Tire pressure sensors

[EricBu12]

Looking at the new 2013 that have the tire pressure monitors. . They read on the dash the current PSI. . My wife has this on her Dodge Journey. . works great. . if the pressure goes down due to a nail, it will pop up an alert. .



I have a set of 19. 5" rims and tires that are about the diameter of my 17" tires. . If I put those tires on the 2013 truck I would be getting dinged all the time for no reading. . I guess I would have to buy a set of sensors to put on my rims to keep the truck happy. Would this be true?

 

[HBarlow]

Yes. Or you might be able to swap the sensors from your OEM 17" wheels to the 19. 5s.

 

[mwilson]

Yes. Or you might be able to swap the sensors from your OEM 17" wheels to the 19. 5s.

I think that would be very sensible. Or see below if you decide to buy four new ones.

I have had to buy several TP sensors in the last few years for the various Chrysler products in the family. None of them have cost over $42. 00 each. They seem to be the cheapest and easiest to deal with of any OEM. I changed one out last month on the Ol' Bat's Caravan and didn't even put the magnet to it. TP Light went out within a mile after changing the sensor.

Mike

 

[HBarlow]

Mike,

Can you obtain a VW wheel sensor?

I've had a steady amber light in the instrument panel of my TDI for several weeks now. I ran it into the Lubbock dealer and asked the service writer if she (yep, she) could reset the computer and make it go away. Surprisingly she was very knowledgeable and helpful. She drove the car around into the service shop and borrowed a mechanic's magic handheld reader/resetter. When she returned she handed me a printout indicating the fault is caused by a faulty sensor. That will probably be a $300 bill to replace at the VV dealer.

The car is a 2009 VW Jetta TDI Sportwagen. I'll email you a VIN if you can help me. You may not be able to buy German auto parts without authorization from the fuhrer and I think he's been dead for 65 years.

 

[mwilson]

Mike,

Can you obtain a VW wheel sensor?

I've had a steady amber light in the instrument panel of my TDI for several weeks now. I ran it into the Lubbock dealer and asked the service writer if she (yep, she) could reset the computer and make it go away. Surprisingly she was very knowledgeable and helpful. She drove the car around into the service shop and borrowed a mechanic's magic handheld reader/resetter. When she returned she handed me a printout indicating the fault is caused by a faulty sensor. That will probably be a $300 bill to replace at the VV dealer.

The car is a 2009 VW Jetta TDI Sportwagen. I'll email you a VIN if you can help me. You may not be able to buy German auto parts without authorization from the fuhrer and I think he's been dead for 65 years.

Those should be easily obtainable at aftermarket parts stores or any decent tire retailer. I will do a little checking this morning and let you know what to expect.

Mike.

 

[HBarlow]

Oh. I assumed I'd have to have some high dollar specific sensor that speaks German to the engine or body computer. Please let me know what you find.

If I can buy one at NAPA or ???? I can probably get my tire shop friends at SAM's Club to dismount a tire and install it for me. I've bought so many sets of Michelins and car, truck, lawn tractor, and RV batteries over a 21 year period since we moved to Lubbock I know them all by first names.

 

[Jim W]

Eric,
I think the 2500HD's are the only ones with TPM; the 3500HD's do not monitor the tire pressure. At least that is the way on the earlier models such as 08, 09, 10 and 11 trucks.

So if you buy a 3500HD there may not be any TPM for that model of truck, you will need to decide if you want it or not.

I myself do not like the TPM it is only correct during the summer months when I put 70 PSI in the rear tires of the truck for pulling my 5er. In the winter when the tire pressure is set at 45 PSI the TPM light is on and dings at start-up. Have been to the dealer and they were no help. The 45PSI is the light load tire pressure (rear) for the 2500HD trucks. I also check my tire pressure ever month on both of our vehicles and will inflate to the correct cold air pressure as needed.
Jim W.

 

[Jim W]

Mike,

Can you obtain a VW wheel sensor?

I've had a steady amber light in the instrument panel of my TDI for several weeks now. I ran it into the Lubbock dealer and asked the service writer if she (yep, she) could reset the computer and make it go away. Surprisingly she was very knowledgeable and helpful. She drove the car around into the service shop and borrowed a mechanic's magic handheld reader/resetter. When she returned she handed me a printout indicating the fault is caused by a faulty sensor. That will probably be a $300 bill to replace at the VV dealer.

The car is a 2009 VW Jetta TDI Sportwagen. I'll email you a VIN if you can help me. You may not be able to buy German auto parts without authorization from the fuhrer and I think he's been dead for 65 years.

Harvey,

Will the newer models do not use a pressure sensor anymore on the Jetta's at least. The tire pressure is now monitored by the rolling circumference of the tire and there is designed in parameters for under inflated tires of a couple of PSI's in the tire. So by measuring the rolling diameter they have eliminated the need for the pressure sensor and the replacement cost associated with them when changing tires or buying new tires. If you buy different tires than the stock size all you need to do is reset the parameters on the rolling circumference by the VW VAG-COM tool to monitor the new tire pressure.

