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How to program TPMS?

Discussion in 'Prime Care, Maintenance and Troubleshooting' started by Dan Martin, Feb 15, 2020.

  1. Dan Martin

    Dan Martin New Member

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    I bought a 2020 Prime with a second set of snow tires with the official Toyota TPMS sensors. Now the dealership is telling me I need to pay $65 every spring and fall to reprogram them because the car can only store 4 sensors at a time.

    Aparently aftermarket sensors don't have this problem because they clone the existing sensors.

    Do you know if there's a way I can reprogram the TPMS at home when I switch my tires each season?

    Thanks
     
  2. ChapmanF

    ChapmanF Senior Member

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    Techstream works.
     
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  3. Salamander_King

    Salamander_King Senior Member

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    Not all aftermarket TPMS are "clonable" thus some do require re-registering just like OEM TPMS. That said, to register different set TPMS to ECU, you need one of the following.

    1. Techstream and miniVCI
    2. Carista (or compatible OBD2 dongle) and subscription app
    3. TPMS relearning tool that has OBD2 interface such as Ateq Quickset or Autel TS508

    If you do your own tire swap, you have to have one of the above tools to do the re-programming ECU with a different set of TPMS. If you are taking your car and tires to any tire shop to swap (or rotate), they usually do the TPMS re-programming for free. (Walmart does it as a part of tire rotation.)

    I have Autel TS508. It cost a bit more than Ateq Quckset but it is far better tool especially if you have multiple cars with TPMS. It takes 15 sec to do the re-programing. However, I don't use it for my PRIME. PRIME TPMS has no realtime psi on display. Thus I did not buy separate TPMS sensors for my winter tires. I just use external TPMS for my winter tires.
    Screenshot 2020-01-23 at 9.04.44 PM.png
     
    #3 Salamander_King, Feb 15, 2020
    Last edited: Feb 15, 2020
  4. Dan Martin

    Dan Martin New Member

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    Thanks for the reply. I will look into those options.
     
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  5. Mendel Leisk

    Mendel Leisk Senior Member

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    Another option is to just ignore the sensors in the snow tires. Your car recognizes the tpms in the original all-season tire set? Just dub it done, live with the warning light through winter?

    This is Toyota's bs, btw. Mazda, once both sets of tpms are introduced, all you have to is swap tires, drive a few blocks, and the car automatically adapts, sees that you've switched.
     
  6. ChapmanF

    ChapmanF Senior Member

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    When you're looking at the TPMS live data in Techstream, one thing you see is something like transmitter-set selection, which can have two values, but only ever has one of them.

    I get the impression they have models where you can register two sets of transmitters, and maybe have a switch you flip somewhere that is wired to that selector input of the TPMS ECU, and tells it which set of transmitters to listen to.

    Makes we wonder if it'd be possible to find out what pin that switch connects to in the models that have it, and find out if the feature works in our ECU, if the input is connected.
     
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  7. wjtracy

    wjtracy Senior Member

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    I use TechStream but the other thing you can do is buy the type of TPMS (Autel) with program tool to set the codes to the existing codes, or use those valve stem type TPMS and ignore the red light, or just ignore the TPMS light. I got one of the Autel MaxTPMS 401 gizmos that reads the codes and data too.
     
  8. Salamander_King

    Salamander_King Senior Member

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    Yes, I've read in some other thread that is the case in EU models of PRIME (may also for Gen4 Prius). They have a special switching procedure to change the set of TPMS registered. I will update here if I find that old thread, but I have no idea why US models do not have the ability to register two sets (total 8 TPMS IDs).
     
  9. ChapmanF

    ChapmanF Senior Member

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    It might even be ten. There's definitely an ID#5 slot if you want to add a sensor in your spare and register it.
     
  10. wjtracy

    wjtracy Senior Member

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    well I can't say about Gen4, but if I recall, Gen2/3 is set for reading 4 tires.
    I do not know if dealer can change that to 5 tires for you.
    @RobH once figured out how to reprogram his car for 5 tires but it was advanced coding/programming topic
     
  11. fuzzy1

    fuzzy1 Senior Member

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    I'm using an ATEQ Quikset to program my cars, and an ATEQ VT30 to read the serial numbers (and all other data output) from new-to-me sensors.

