official TPMS info from Toyota tech training class

Homer Simpson has a solution for that .

I do find it a little silly to install such a useless feature that makes changing tires such a hassle. I'm glas I don't have any plans to switch tires as I use all season ones here in Boston. But still, hoe does this really help? I think it's a silly mandate that should just have been put on light tractors (oh! sorry I mean trucks)

 

kinda like the snowflake it replaced

 

Galaxee,

This was exactly my thought. There is enough ambiguity that statement that just "maybe".... hitting the reset button registers the new sensors. Let's hope so.

I am looking forward to your reply. In the mean time... I verified with my tire dealer that "worse case"... they will break the bead on the tires, and move the TMPS sensors from wheel to wheel each time it is time to change tires... and my cost will be $0.

/Jim

 

i doubt it. from the manual

REPLACING TIRES AND WHEELS
When replacing the tires and wheels, be
sure to install tire pressure warning valves
and transmitters. ID codes on the tire
pressure warning valves and transmitters
are registered on the tire pressure warning
ECU. When replacing a tire pressure
warning valve and transmitter, it is necessary
to register the ID code of tire pressure
warning valve and transmitter. Have
the ID code registered by your Toyota
dealer.
NOTICE
When the tires or tire pressure warning
valves and transmitters must be
replaced, have them replaced by your
Toyota dealer. The tire pressure warning
valves and transmitters will be
affected by the installation or removal
of tires.
© toyota

 

I've lived the vast majority of my life in MA... and I personally would not be satisfied with "all season" tires in New England.

To me... "all season" just means that it does "all seasons poorly". I have a vast preference for optimal tires for each season (summer/winter).

It sort of reminds me of a swiss army knife wich contains the worlds worst screwdriver, worlds worst scissors, worlds worse saw... etc.

To Galaxee... the joys of living in the southeast

/Jim

 

I tend to agree that it is doubtful... however it is possible that simply pushing the reset button registers the four sensors with the car. That is what I am hoping for... and if in fact it did work that way... then it would be consistent with other vehilce systems that I have seen. I hope that the paragraph in the manual was poorly written.

/Jim

 

Well, in the service manual it goes through the process of registering the sensors. You use the hand held scanner as well as the MFD to enter the unique code on each sensor. Then the ECU checks the communication with each sensor before finishing hte setup.

Unfortunately you CANNOT just push the reset to register the sensors.


Galaxee, any word on the ramifications of driving with the indicator lit up all the time? I put the tC wheels on already, and sure enough the light is on constantly now. Is there any reason to be worried?

Thanks.

 

Thanks again. It's nice having an inside source!

 

Dude, that sucks. Talk about technology for technology's sake! This is a pure example of how to NOT implement a system. There should be a way to turn this system off. The car should be able to realize that it has no sensors and it therefore shouldn't assume there is NO tire pressure. Great way to support the aftermarket Toyota. I'm sure corrolla modders would "love" this system!

Then again, thank you goverment for forcing me to have a sensor I don't really care about. I'm not worried about getting a flat, I will notice it myself, steer to the side of the road and fix it. I will not tip over.

 

Actually the more I think about this the more pissed I get. This system makes switching to winter tires a hassle. I sure hope Toyota comes out with a solution that doesn't require a $50 extra fee (and a trip to the dealer) every time someone want to change to winter tires! This is a really bad implemenation, it's like the never thought about people wanting to have two sets of tires for their car!

I'm sure driving around with the idiot light on is fine but it's just such a clumsy solution for such a slick car and a stupid way to implement a system. Also charging $106 for the sensors (as indocated by the other thread) is also stupid.

 

Well, it looks like I go to plan B... which is to have my tire dealer move the sensors between both set of rims each season. Luckily, this can be done without remounting the tire... but it does require "breaking the bead". My dealer said that they will do this as often as I want free of charge. There is the minor side benefit that they will clearly rebalance the tires each time... although they are supposed to do that every time anyway with their winter change service.

Are free balancing and free tire changeover/rotation common? When I lived on the east coast, I have never noticed this. However, in the Pacific NW we have "Les Schwab Tire Centers" which seem to have exceptional customer service... and they are tons of locations.

/Jim

 

Actually, Walmart will do lifetime rotation, mounting balancing as long as you own the car (I don't think it's the life of the tire), as long as you buy the package for about $9-$10 per tire.

 

As long as the tire techs at WalMart are aware of the sensors in the tires, .

Thanks to galaxee for all the info. Sometimes(a lot lately it seems)I tend to get busy and find time short to check in. But thanks to galaxee and her hubby,the members will not be lacking for info from us techs, .

The other models I remember that has the sensors are; Tacoma,Tundra,Sequoia and 4-Runner. Thanks to the feds,all car make/models are being required to have some type of monitor installed for those who are to busy to keep a check on their tire PSI. And we all know that a severely low tire can cause handling problems and loss of control.

As for the differences in the sensors,maybe the shape of the inside of the rim has something to do with the different part numbers.

 

Thanks. I'll just ignore it then.

 

sheesh, it sounds like Toyota's gone and made it all complex
enough, not to mention totally failing to monitor the SPARE, that
it may be time to just go research an aftermarket system -- the type
that not only warns of low pressure, but gives you direct readings
for each tire so you can see *what* the pressure is any time. They
exist; it's just not clear a> how the sensors mount [some rely on
glue or pipe-clamps around the rim, blech] or b> if their valve-stem
type sensors will fit the Prius rims. But to me this is sounding
like a similar deal to the built-in nav -- enough stupid quirks, and
needing a THHT to do anything real to it -- that going off and buying
a little Garmin unit saves 10* the money and gives full, hassle-free
configurability. I would want the same in my TPMS, too.
.
I would want a TPMS at some point just to warn if a tire's going
soft -- before it heats up and shreds itself. It's quite possible
to pick up a nail that doesn't leak very fast, and can get you
another couple of miles before things get critical. I'd rather
know and stop long before that, and be able to save the tire with
a simple plug-patch.
.
The alternative system I've been thinking about is the moral
equivalent of curb-feelers -- or maybe thin fiberglass rods,
somehow mounted pointing downward just inside the wheels on the
suspension parts and floating maybe 1/4" above the road -- enough
to clear on smooth pavement, but make audible noise if one starts
dragging because the tire next to it is starting to go down.
There's got to be some set of stuff I can get at Home Despot to
put something simple together, and skip all the electronics...
.
_H*