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Diverse Vehicle Makes and Models Create TPMS Challenges
February 09, 2010
Not all tire pressure monitoring systems are created equal. In fact, each new vehicle model year brings with it a variety of updated TPMS replacement, reset, activation and decoding procedures.
Some measures necessitate using the latest tools; all require a thorough understanding of step-by-step maintenance and service procedures.
Learning about a specific TPMS while the vehicle is sitting...
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Finding a Fix: Troubleshooting Customer TPMS Problems
December 15, 2009
The history of how we got to this point with TPMS is not important. It’s here, and tire dealers have learned to deal with it. The next question deals with how we learn to troubleshoot TPMS for our customers, who at this point know virtually nothing about it.
The early version of TPMS, the indirect system, was first used on 1999 to 2003 model year OE applications. There were TPMS trial ap...
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The Tools and Manuals Needed to Service Today's TPMS
October 14, 2009
Did you know that right now 100% of new vehicles built in this country come equipped with a tire pressure monitoring system? Add to that a giant gaggle of older cars with indirect or direct TPMS systems, and you’ve got a service component that is definitely here to stay. No surprise, then, that there are more than 52 companies selling TPMS tools – 76 different required or optional tools...
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Smart Thinking: Putting Your TPMS Issues on ‘Manual’ Brings Automatic Returns
August 15, 2009
It happens every Christmas. A child gets a new toy or gadget, and the
adult is challenged to build it regardless of the disclaimer, “Some
Assembly Required.”
Then, every “smart” adult does the same
thing – he or she pitches the instructions and tackles the task on
their own, sans detailed guidance.
In the past, a similar scene
was sometimes repeated in the...
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Continually Adapting: The Search Continues for 'Perfect' TPMS Systems, Tools
June 15, 2009
Even though it has been a few years since tire pressure monitoring systems were first mandated on U.S. cars, the quest for the “perfect” system with the most effective sensors has been an ongoing pursuit.
The same is true for the TPMS tool manufacturers and marketers. Progress is being made on both fronts in North America, but the worldwide economic conditions and other factors make...
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An Ounce of Prevention: Selling TPMS Preventative Maintenance Boosts Bottom Line
April 14, 2009
Among several things, winter always drops unpleasant reminders of the many issues that can affect automobile and tire performance for the rest of the year. Tire pressure monitoring systems are just one of the more recent components whose operation can be adversely affected by winter’s wrath. As is common, these issues last well into spring and sometimes are 12-month-long concerns for drivers...
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Still Adapting: Familiarity Doesn't Make TPMS Service Flawless
February 12, 2009
As the global economy continues to affect businesses and industries, the tire industry continues to have its issues – albeit fewer of them – with tire pressure monitoring systems, especially in the service bay area.
Mandated by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, TPMS on OE passenger cars are now into their second model year of full compliance. That means service shops...
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Where to Next?: Tire Trends and TPMS Forecasts for Changing Times
January 13, 2009
Where do we go from here? To find out, we begin a three-part series to see where tire and wheel manufacturers, along with retail dealers, believe the performance market is heading.
First up: tires. We have all questioned the proliferation of sizes over the past two decades. The UHP market has steadily increased in volume, and is crowded with competing brands and styles. In recent years, vehicle...
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Fast Flat Repair: Product Launched at SEMA Promises TPMS Compatibility
December 15, 2008
One can get overwhelmed visiting Las Vegas, not to mention hitting the SEMA and AAPEX shows. If a company has a new product or service, it’s hard to attract anyone’s attention, especially a potential customer or the media. The 2008 edition was no exception. However, there was one new product that caught the eye of at least one magazine (this one).
“We sent out invitations...
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Selling Safety: TPMS Valve Stems and Service More Than Just Good Business
October 09, 2008
For more than eight years, tire pressure monitoring systems have haunted the tire and auto industries. And just like any automotive component, the lifespan of TPMS parts is getting increasingly shorter year-by-year. Therein lies not only a solid business opportunity, but also an opportunity to show the customer your knowledge of the business – for safety’s sake.
One of the smallest...
