Big Nate

Sorry if this has been covered but I searched and found nothing other than factory units.

I would like to hear comments from folks who are using after market tire pressure monitors. Drawbacks mainly as the good points are always advertised and what systems people are using.

Thanks

BearKiller

I can only speak as a tire-shop owner/operater; BUT, the "low-tire/pressure" monitoring systems that come on newer cars/trucks are the biggest headache we have ever had to contend with, even worse than aluminum wheels.

They are the proverbial "boy that cries wolf".

The sick/sad part is that it is LAW that every vehicle, 3/4-ton or less, must have these since some time in 2006.


We are constantly harrassed by false-alarms and end up wasting a lot of time doing free work that we would otherwise be getting paid for.


I am now to the point that, whether the tire actually is low or not, I am going to pull it in the shop and "FIX" it and charge for it; the way I see it, if these people want to trust in silly "technology", instead of physically checking the pressure themselves, then it is no longer my place to provide them with a free diagnosis.



I honestly don't know if any aftermarket monitoring system could be any better.

RickG

Bearkiller , has NHTSA worked anything out to certify tire shops to recalibrate factory installed monitoring systems ? Couldn't there be a problem if a buyer replaces original tires with tires requiring different pressure ? Researching this I learned that Firestone recommended 30 psi on the SUV tires involved in all the rollovers but Ford recommended 26 psi . How reliable and safe are factory settings on these monitors ?

BearKiller

To begin with, instead of a so-so valve-stem, the valve-stem is replaced with a VERY DELICATE brittle breakage-prone "sensor" that costs anywhere from $35 on up EACH X however many wheels.

The least little bump, such as a kid's bike falling against a wheel, is enough to break these.


I REFUSE to own anything even remotely computer-controlled, so I will never personally have to deal with them; BUT, I think so little of the whole system that the first procedure I would do on a new vehicle is to promptly remove the whole mess and install plain old metal bolt-in stems and put in the PSI of air that I want to.


As for your questions, NO, no one has approached our shop and offered any information/advice whatsoever, other than a letter stating that this junk was required by law on all vehicles after a certain date, sometime in 06.


We constantly get these little old ladies that complain of the "car" telling them that they have a low tire.

We check every tire on the car with NEW GOOD mechanical gauges, and everything is okay; but, they believe the silly "car", instead of us, thinking we are trying to pull something over on them; yet, they keep coming back for a "free" air-check.

It will say "low tire--left rear", and that tire may actually have a couple PSI more than any of the rest, or exactly the same.


No make or model of vehicle is alone in this, as we see it in all of them.

RickG

Some tire shop owners may find this of interest . https://online.tireindustry.org/tias...=99&p_cust_id=
If you can be certified that justifies an appropriate fee , doesn't it ? When you get a false reading do you try swapping the sensor with one on another tire ? If a different sensor shows that tire to be o.k. but the sensor off that tire shows a different tire to be low you know you have a bad sensor .

biododge1

i don't know about aftermarket systems, but my BMW used to have wireless sensors in the wheels. it was called rds. i had more problems with it then i can count, temp differences, low batteries, etc. i had it changed to the newer system which uses the abs wheel sensors instead. way better. i think this setup is the way to go if you were to have one installed

Chubby

I deal with it all the time In my business, Just charge for It........ I have all the reset tools and stock sensors all the different valve stem replacement. ANythin that come in for tires with this system gets charged More. Remember Its not the repair shops problem......... You cann allways drill extra holes in the spare and mount the sensors in there.............

RickG

Shops having problems with these sensors should report them to the NHTSA . They are claiming no reported problems . If people complain about charges tell them to report the problems to NHTSA . Enough complaints can get requirement of a device removed . Remember when they tried to require seatbelts to be fastened for cars to start in the '70's ? They backed off on that real quick . How about requiring passenger side airbags . They allowed them to be disabled after they killed a couple of hundred kids .