At least that is one good reason for the newer models 2011 and up.

Jim W.

 

[HBarlow]

Jim,

Are you saying my '09 has a wheel sensor and '10s or '11s and later the sensors were replaced by an ABS wheel rotation sensor? Knowing that won't help my problem much.

The service writer told me a wheel sensor is bad. My wheels seem have tire pressure sensors judging from their appearance.

 

[mwilson]

Oh. I assumed I'd have to have some high dollar specific sensor that speaks German to the engine or body computer. Please let me know what you find.



If I can buy one at NAPA or ???? I can probably get my tire shop friends at SAM's Club to dismount a tire and install it for me. I've bought so many sets of Michelins and car, truck, lawn tractor, and RV batteries over a 21 year period since we moved to Lubbock I know them all by first names.

My failures have all been a result of corrosion (weasel snot just loves the cheap metal used on the TPS valve stems) so it has been very easy to tell which sensor needs to be replaced. I take the tire off, deflate and place it on the tire machine with the valve stem at 4. 00 o'clock. Break the upper bead down and then hold the machine's pressure foot right there. That allows room enough to get the bad sensor out and the new one in. Release the pressure foot and then re-inflate. That way you don't need to completely dismount the tire or have to re-balance it.



Now depending how the VW system works the trick is figuring out which one of the sensors need to be replaced.



On the Chrysler products there seems to be two variants, one being the light alone and the other being an upper level system that shows pressure wheel by wheel. For example the 2002 van needs a sensor, the dinger goes off about once a minute. I took it to my trusty dealer and the 2002 software will not pinpoint which one is bad. Now on the newer stuff that may not be an issue, I really don't know. Maybe Bob or Sag can answer that question for us.



I have checked a few parts stores, O'Reilys does show a replacement VW VDO sensor for $62. 00 or so. It is the same style of sensor as the Siemens brand that Chryler uses and appears to install in the same fashion. I am going to study the VW boards to see if the VAG-COM or something that a tire dealer may have can pinpoint which wheel is bad. Now you may want to consider doing all four as I THINK the battery life is gettin pretty dicey at the 5 year mark.



Will keep studying on and off today to find more info for you. I assume the VW dealer didn't mention which one was bad??



Mike.

 

[HBarlow]

My '08 drw cab and chassis does not have the annoying TPMS and I'm grateful it doesn't. The one in my VW is nothing more than an annoyance. I would prefer it be gone. If I could get someone to simply disable it with a code setting change I'd be happy. I've been driving long enough to notice an underinflated tire at a glance or feel one when driving. Also know how to use a handheld pressure gauge. Every nanny feature comes with a trade-off.

 

[HBarlow]

Mike,

I'm thinking the diagnosis print the service writer gave me showed which sensor was bad but I'm not sure now. I glanced at it and threw it in the glove compartment when she gave it to me. It was a data print not a reader oriented information print. I'll look at it again later.

I'll cheerfully spend $60 if required but really don't want to spend $250 to replace all of them on a nanny monitor I don't want.

 

[mwilson]

Mike,



I'm thinking the diagnosis print the service writer gave me showed which sensor was bad but I'm not sure now. I glanced at it and threw it in the glove compartment when she gave it to me. It was a data print not a reader oriented information print. I'll look at it again later.



I'll cheerfully spend $60 if required but really don't want to spend $250 to replace all of them on a nanny monitor I don't want.

If that print out shows the wheel position you've got it made.



This is all that they amount to, here is a picture of the VDO unit called for by O'Reilys.

 

[EricBu12]

My wifes 2012 Journey has individual readouts on the center dash. If I get a truck that has it, I would buy 4 more for the 19. 5 as I take them off in the winter.

 

[HBarlow]

Eric,

My apology to you for inadvertently creating a new thread within your thread.

Mike,

I went out and looked at the computer print again. I think I was completely wrong. I see a code and out to the side of the code is a three number "004" which I had earlier thought was a code indication for a wheel position. The explanation of test results states "one malfunction detected. " On rereading and reflection I don't think the system has the capability of identifying which wheel sensor is not detected - only that "A" wheel is not detected.

A system like this, imo, is worse than no detector at all. Just an indication the driver has to try to figure out which tire or sensor is giving a bad indication. I'd like to turn the stupid thing off and forget it.

 

[mwilson]

Eric,



My apology to you for inadvertently creating a new thread within your thread.



Mike,



I went out and looked at the computer print again. I think I was completely wrong. I see a code and out to the side of the code is a three number "004" which I had earlier thought was a code indication for a wheel position. The explanation of test results states "one malfunction detected. " On rereading and reflection I don't think the system has the capability of identifying which wheel sensor is not detected - only that "A" wheel is not detected.



