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TPMS Not Reading My Summer/OEM Tires After Putting Them Back
So last November I bought a set of winter tires&rims (with TPMS sensors pre-installed) and had the Lexus Dealer acclimate the TPMS to the new rims. I specifically told them to put it on the "2nd" tire selection as I still want to use the main rims the rest of the year. This is on the work order receipt I still have. I paid them $300.
Almost 2 months ago, I had my OEM rims reinstalled for the Spring, and put the tire selector back on "Main". The TPMS light still stayed on (it blinks every time I start the car). Tire Pressure is indeed at 36, per my air pump. I then looked in the owners manual and followed the instructions to a T. I attached the pages of the manual if you want to look at it. No matter how long I held on the ON/OFF button, I could not get the "TIRE INITIAL" thing to show up.
Is there something I'm missing? Is it possible that the dealer tech somehow deleted the "Main" tires? When I was on my winter rims I was rolling around on the "2nd" tire selection so maybe he set it to both for some reason? Is it possible my TPMS sensors broke? I mean I kept the rims in an enclosed garage so I doubt that. If it turns out the dealer tech deleted the sensors from the TPMS, would they re-acclimate them for free, or give me a hard time about it?
Did you try resetting it at a tire shop or dealer?
I had this before and it went away when they re-programmed it
Right but according to the owners manual I should be able to do this myself. I won't pay for it if I could easily do it myself. I'll only take it to the dealer if the reason I can't do it is because they deleted it, in which case I'll insist they do it for free
Right but according to the owners manual I should be able to do this myself. I won't pay for it if I could easily do it myself. I'll only take it to the dealer if the reason I can't do it is because they deleted it, in which case I'll insist they do it for free
Here in Canada, Lexus wanted to charge me $140 to program them which is a major rip off
I took the car to a reputable tire shop who had the programming machine and they did it for free - so you may want to try that!!!
Agreed with Joe, dealer should warranty their work.
However, you should also be aware that if you have a Discount Tire store near you they will do the programming for free, regardless of if you bought your tires from them. They aren't perfect, may take a little longer or not know how to do it for our cars immediately but they've always eventually figured it out for me and treated me well... and you can't beat free.
Right but according to the owners manual I should be able to do this myself. I won't pay for it if I could easily do it myself. I'll only take it to the dealer if the reason I can't do it is because they deleted it, in which case I'll insist they do it for free
No one has addressed OP's assertion. I am a new owner and have the same question. Why is a dealer or tire shop necessary in the first place? Barring a sensor malfunction, dead battery, or dealer service foul-up, the owner's manual implies this is all owner-configurable using buttons and menus on the dash. Are dealers and shops using some OBD2 port functionality or ??? Confused.
No one has addressed OP's assertion. I am a new owner and have the same question. Why is a dealer or tire shop necessary in the first place? Barring a sensor malfunction, dead battery, or dealer service foul-up, the owner's manual implies this is all owner-configurable using buttons and menus on the dash. Are dealers and shops using some OBD2 port functionality or ??? Confused.
So when I bought the new winter tires and rims and installed them for the first time, yes I saw a dealer tech with a laptop in my car. This makes sense because my car never saw those sensors before.
But yes, exactly: since my OEM rims should already be acclimated to the system, according to the owners manual I should be able to do it myself, unless the dealer ****ed up or a sensor broke
In the past I also directed the dealer to put it say on Main program for summers and 2nd for winters - they claimed the work was done etc etc - they luckily had a print out of the programing codes and locations (a diagram) immediately I saw they )#$*)&#$ it up lol ... they told me to come back when I put on my other set of tires.
Check your Spare tire pressure
Our TPMS are a style different than other makes - you HAVE to have the codes and programed on to the unit. Various shops I went to sometimes STRUGGLED using their scan tool - e.g. if the battery is weaker or something its hard to grab the signal according to them. Some shops tools also struggled to program it in. I think on amazon there are brands that claim it will work (again, assuming you have the CODES if not you will need a scanner)
Ive learned way back when I bought new sensors to take pictures of the #123456D codes etc.
Our TPMS are a style different than other makes - you HAVE to have the codes and programed on to the unit. Various shops I went to sometimes STRUGGLED using their scan tool - e.g. if the battery is weaker or something its hard to grab the signal according to them. Some shops tools also struggled to program it in. I think on amazon there are brands that claim it will work (again, assuming you have the CODES if not you will need a scanner)
Ive learned way back when I bought new sensors to take pictures of the #123456D codes etc.
Okay, makes sense now..... Toyota/Lexus implemented a new sensor registration step that other makes do not require. My other TPMS cars just sniffed the new sensors and registered them automatically without a fuss.
Looks like there are dedicated TPMS scanners on the market for DIY-ers, will do more reading...
Not to jump too far into the weeds and derail the thread, but why does Toyota/Lexus require the "initialization" process described in the owner's manual in the first place? It almost seems like after this laborious sensor registration stuff they are not even using the pressure data transmitted by the wheel transducers anyway. Or at least using something else in addition to it. The transducer either works or it doesn't. I wonder if they are interrogating the ABS Hall-effect sensors in addition to the transducers before firing the TPMS warning light in the gauge cluster. (see C&D article here https://www.caranddriver.com/feature...essure-sensor/ and Bridgestone here https://www.bridgestonetire.com/trea...how-tpms-works) But I doubt it because if so, folks on this forum running non-spec rev/mile tires would be mentioning it all the time. What I find bizarre is that after all this rigor, the gauge cluster does not report the pressure reading. Other cars of the era (Honda/Acura) did this seamlessly.
Last edited by ChpEng; 05-29-20 at 01:09 PM.
Reason: Added link to C&D and Bridgestone articles
The space saver spare tire has no sensor.. But yes, check it once a year
Originally Posted by ChpEng
No one has addressed OP's assertion. I am a new owner and have the same question. Why is a dealer or tire shop necessary in the first place? Barring a sensor malfunction, dead battery, or dealer service foul-up, the owner's manual implies this is all owner-configurable using buttons and menus on the dash. Are dealers and shops using some OBD2 port functionality or ??? Confused.
To access the TPMS sensor ID menu you need the Techstream software or something equivalent.. via the OBDII port.
From what I know the Toyota / Lexus software gives you full access to Main & 2nd Set menu.
After you add 4 new sensors to the cars computer, you then finish in the initialization process.
05-28-20, 02:46 PM
TPMS Not Reading My Summer/OEM Tires After Putting Them Back
