TPMS Battery Died After Tire Change? Meineke Screwing Me?

Hi everyone, last weekend I got all 4 tires replaced at Meineke. They were cheap for a mount and balance ($89 out the door). In the parking lot I see the TPMS sensor is flashing. I assumed it just had to be reprogrammed by the button under the steering column or something from the swap so I left. Couldn't reprogram it so I called the dealer and they said the flashing indicates a malfunctioning unit. Called Meineke back and the guy said that the batteries usually die right after a tire swap because it's constantly sending a signal to the computer. To me this could be possible but it also sounds like they're trying to cover themselves and get me to pay more even if they broke a sensor. So is this what happens? Is a sensor more likely to die when the tires get changed? This is a 2010 and as far as I know they've never been replaced. Just sounds too convenient of a happening.

If the batteries are dead I'm going to disable them as it shows on this site. Not paying for some stupid sensor. Next thing they'll come up with is sensors all over the car to tell you when to give it a wash and they'll cost $2k to replace.

 

I've never heard of that happening, and have changed my tires several times in my 2006 with the original sensors. I did remove them this year now that I have my own tire machines. Not saying it's not true, but seems a little bit too coincidental

 

Purely coincidental. Batteries only last so long and then they go dead. Discount will replace them for about $40.

 

The Meineke guy also said that unless the TPMS sensor is hanging on by a thread or rolling around the tire then I'll get charged. One good thing they said is that they won't charge me to diagnose it. This is not a bad shop, but still, not good to see problems arise when you leave any garage.

 

“Usually die right after a tire swap” is a bunch of BS. I’d bet a box of Voodoo donuts that they broke a sensor. There are 2 ways to figure out which sensor is the problem.

1. wireless magic wand held next to each tire to see which ones not transmitting.

2. Hook up a scan tool to the OBD2 connector, read the tire pressures, adjust the tire pressures in the tires and see which 1 doesn’t react.

After you determine which one is dead, tell Meineke you want to be there when they dismount it. If the sensors broke, they buy you a new sensor and program it. If it’s not broke, you’ll pay for breaking the bead loose.

 

So you're saying that if I went to the shop or not on Saturday between 11 and noon the batteries would have died anyway? I just happen to pick the exact year, month, day and hour that the batteries were going to die? That's so unlikely I want to hire a statistician to calculate my chances. I am certain that it was the tire change that did it. Whether the batteries die when that happens or not is my question.

 

your signature says your truck is a 2010. Assuming they are the original TPMS sensors, they only last 7-10 years. It's purely coincidental they died when getting new tires, it's just been a matter of time before at least one or all were dead anyway. If you were going to replace them, last week was the perfect time to do it.

 

Ah ok, I can hook up my OBD2 dongle and take a reading. Thanks. And not sure if you read above but they said they won't charge me to figure out what's happening, so that's good. They may be slightly incompetent but they stand by their work. Do you know if I can get a live reading on OBD2? Like will it show the pressure as I inflate/deflate?

 

TPMS batteries last about 5 or 6 years on average. You need to be careful when removing the tires from the wheels or you'll break the sensor (DAMHIK). If you were to break the sensor, the tire wouldn't hold air. The sensor for second gens is integrated with the fill valve which is why breaking it breaks the integrity of the valve. Not all TPM works like this. Some, like the 2gen, have valve integrated sensors. Others are two part and the sensor is opposite the valve-this is why you need to know what kind of TPMS system is installed before using a tire machine The other system does not measure pressure directly but uses the wheel speed sensors to determine the radius of the wheel-if they don't match, it presumes the tire has low pressure-this is NOT how the 2gen works.

After a tire change, you may see the low pressure warning. First thing to do is drive around for a bit-it make take a little time for the sensor/computer to reset. Then, make sure all the tires are set to the correct pressure, including the spare. Assuming they're all correct and the light hasn't gone off, push the button and reset-it's under the steering column. If that doesn't work, likely the sensor battery is dead or the sensor is broken.

You can connect to the ODBII port and read the pressures for each wheel with the correct tools. My Kenwood HU came with something called Maestro which does that. My scan tools also reads individual wheel pressures and allows for them to be added or removed from the ECU.

The wand only wakes and tests the sensor. It cannot determine whether it's programmed to the vehicle. Usually, they do little more than report battery condition and whether it's measuring pressure.

Based on the age of your vehicle, I'd say the batteries are dead. If you need to have the pressure sensor replaced, there's a wide range in price and not all sensors operate on the same frequency-be sure what they want to replace it with works for your truck. And be sure they program it to your truck.

TPMS is pretty handy. But if it reports false results, then it's hardly worth the effort (my Civic uses the wheel speed sensors and with huge swings in temperature, it frequently needs to be reset-in other words, it's never correctly reported a flat.

 

The sensor may not report pressure "live". It's one way to preserve battery life.

 

Techstream will show tire pressure, temperature, and battery strength. Don’t know if your app will show that.

 

Oh, and I remember when I was waiting the guy saying that the tech was struggling to remove two of the tires. Ok guys, thanks for the info.

 

Tiny update: My OBD2 app and dongle doesn’t show the TPMS information. A friend has the BlueDriver dongle and app but I won’t be able to check it till this weekend and I’m going to bring the truck to Meineke in the morning so it doesn’t really help. Anyone with the BlueDriver OBD2 reader know if it shows the TPMS info?

Also, called my local dealer and the guy confirmed that just changing tires won’t cause the sensors to drain the battery.

 

I don't think the app I have does anything more than read pressure and temperature for each wheel. The diagnostic tool does list the condition.

 

Not necessarily true... I drove my '15 around for several weeks with the sensor broke off and bouncing around in the tire... it finally quit working, so I replaced it. The valve still worked, and never leaked at all.

-Bear

 

My sensors are the original ones and still work . 12 years old .I have a set of summer wheels, tires and sensors that are 3 years old my mechanic could not wake up the sensors He even removed the sensor to try and wake it up .Batteries dead. Sales rep said they should last 7 years but only have a one year warranty they are going to try and warranty them . Hopefully I don’t have to pay for 4 sensors . At least $200

 

Mine flashed as well after a tire repair ang airing all tires up from 32-33 PSI to 38 & 40 PSI. I drove for 30 minutes on a road trip to come back home. Press the reset button and flashing ensued for 15 - 20 minutes and then set and settled down.
2009 with original sensors to best of my knowledge.

 

Don’t TPMS sensors get replaced when you buy new tires or do most pleases reuse them? I could have sworn when I got my tires from discount tire they charged me for new sensors

 

I just changed my 2006 sensors a few months ago. I’m pretty proud of those things. Solid performance. 14 years!

 

Come to think of it, mine failed right after I got new tires too! About a week afterwards. Perplexing indeed!