A system like this, imo, is worse than no detector at all. Just an indication the driver has to try to figure out which tire or sensor is giving a bad indication. I'd like to turn the stupid thing off and forget it.

My apologies as well for the hijack, but on the other hand we TDI owners are going to learn something here.....



Harvey and others, read this link. My take is on a 2009 you can either switch it to the ABS style monitoring system as Jim mentioned OR DISABLE IT (for off road use, of course)... . that is covered about halfway down the how-to.



Get real friendly with a VW fanatic in your area that owns the VCDS software... . this may be one of those occasions where a case of beer can open up a whole new friendshipOo.



http://www.myturbodiesel.com/1000q/a6/activate-tpms-system-vw-golf.htm



Mike.

 

[HBarlow]

Mike,

Thanks for the additional info. I had previously scanned the TPMS page in your link but read it again in light of the annoying problem I have now with the TPMS light. I've seen the Ross Tech and other products mentioned endlessly on a couple of the websites and had considered buying one until I saw the price. I've also looked for a local TDI enthusiast but haven't found one in my area. There are two or three "gurus" in the DFW area who work on TDIs and I've communicated with one but they're about 300 miles east.

Another thought occurred to me last night. My Goldwing has a similar TPMS that reads direct pressure but, like the VW, only indicates a low pressure without identifying the wheel. I recently had one fail and took it to the Honda m/c dealer. The service writer and I got into a longish discussion about the TPMS and an available/not available aftermarket product that reads the OEM Honda wheel sensors and displays individual front and rear tire pressure and temp. He told me their shop has a handheld device that allows them to read actual tp simply by standing near the tire and reading the OEM sensor. That is what they use to id which sensor is bad when the instrument panel light is on but actual tp is normal.

If the Honda m/c dealer has a handheld reader that reads the Goldwing wheel sensors which look nearly identical to the TDI sensors and will identify which wheel sensor is bad I am assuming the VW dealer has one also. Or maybe the one my m/c dealer has will tell me which of my four VW wheel sensors is bad.

A member on the Goldwing site I frequent operates a small online vending company and has been in communication with the French company that makes the OEM wheel sensors. I don't know if the French company also makes the OEM receiver that enables the warning light system on BMW and Honda motorcycles and perhaps other brands to be read and displayed or if the reader is made by Honda.

The same French company also makes a small reader/display unit that mounts on the handlebars or instrument panel of Goldwings and sells retail for around $200 - $300. It simply reads and displays what the OEM wheel sensors transmit and is compatible with the OEM system. That is an aftermarket device I would like to own. A soft or failing tire on a large, heavy, high performance motorcycle with only two wheels and tires presents a much more threatening concern than one of four on a TDI or other vehicle.

The m/c vendor obtained and sold maybe a dozen reader/display units recently to website members on a first come first served basis. I saw the info too late to get one but plan to buy one if he ever obtains an inventory and begins selling them on a routine basis. He's not communicating but is apparently bogged down obtaining the units from the French company or with customs, import duties, or some unknown factor. I emailed the French company to try to buy one direct but didn't receive a reply.

 

[mwilson]

Well, you got me to thinking about testers. I had not considered the independant shop aspect of it. Maybe the tire retailers have testers as well, it would be a logical thing for people to go to a tire place when that light comes on.



First search result is an OTC product which is a good sign as OTC would not bother unless there is a strong market for it. I already have the magnet pictured as that is how you retrain the system.

I may see how much the tester itself would be, it might pay for itself in short order.



http://www2.otctools.com/otctools.com/newcatalog/products/3833-1.pdf



Edit..... Around $200. 00 on ebay from what I am finding, looks like something the Mac and Snap On trucks will sell as well.



Mike.

 

[HBarlow]

Mike,

This is the company that makes the "Tire Watch" product I want: http://ldl-technology.com/

And this is the motorcycle parts vendor who is supposedly getting set up to import and sell it:

http://www.murphskits.com/catalog/product_info.php?cPath=25&products_id=421 This link shows the actual product and packaging

The LDL manufacturer's website describes the technology. Apparently the OEM car/motorcycle manufacturer uses their technical information and manufactures or contracts with the OEM supplier that builds their instrument panels to manufacture the components to receive and display the signals transmitted by LDL's wheel sensors.

 

[mwilson]

Mike,

This is the company that makes the "Tire Watch" product I want: http://ldl-technology.com/

And this is the motorcycle parts vendor who is supposedly getting set up to import and sell it:

http://www.murphskits.com/catalog/product_info.php?cPath=25&products_id=421 This link shows the actual product and packaging

The LDL manufacturer's website describes the technology. Apparently the OEM car/motorcycle manufacturer uses their technical information and manufactures or contracts with the OEM supplier that builds their instrument panels to manufacture the components to receive and display the signals transmitted by LDL's wheel sensors.

I wonder if Mike Mullinax has access to the OTC tool or something similar? You could pick up a sensor and head over there.

Mike.