Any alternatives for TPMS sensors?

The TPMS sensors are made by the company that makes all your tire and wheel hardware that company is Pacific You can find the Pacific branded TPMS sensors with either the green or the red logo on eBay for like $43 for a set of four this is the company that makes the TPMS sensors on your car now if they're factory original they probably are in the batteries are dead usually it's not worth digging out the silicone and plastic to replace the battery cheaper to buy a set of these four. I believe the generation 3 may use the red label specific branded sensors where my generation twos use the green label The site where you're buying then will instruct you by the year make and model of your car I've had good luck with the Pacific branded If you look on the back of your wheel center caps or any of your wheel hardware you will see the word Pacific that is the company that makes your wheel and trim and hardware for the wheels. Good luck I think you'll get it done for under $200 usually tire shops want $7 to screw the new sensor on You want to take a picture of the sensor's number and mark the wheel that has the given sensor and number on it you'll need to know this and enter this or do something to make the light go off but the first thing is to get the new sensors get them mounted No which sensor number is on which wheel and then we can get to programming.

 

A car dealership is probably the most expensive possible place to have these replaced.

Any ordinary tire shop should be much cheaper.

Several readers here have pointed to sensor sources even cheaper than the tire shops will probably sell them to you, though then you will have to pay a shop to install them too.

 

Consider just doing nothing?

Does your State have some sort of annual inspection, and would inactive TPMS fail the car? This list does not include Florida, but food for thought: lots of the States listed do not require functional TPMS.

Also a factor: I believe at federal level tire shops cannot install tires and send a car on it's way without functional TPMS. Bringing them loose wheels for the tire replacement "may" circumvent this.

FWIW, our '10's TPMS are all still functional. I did get a light maybe 6 months back but then it went out, on it's own. I suspect it'll be back; they're not miracle sensors lol. Too, in Canada I believe there's currently no stipulation you have to have functional TPMS, even the aforementioned tire shop factor.

Dang, when the time comes I might give this a try:

 

Just FYI, $1K for TPMS replacement is an extortion. Don't ever go back to that dealer. That being said, while cheaper sensors are available on line, you will still need to program the new set of TPMS sensors to car's ECU. If you invest in tools like Techstream you can DIY. But any reputable tire shops should be able to do the programming with their hand held TPMS tool. But that would cost extra, unless you are buying new set of tires in which case the TPMS relearn process is usually included in the tire installation price.

 

Available on Amazon for $40.99 and there is an 8% coupon you can apply. A set of 4 for under $40. Then take your car to any tire shop and have them install them or better yet, install them when you buy new tires.

ROADFAR 315MHz Programmed Tire Pressure Monitoring System Sensor TPMS Sensor Fits For Lexus For Scion For Toyota 4pcs 4260706011 4260733011

 

Kind of check and make sure they're the Pacific brand It's the sideways oval shape but the word Pacific in it You have to have a magnifying glass to see it on the sensor and whether yours are red or green and they will be factory original not fakes but any of them will work if they broadcast on the same frequency which is I'm not sure what it says it in the manual 112 or something like that I can't remember I just know my generation to uses the green logo and I want to say the three uses the red but I could be wrong anyway glad you found something

 

Take it to like Discount tire. They quoted me like $60each including the sensor. If you can live w/ the warning lights until next tire change, the shop might do it just for the price of the sensor since they already took the tires off.

The TPMS on our car is very rudimentary, on or off so I installed these sensors on my son's car,

This way i can keep tab of the pressure when temperature changes and any possible slow leak.

 

Yeah one thing with the battery replacement, another site recommended to spot weld, as opposed to just soldering, which is currently beyond my means:

TPMS sensor battery replacement. Here's how, but is it worth it?

Spot welders are relatively inexpensive, but maybe not something I want to get into.

And like you say, if it's not that pricey to full replacement.

I'll probably go with my "plan A", when it happens, which is just let them fail. In Canada there's no "federal" level mandate that they're mandatory, IIRC.

 

I believe that it is more in the line of tire shops (in the U.S., not Canada) not being permitted to allow a covered vehicle to leave with non-working TPMS if it came in with working TPMS. E.g. they can't disable it, or put non-TPMS wheel sets on a TPMS vehicle. Though there are limits to what they are required to do to repair a non-working TPMS system.

For this reason, drivers wanting non-TPMS winter wheel sets can have the tires mounted to the wheel rims at the shop, but the shop cannot bolt those wheels to the hubs. But they can throw those wheel sets into the trunk for the owner to drive home and put on the car themselves.

 

That’d be a nudge-nudge, wink-wink solution that’s fine for me; loose rims are my preference anyway. But for a lot of owners, those that lack the wherewithal to do their own wrenching, they’re stuck, barring having a shade tree mechanic of some sort.

Frustrating situation, somewhat akin to the vehicle noise makers.