From what my friend mechanic told me I have 3 tires with tire pressure sensors (1 being my spare). Originally how many should I have 5 total (includeing spare right?)

One day I went to walmart and I think they replaced the entire valve including my sensor with a generic valve on 2 wheeles I had no light come on for about 2 years, now during the winter my tire pressure sensor light is on all the time and I re-checked my tire pressure 3 times including the spare and still light is on. Could it be a messed up tire pressure sensor? Or did the computer wake up and finally figured out that 2 sensors are missing?

Anyone any idea?

Thanks...

 

You should have one for each tire, including your spare.

My TPMS light has been on almost all winter long despite my checking the pressure almost every day. First day above 40 degrees my light went off and hasn't been on since.

 

I have the full size spare in my sedan, and i have 5 tire pressure sensor total. The spare isn't programmed though. I had to swap the spare wheel on when i dented a rim and the light came on. I needed to have the sensor in the spare "mated" to the car.

Unsure if the space saver has a TPMS sensor in it

BTW...when i swapped the spare on, the light came on during my first highway drive. Dunno why yours went 2 years


Easy way to ID a tpms sensor is that it will have a metal body...vs the rubber ones of generic stems

 

Wow, that sucks. Look at your valve stem, that's how you know if you have TPMS's installed. If you're not sure what the look like, you'll at least be able to see if all 4 stems look alike or if they're different. They're not cheap, hopefully they didn't remove them.

 

Did you have the dealer program your sensor? If so, how much did it cost?

 

A lot of tire places can reprogram these. Discount Tire did all of mine for free when I had new tires installed.

 

Good to know. So what makes it where they need to be reprogrammed? Just installing new tires resets them?

The reason I ask is I will be switching mine over from my 17's to my new 18's in a few weeks once I get tires.

 

They have some sort of device that syncs the sensors with the ECU. If you already have the sensors programmed to your car you ahouldn't have to do this. I don't think it matters if you switch the sensors from one wheel to the next.

I had to have mine programmed when I put on my coupe 19's. I kept the TPMS that came with the new rims.

 

Ahh, gotcha. I had been considering buying new sensors for my wheels instead of switching them out of my old wheels. Not sure how much they are going to charge me to swap them out.

 

Dealer did it for me. But i played dumb when i was having some other warranty work done and they did it for free for me

 

I know I don't have 2 of them for sure, but my light didn't come on for about 2 years since the other 2 are missing. I guess either the computer woke up and found the missing ones or one of the 2 is messed up...

 

Any of you guys know if you can change the valvestem off the stock tpms and put on...lets say like a rays valve stem?

reason i ask because we have integrated tpms, doesn't look like it's possible

 

well I guess it is time to go to the mechanic to scan and see which wheel its bitching about...