iolmaster

iTrader: (1)

I just had my TPMS light come on and all tires are up to 33. I have an 06 that is about 5 years old and I am wondering if I am at the end of life for the batteries in the sensors. I had new tires put on about 10,000 miles ago and have rotated them twice and did not have the light come on either time I rotated. Is it time for new sensors?

VVTiBob

TPMS Batteries are normally designed to last for 7 to 10 years and not the entire life of the vehicles. Other factors also play a part in battery life. Temperature for example. Batteries are chemical systems with lifetimes that perform very poorly in extreme temperature environments. If you've had flats or low pressure instances batteries eventually become exhausted and must be changed.

So there is a good chance it's just the battery(ies).

iolmaster

iTrader: (1)

I'm not sure what you mean by just the batteries. It has always been my understanding that the batteries in the monitors are not replaceable. My understanding is I have to buy 4 new monitors. I know you can get them individually, but if one is bad the others are not far behind. I have not had any low pressure issues that would have depleted the batteries.

Yes

the way they're built, you basically have to replace the entire sensor. i did see a thread a couple years ago where someone took a dremel to one, got the battery out and replaced it. it might be worth the money to go that route.

unless you have runflats, i'd just disable the tps. the main reason we have tps is because it's hard to tell you have a flat tire by looking at a runflat. unless you check your pressure manually, you might not realize it until you've permanently damaged the tire. if you have regular tires, it's fairly obvious when one is going flat. so no need for the tps.

if you do have runflats, i'd recommend changing them anyway. they're more expensive and have a much harsher ride than regular tires.

JerryB

Hi Liquid,

I could not agree more.

Re: i'd just disable the tps.

One of the easiest things I have ever done to a car. It took all of ~15 mins & I work slow. I then removed the TPS when I put the new tires on. They're currently in a box in the garage.

Re: if you do have runflats, i'd recommend changing them anyway.

As I have said before, they were a great idea that just did not work.

Jerry Baumchen

Harold57

I've seen the batteries last anywhere from 4 to 8 years here on the forum. Mine lasted about 4 years. (They died just prior to my purchasing the car.) In my case, the warranty covered them.

The TPMS provides a bit of piece of mind for me since these are low profile tires and I don't always see the passenger side of the car to notice whether the pressure is low. I personally like the feature.

m3nv

mine are out as well... i need to disable my tpms

azkaty

My 2004 had two go this year within 2 weeks of each other.
Katy

MDames2

iTrader: (1)

I had two go out on my 2003 in the past 12 months. My car still has two years left on the extended warranty I purchased. Both replacements were covered by the warranty. No cost to me. If you still have the factory or an extended warranty it should be covered.

Habious

All 4 of mine in my 2003 have died and been replaced (under the CPO warranty).

iolmaster

iTrader: (1)

Just a follow up. I hate to admit it on a public forum, but I changed my cabin air filter Saturday and hit the button switch for the second set of wheels. That is why my TPMS light came on. No failure yet. I can't figure out how I hit it, but I must have. Put it back in the correct position and no light.