    But these were rather expensive (especially the VT30) for someone with only a single TPMS car, I didn't acquire them until a second TPMS car needing seasonal tires swaps entered my household. There are better choices available now.
     
  12. ChapmanF

    ChapmanF Senior Member

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    Well, I guess I was talking specifically about my Gen 3, where Techstream clearly shows me five ID slots. Four of them have transmitter IDs programmed in and the fifth one is zeros, but I haven't seen anything to suggest that if I bought a fifth sensor I wouldn't be able to just enter its ID in the fifth slot.
     
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  13. Salamander_King

    Salamander_King Senior Member

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    For Toyota cars, Techstream option would be the most versatile, though it may not be the easiest. The knock-off version of Techstream and mini-VIC adaptor could be had as cheap as $15, but I have had a problem with installing and making it work on my old laptop. If you have to purchase a real Techstream subscription ($20 for 2 days) with an official mongoose adaptor (more than $1500? for Techstream Lite), it will be the most expensive way to program TPMS. But you can do all sorts of things on Toyota cars.

    Carista adaptor is $20, and the app ($29 now?) can be used for 30 days for free. But after 30 days, you have to either keep the subscription for $40/year or buy a week pass for $10 when you do future TPMS program. Over the years it can get expensive, and I don't think it supports TPMS programming function for other cars.

    Ateq Quickset is ~$150 and it works on multiple model cars. But as @fuzzy1 pointed out, by itself it will not read the ID code that's already installed in the tires. By the way, I think both Techstream and Carista are also the same way in that if you did not write down the TPMS ID codes that are already installed inside of tires, you will have to take the tires to a shop to get the ID read in order to register it.

    Autel TS508, on the other hand, is a complete TPMS activating, reading, programming tool. It will activate a "sleeping" TPMS sensor and read code and data as well as program the Autel sensor and do OBD2 relearn procedures on virtually all models of cars with TPMS. It can be used for multiple model cars. If you have multiple cars requiring OBD2 relearning, this is the most economical tool. I am using mine on Toyota, Nissan, and Honda cars in my family. The tool by itself sells around $200. But if you look for a sale on eBay, you can find a kit that comes with a nice carrying case and 8 extra Autel MX programmable TPMS sensors for $250-$300. I got mine for $250 with 8 sensors. That's about $6/sensor plus $200 for a tool. I plan to use the sensors next time I buy new winter tires for my PRIME and my son's Honda, both have no TPMS sensors currently in winter tires.
     
    #13 Salamander_King, Feb 16, 2020
    Last edited: Feb 16, 2020
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  14. Mendel Leisk

    Mendel Leisk Senior Member

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    What a rabbit hole. :rolleyes:
     
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  15. Raytheeagle

    Raytheeagle Senior Member

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    And all to avoid a light in the dash :whistle:.

    But whatever floats the boats(y).
     
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  16. Mendel Leisk

    Mendel Leisk Senior Member

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    I know rabbit holes... :oops:
     
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  17. Raytheeagle

    Raytheeagle Senior Member

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    Life's about priorities;).

    I save mine for work that are not self directed(y).
     
  18. Salamander_King

    Salamander_King Senior Member

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    Yeah, for Prius with dumb TPMS warning light, it is probably not worth the cost and trouble. But OP already paid hundreds of $$$ on OEM TPMS sensors installed in the winter tire set. So it's not just to avoid the light on the dash, but to utilize the sensors already in the tires.
     
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  19. Raytheeagle

    Raytheeagle Senior Member

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    Then I'd take advice above and spend $20 on a J2534 protocol dongle and use a windows XP laptop to fully take advantage of the investment;).

    Or the dealer will continue to pay off their boat or motor home :cool:.

    Just have all the sensor ids at the ready(y).
     
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  20. ChapmanF

    ChapmanF Senior Member

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    Wait ... you mean the sensor IDs that are printed on the new sensors inside the winter tires, don't you....