Awhile back (february or march) my TPMS went out, meaning everytime I started the car it would light up orange and say TPMS ERROR and I would have to constantly press ok for the warning to go away.

It's been like that for atleast half a year now and I was assumed that I would have to go to the dealership and pay close to triple digits to get it fixed and reprogrammed.

Well today I went to discount tire to purchase 2 new tires for the rear of my car. My front 2 tires are Conti DWS with about 3500 miles on them, and my rear were nearly bald. I told them to put the 2 new tires in front, and take my 2 front tires and rotate them and put them in the rear. I know new tires are supposed to be on the rear, but my front DWS only had about 3500 miles on them so they are still pretty much new.

Before paying for the tires he mentioned that my car has TPMS and the 2 tires would need a "TPMS Rebuild Kit" to hold the sensor. I told him that my TPMS was not working in my car, and I kept getting a error message so I don't have a need for the TPMS Rebuild Kit. It's just paying $$ for something that doesn't even work anymore in my car.

He was hesitant but said OK. Now I got the tires on and I just realized when I start my car I no longer get the orange TPMS ERROR message. I flipped through my mid and went to the TPMS section and it said TPMS System OK! and I clicked into it and it displayed the PSI for my 2 REAR tires and my front DRIVER tire. My front passenger says 58 (obviously this sensor is foul / error because I checked it with a gauge and it read 33-34.

The MID read the PSI rating for my other 3 tires perfectly, just as my gauge did.

My question is, what would cause my TPMS system to start functioning all of a sudden?
and
I thought when just 1 of the TPMS sensors are out, it causes the whole system to not work? How come 3 of my TPMS sensors read it correctly, but 1 constantly displayed '58'. If that one is indeed broken, how come my TPMS system still displays the other 3 just fine without giving me a orange TPMS ERROR message?

I'm somewhat relieved now.... Atleast I am able to know the PSI ratings for 3 of my tires while driving now, instead of it displaying ERROR!

 

As I understand the TPMS system in our cars, each sensor must be "awakened" when first installed and programmed as to the position it has on the car. Obviously, the one reading 58 pounds is broken. I would guess you're not getting an error message because the sensor is not sending any signal to the computer at all. Possibly, before the tires were changed, the broken sensor over-rode the correct readings from the other sensors. Now that the broken sensor is not sending a signal. The others are reading. Replacing the one broken sensor is about $100, parts and labor, including reprogramming the four sensors to show correct tire locations. I too question the automatic "need" for TPMS kits. Sometimes they're needed, such as when air is leaking out, but usually they're not. I recently traded in my 05 Solara which had 148k miles on it and the original TPMS sensors, still working well. Installing the kits is sometimes a quick money-maker for tire shops.

 

Thanks professor!

$100 to fix 1 sensor and reprogram the rest is expensive! I'll just hold that off until I have money for it. Until than, I'll live with seeing only 3 of my PSI ratings.

 

on the way driving to school my TPMS sensor on my MID went off again. blinked orange saying TPMS system error. got out and checked the tire and it was at 20PSI.

so now my TPMS is back to just how it was... orange alert each time you start the car.

i took it back to discount tire to get it checked. they took the tire off and inspected my rim and it turns out that my rim was the problem. he said the chrome on the inside of my wheel was like flaking / peeling or something. he showed it to me and the inside of the rim where the tire is mounted looks flaky... like corroded. i didn't touch it, but he did and it seemed pretty hard.

he said i had 2 choices, send it to a wheel place to repair it so they will grind the excess away and re finish it for $120, or let them do it by using a steel brush and i guess just scraping off the chrome that flaked. that was $40 and 30 day warranty.

he said its a common problem on chrome rims, and there was a mercedes benz s class 2005+ parked on the lift right next to my car. the employee said the mercedes benz was having the exact same problem as i was having.

 

I think you can just buy a new sensor or set and install. I bought 2 sets of rims that had the sensors in them and my car just recognized them on it's own. The cost is really in having the tires removed and remounted plus the cost of the new sensor or sensors.

 

I have two sets of tire/rims and my car recognizes them everytime I change them / swap them. Unfortunately Winter shoes go on tomorrow as we are expeted to get snow tomorrow night.

 

Agree. There is no "programming to recognize postition" that I am aware of. If there were, how come a tire rotation doesn't screw that up?

"58" is a start-up or default reading. When you first start your car, for example, if look at the pressure screen in the MID right away, the sensors will show "58" and will send correct pressure readings from Front Right, then Rear Right, then Rear Left, then Front Left.

Usually if a TMPS sensor has a fault the MID pressure for that sensor postion will show either "---" or "58".

I think you have one bad sensor. Buy a replacement, have it installed and you'll be good to go.

 

Thread revival.... I am getting used TPMS sensors installed on my TL today. I had to buy sensors cause I traded my wheels with someone, completely forgetting about the tpms inside.

When they install them do they just screw them in and theyre good to go?

 

That should pretty much be it. You may need to drive a little bit to have everything synch up. I have two sets of rims and tires and when I switch them the TPMS reads 58 PSI at all four corners. After a short drive the synch up fine.

 

Reviving again instead of making a new thread. Here is my case, i got new tires installed a couple months ago, 245/45/17's on my 07 TLS. When i got it back, my TPMS sensor system said TPMS ERROR, and when i went in to look at it, all read blank, no psi on any tire. I took my car back, and i thought they had it fixed, until i went out of town last week. I drove for about 30-40 miles, and it did it again. I shut the car off, and it did it one more time on my trip, but after that, i went 200 more miles and it never did it again. I just took my car in to the shop that i got the tires from for an oil change and told them about this. It never does it in town, and hasnt done it since. They think my system is messed up, and want me to pay $100 just to have it diagnosed.

Has anyone else had this issue? Just wondering what i should do, or just leave the damn things. I hate TMPS systems and dont feel like spending a bunch of money to have something so retarded fixed.