air pressure. That ATX ran at proper air pressure inflated at 32/35 lbs would run and hold air until the tread wore off. I was managing a tire store at the time the recall started and ended.