SnowWuff

Hello everyone. I hope I am posting this in the right forum. If not feel free to redirect this to the right forum.

I have a problem and question I need help with. But first let me explain the situation:

This past Saturday I had to get my tires replaced on my 2007 Lexus IS250 AWD due to my rear left tire going flat. I had to get all 4 replaced since the treads were bad on all the tires, and the front left had a bubble so I got all 4 replaced. The originals I had on it were Dunlop SP Sport 5000M tires, and I had them replaced with Michelin Pilot Sport A/S 3's.

Anyway, after getting all four tires replaced on Saturday, the following day my "Check System" light on my lexus came on. This usually indicates a problem with the tire pressure check system - usually due to a faulty tire pressure sensor on one of the tires.

I suspect that the mechanics busted one of them when they installed the tires. I took it back to the shop on Sunday after I saw the light come on. The tech that helped me did nothing but reset the TPMS and the ID's on the sensors so the system would reset itself. The light went off, at least for a short while.

My house is only but 2 miles from the repair and tire shop I took my car to. During the 2 mile drive nothing happened and all seemed in the clear. However, the next day (Monday) I was on my way to work. I was maybe driving for about 20-30 minutes when it came on again.

I took it back to the shop. I had to take my car to Lexus first though since I had to get my front right headlight replaced. I paid a hefty penny to get it fixed. I would have gotten Lexus to replace it but since I suspected the shop I got my tires replaced at busted it, I would rather them replace it for free rather than me pay the 300+ bucks for Lexus to replace it. So after taking it to Lexus and getting my light fixed I took the car back to the tire and repair shop. They took it into their garage and all they did was run a test on the sensors, and told me it was due to a "dead battery in the tire sensor on the front left side."

I questioned of course their statement, saying "then why did it happen right after I picked my vehicle up." Their reasoning was "it can die at any time and it was probably just bad coincidence." They want me to pay $65 for the part. They are not charging for the labor but they want me to pay for the part. If they indeed busted it, I should not have to pay a cent, correct?

So my questions I have about the situation are as follows:

1) Is there a way to differentiate whether the sensor got busted or if it was indeed due to just a bad coincidence and the battery in it died? Without it costing me another hefty penny of course. I should not have to pay another cent to get it repaired.

2) If it is due to a broken sensor and it is in fact not due to a defective battery in the sensor, how can I state my case against them since they seem to be insistent it is due to the battery sensor dying? Should I call corporate, or is there an easier way to go about this?

Any help would be greatly appreciated. Your thoughts and professional input would also be appreciated, and if there are any car mechanics out there that could help me with this it would be greatly obliged!

lead82

When mounting new tires, it is very easy for a less experienced technician to either break the tire bead off the bead seat in the wrong location or mount the tire on the wheel in the wrong location. You can easily tell if it was broken because you will see it BROKEN. That being said, it is also plausible that your sensor simply ran out of life. TPMS sensor life can last between 5-8 years (roughly) depending on many different factors.

If it was indeed broken during the tire installation, usually there will be a crack where the valve stem meets the sensor. This is caused by mounting/unmounting the tire in the wrong position because the bead of the tire will stretch into the sensor and break it. It's hard to break the sensor while unseating the bead, but it still happens, just not as often.

In my opinion, the TPMS sensor should be replaced at the dealership. Yes, it is considerably more expensive, however, I have had to replace many TPMS sensors after it has been replaced at a tire retailer or independent shop. Each TPMS sensor has an FCID number which needs to be registered into the TPMS main module. This allows the module to actually receive the sensor transmissions. The problem lies in either the aftermarket tools not interfacing properly with the module to register the ID number, or the sensor itself is not transmitting properly. I've had both issues multiple times. The dealership has an OEM provided computer that registers the TPMS ID's to the car.

Basically, replacing your TPMS sensors outside of the dealership is always hit or miss. Do so at your own risk. If I were in your position, I would go to the dealership to replace it. Ask for the old sensor back and see if it was broken. If it wasn't, at least you know that you paid the extra money to save yourself the hassle of more issues. If it was, complain to the store that installed your tires until they pay for it. In my experience, if you complain long and hard enough, you will get what you want (so long as you have half a valid point).

mitsuguy

iTrader: (2)

All of what lead82 said is 100% accurate, and I work in the industry.

One thing I might make note of - tpms sensor replacement... The aftermarket is pretty solid with this right now and I've had no issue replacing tpms even without the factory scantools, the aftermarket has the ability to program the ECU's correctly now (this wasnt always the case)