TMPS Battery

[Bwana64]

So I got new tires on the wife's Tahoe. I paid $40 extra for the TMPS kit. Now they tell me one of the batteries needs replacement and that is going to run me $85. Is there a cheaper way or alternative? Anybody know what the deal is here?
Bwana

 

[ruffdog]

They probably installed used TPMS sensors.

 

[Midniteoyl]

How old are the TMPS sensors? Who put them in? Whats the warranty?

 

[Clint S]

At $10 a tire your just got a rebuild kit, not a new sensor. Most just come with valve stem, stem hold down nut , schrader and rubber washer. Like this kit
Tire Pressure Sensor TPMS TPS Valve Stem Schrader Style 20020AK Complete Kit | eBay

On many the batteries are not replaceable so the whole unit needs to be replaced.

Many of the systems are self learning meaning if you rotate the tires or remove a tire for repair the system will relearn the position of the tire when it gets put back on.

On my Mitsubishi it is NOT a self learning system meaning if I remove a tire and drive the car without the flat tire in the car and the system "loses" track of the sensor you have to go to the dealer for a reset at a cost of $50. The dealer even said that in some instance rotating can cause the need for a reset.

 

[ruffdog]

Also, were they the GM oem sensors or those funky off brand ones?

 

[Bwana64]

Here is some more info. 2007 Chevy Tahoe. 88,000 miles. Took it to Discount Tire, which is a big national chain. Bought 4 new tires, and they tacked on $40 for the TPMS rebuild kit. They call and tell me one of the batteries is out and needs replacing at $85.

 

[ruffdog]

This is what your TPMS sensors should look like and my reset tool is in the center.

 

[Clint S]

Battery life is 5 to 7 years or around 100k. For $40 you got the kit like I posted for each tire.
Be thankful on my car you cannot change the battery. So $150 for the sensor and $50 reprogramming fee. If I wait for each one to go separately it would be $50 for each reprogram.

When one battery goes the rest are not far off.

 

[ruffdog]

Just for kicks, search for "gm tpms" on ebay and check the prices. Like Clint said, replace all 4 sensors and unless they rotate the tire on the rim, you shouldn't need balancing. It takes about 2 min to reset the tpms with tool.

 

[Bwana64]

Okay, thanks for your replies.