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 in the service bay could result in dissatisfied customers and possible damage to the owner’s car or light truck. It begs the question: Are tire dealers ready to serve the next vehicle brought in for pressure monitoring issues?
Judging from the latest statistics, there are plenty of potential customers, along with a full array of makes and models carrying required tire pressure sensors, who are cruising past a tire dealership with underinflated tires.
Educating the public isn’t easy. This year marks the 10th anniversary of the Ford-Firestone tire recalls, an event that brought a lot of attention to the tire industry and tire safety issues, and led directly to the TREAD Act and mandatory TPMS on all new passenger vehicles.
At the same time, once the TREAD Act was enacted, public interest in tires and tire safety waned. For that matter, industry interest waned as well, and we remain without a broad-based consumer education effort aimed at improving tire care and knowledge.
There have been some individual and short-term pushes, to be sure, and during his Earth Day 2009 address, President Obama touted proper tire inflation as a vital means to save gas and lower the country’s energy use.
However, millions of U.S. motorists continue to ignore their vehicles’ tire pressure, according to Dan Zielinski, Rubber Manufacturers Association vice president of communications. The RMA worked with tire dealers and manufacturers to collect actual tire pressure measurements from more than 5,400 vehicles for its annual study designed to educate motorists about the importance of tire safety.
Zielinski said the study revealed 50% of all passenger cars and light trucks on highways have at least one underinflated tire. More shocking was that “nearly one in five vehicles had at least one significantly underinflated tire at least 8 psi below the proper labeled pressure,” he said.
It’s a staggering number, a safety issue for motorists, and a huge business opportunity for tire dealers who are equipped to offer TPMS service at the same time they provide air for a customer’s tires.
Addressing Challenges
Unfortunately, the TPMS fitment issues of some makes and models seem to give fits to tire and service technicians. No doubt, some problems are self-inflicted, such as using the wrong sensor, not replacing the rubber gasket in the valve stem, or installing brass-lined valve stem caps that react to aluminum TPMS sensor stems.
Another TPMS failure created in the service bay can occur when sensors are not properly set up or activated, although they’ve been successfully programmed to a vehicle, according to Scot Holloway, general manager at Bartec USA. “Some sensors will energize or turn on simply by putting them under normal tire pressure, while others require a special low frequency command tool,” he said.
Challenges also can come from a specific vehicle’s system design.
Holloway said most Japanese and South Korean vehicles introduced in the past two model years require more complex repair processes. In addition to a TPMS trigger tool that activates and decodes sensors, Toyota, Honda and Nissan vehicles require a scan tool connected to the data link connector (DLC) for sensor replacement. Every time a TPMS sensor is replaced or rotated, a scan tool must be connected to the DLC and each sensor ID keyed into it for programming to the vehicle.
The 2008 and 2009 Toyota Land Cruiser requires one of the more involved procedures for TPMS service, a fact revealed in the latest Mitchell1 Tire Pressure Monitoring Systems Guide. The San Diego-based company has been publishing automotive manuals since 1918 and has successfully integrated software-based repair information into its offerings.
Mitchell1’s 800-page guide provides up-to-date TPMS descriptions and operation specifications listed by each auto manufacturer’s vehicle make, model and year. Information includes activation, reset and relearn procedures, dismounting and mounting instructions and tool requirements.
The guide indicates the Lexus 2006-07 LX 470 and 2008-09 LX 570 have similar TPMS service procedures as the Land Cruiser. On each vehicle, the TPMS has transmitters with unique bending angles at the monitor’s valve sub-assembly and cannot be interchanged with other wheels.
If any of these vehicles’ TPMS valves and transmitters or electronic control unit need replaced, the current sensors’ IDs – including spare tire – must be read with a scanner and written down on paper before their removal. During the sensor registration process, all sensor IDs are erased, so jotting down the numbers will avoid the need to dismount the tire from the wheel to directly read the information from the component.
If a new TPMS valve and transmitter is installed, its seven-digit ID also should be written down before its installation and tire mounting.
After following the replacement of the TPMS components and setting tire pressure for all five wheels to the proper tire and loading level, the tire pressure sensor registration can begin:
1. Turn the ignition switch to off and connect Toyota’s approved scan tool to the DLC.
2. Turn the ignition switch to on.
3. Access the ID registration menu on the scan tool.
4. Enter all five ID numbers within five minutes or the registration process will be canceled.
The service technician should confirm the transmitter registration using the scan tool and verify that the proper tire pressure data of all five tires is being displayed.
Bartec’s Holloway said there’s evidence that some OEMs do not make it easy for servicing their TPMS systems. “Car dealerships are having trouble at times servicing their own manufacturers’ cars, so an independent tire dealership will likely have difficulty figuring out processes for specific makes and models.”
He added that as new vehicles are introduced, “the only thing consistent about TPMS is the change that seems to occur on a regular basis. To navigate through this challenge-filled opportunity, tire technicians need knowledge, training, technical support and superior tools.”
To perform a non-scientific study that indicates the TPMS preparedness of a service team, a tire dealer only needs to step outside and count the first five vehicles driving by his or her location.
According to the RMA’s study, one of these vehicles is likely to have a significantly underinflated tire. Pick one at random and note the make and model. Then ask this tough question: How prepared are we to properly service that vehicle’s TPMS?
The answer will be a good indication of whether or not you are ready to increase your customer base and customer loyalty, as it improves your margins with expanded TPMS services.
We’ll have more on difficult TPMS situations in future issues.