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Side Benefits: TPMS for Commercial Trucks May Save Money, Lives
October 09, 2008
It’s old news that tire pressure monitoring systems (TPMS) are now required on new passenger cars, light trucks, and SUVs with GVW ratings up to 10,000 lbs. However, most regulatory observers agree that the congressional mandate applies to all highway vehicles, and requirements covering commercial trucks through Class 8 are likely within the next several years.
To keep up in today’s...
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Learning Curve: Training Still a Key Issue in TPMS Service, Multiple Options Exist
August 08, 2008
TPMS has many unresolved issues, and most tire dealers have dealt with the problems in various ways. However, one of the most common concerns these days still involves training.
The Tire Industry Association has done an admirable job taking the lead in this area, and even recently released the Spanish version of its 200-Level TPMS Training Program. The excellent staff, already road warrior veterans...
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TPMS Troubles: ‘Simple’ Tire Rotations With TPMS Can Prove Tricky
July 14, 2008
Bias. Everyone, whether it is politics, labor, religion, food, whatever, has a bias.
Mine is government overregulation in the name of safety. It is with that built-in opinion that I will attempt to explain what tiremakers, TPMS tool manufacturers and sensor makers want you to know about tire rotation and TPMS.
The other day my left rear tire went down in an instant thanks to a catastrophic...
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Making The Grade: Proper Tools Essential for Handling TPMS Issues
June 17, 2008
Just as the sports world claims you can’t identify the players without a program, the tire industry chants that you can’t fix a problem without the right tools. The world of tire pressure monitoring systems, or TPMS, is no different. In fact, having the proper tools is critical to servicing vehicles equipped with TPMS.
While technology has done its best to keep up with the industry...
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The Latest Thing?: TPMS Training's Slow Growth Runs Parallel to Industry
April 28, 2008
To auto and tire technicians, training is like a candy bar to a chocoholic – they can’t get enough.
However, in the constantly changing TPMS world, training activities seem to mirror the industry itself. There remains no consistency, except for one source – the Mitchell1 Guide, a.k.a., the technician’s bible.
“There’s nothing new in training,”...
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Getting Geeky: TPMS Issues, Vehicle Systems Keep Dealers on Their Toes
March 26, 2008
We’re at 100% TPMS compliance now. Are we having fun yet? To keep customers in your shop, plan on investing in diagnostic scanners and software, not to mention a serious investment in personnel who have an aptitude for technology.
Just this week, I had a friend who owns a local tire store call me regarding what to do about an air pressure adjustment on a 2007 GM 2500HD truck after installing...
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A New Era: TPMS Compliance Calls For New Products
February 19, 2008
The tire industry is now well into a new era. It may not rival the radial age, but the epoch already is memorable and some say forgettable. It’s the TPMS era. While most participants know that the groundwork was laid several years ago, the reality is that the TREAD Act’s final deadline for the “start” of this new period was September 2007, and it targeted the model year...
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TPMS 101: Tire Rack Offers Answers to Top Five TPMS Questions
December 27, 2007
From professional and college football down to youth-league soccer, everyone has a “Top Something-or-other” list. Why should the tire industry be different?
Over the last year or so, Tire Rack has been conducting an informal and unscientific survey of its customers regarding the reoccurrence of issues dealing with tire pressure monitoring systems. Thanks to its wholesalers, service...
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Lemons & Lemonade: TPMS May Be Blessing in Disguise for Savvy Dealers
October 25, 2007
How many times have we as installers and sellers of aftermarket products been faced with federal regulations and technologies that end up making our lives more difficult?
For years now, TPMS has been a thorn in most of our sides, mainly because of myopic NHTSA regulations designed to help automakers and not the general public, and nearsighted OE manufacturers who designed non-adaptive systems...
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Long-Term Headaches: TPMS Problems Will Continue, Dealers Need to Tackle Them Straight On
October 25, 2007
The problems still exist and, just like the Grand Canyon, they look like they’re going to be around for a some time. Of course, we’re referring to a cornucopia of issues dealing with tire pressure monitoring systems.
Whether it’s nickel-plated valve cores, brass valve cores, rubber grommets, aluminum retaining nuts, special nickel-plated valve cores and OE valve caps, sensors...
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