[nvheartts]

Hello,
recently acquired an '09 Touring AWD, and for a while it was fine, but then the TPMS error light started coming on. My wife overinflated the tires one morning when it was cold and she thought they needed air. After realizing and deflating them, the tire guy at Costco scanned the sensors and said one was bad.

The error went away for a while though.

However, it came back intermittently and so we took to our local tire shop and upon scanning the tires they said the sensors checked out fine.

Now the "TPMS Error" has returned and isn't going away on it's own for the past few days.
My dealer wants $170+ to "diagnose" the problem.

The question is - could this just be a calibration issue - and how do I recalibrate the system. After overinflating and letting out pressure would it have lost calibration? Everything I've searched and found indicate there is a calibration button, but I don't have one that I can find anywhere. Also it doesn't mention anything in the manual that I can find either.

Or do I just go back to Costco and get all the sensors replaced - their life is unknown, as it was a used car (tires though were new in June), but obviously at 10 years may be they're just dying.

Rather not pay for "diagnostics" if they're going to tell me I need new sensors. But also, don't want to pay for new sensors, if all I need to to be able to re-calibrate the TMPS system?

Any suggestions on what to check or how to calibrate would be much helpful!
THANKS IN ADVANCE!

Ps- posting this on the FB forum as well.

 

[Jack Vogt]

How important is TPMS to you? Personally if it cost more than $200 to fix I'd just leave it be.

 

[boom]

This is no big deal. The batteries are aging in your sensors and this is common. Just replace them. The tire places try and sell you generic ones for $65 each, but I just bought OEM denso’s from rock auto and had the tire place install them when we got new tires.

 

[thefisch]

Your sensors are 10 years old (like mine) so the batteries are suspect. The tire shop scanning them tells you all you need to know - if there is no signal then the battery is weak. Sure it may come back when temps warm up but it's days are numbers. If there is no signal coming from sensor, then that gets addressed first. You can decide if you just get one sensor done now or get all four done when getting new tires. Not sure if Costco sells them or not, but my local wholesale club charges $50 for a new sensor with installation. But I suspect that if I bought them online for less and waited for new tires, I could probably tip the guy to install them for me when the tires get done.

If you are getting good signal from all four sensors and drive it like that for a few weeks and still have the error, then you could start looking at the system if it is worth the cost to you.

Nothing you or your wife did with tire inflation or deflation had anything to do with this. The system in mine can't be calibrated - it is set from the factory probably based on the pressures on the door placard. So it measure the deviation from there.

 

[boom]

Costco replaced mine using the denso sensors I supplied, but they pissed and moaned and said they were wrong, blah blah blah. Then they wrote on the receipt this was a one time courtesy and by policy they do not install customer supplied equipment. They work great.

 

[Pilotex2011]

Yes this happened... go change the batteries... if you have a garage were
you do the maintenance ask them to do the job. Can also buy the batteries
before and the job is max. 2-3 hours. Remove wheel, deflate, remove TPMS,
change bat., reinstall TPMS, inflate, install wheel X 4. Give some time to reset...
But, you don't know what surprise you have when you open the TPMS... if the
batteries leak inside and corroded the sensor is not easy to clean, so you go
to the other option...
Other option (if its not really an emergency) buy on internet 4 new TPMS
and go to the garage to change them... as K say, its aprox.30US$ max...
if you are happy with this option; if not, try the first...
Always are other options that go at COSCO...sometime the guys there
are to pushy... Your choice.

 

[boom]

I would not mess with changing batteries. They are soldered to the circuit board in two places, and then encased in silicone internally. It is a long job to change these batteries and might not work. You have to reseal in silicone. This is a lot of questionable work for a $27 sensor. Pilotex2011, did you successfully do this?

 

[Pilotex2011]

This is the reason that I give options to him, to see the difference
and cost/money/time... Personally, I will buy new. At Rockauto
the Denso TPMS is 28US$...I think that is the best option... and no
need of programming. Don't worth the "risk" but never know... my
opinion is that a good explanation can make easy the choice.
You see all the bul... the dealer say... and the peoples trust them...
Unbelievable... "diagnostic" LOL
And the end of the year is coming... like the perfect time to put
money in the car !?!

 

[Johnjk]

As a standard, I replace them after 8 yrs and usually when I get new tires put on. Life for these is around 10 years and your mileage may vary depending on where you live. I've had a similar issue and currently have that issue with one of the sensors in our 08CRV. Intermittently showing low pressure during cold weather on only one wheel. Do the manual check and it is spot on. I check pressure every fill up and as part of my Saturday morning walk around (oil, washer fluid, battery, wipers, tire pressure, tranny fluid). Know what it is and you can live with it until you need to pull that tire or have all the tires changed. On the CRV we are on the second set of sensors so they all will get swapped out with the next tire change for new. I had no issues with Discount Tire putting in the Honda OE TPMS sensors I provided. The Pilot did not have issues with TPMS sensor failing but was due to get new ones with tires this summer had I kept her around.

 

[Pilotex2011]

Right J, but NAPA is new in "business". Its good that he ask and know all the options… like that he can chose what is OK for him.
I hope that now its clear for him what to do.

 

[flyromeo3]

Im aware this thread is old but I want to add a technique I used to replace a TPMS sensor. Might seem primitive but it worked and I didnt have to wait for a shop to do it.

I took the wheel off the vehicle and placed one of my winter wheels in its place temporarily.
Then placed the wheel i removed on the floor in front of vehicle
Rested a 4x4 on the edge of the rim against the tire and drove the vehicle up it. Separating the seal bead from the rim.
This gives you enough room to remove the tpms
inflate the tire and good to go.

 

[plplplpl]

Although it feels burdensome to add the cost of new TPMS sensors to the cost of getting new tires, that's the best time to do it. It's even more of an unplanned burden to have to do it separately and/or piecemeal as they individually fail.