SilvrBulet

Hi Guys,

Been lurking the forums for a long time and finally decided to sign up for an account and post.

I just got my winter tire/rim setup. Got some after market TPMS sensors (didn't ask what brand). It seems like they're working as I don't have the tire pressure warning on for my dash but I'm not able to see individual tire pressure on my dash. I have the executive trim 2014 IS 350. Even when I am near my garage which stores my summer tires, I don't see any numbers. I had explicitly asked them to clone my sensors. I'm going back on Monday since they're closed tomorrow. I didn't initially take it there to get the setup completed. Had a family member go as I was busy, kind of regretting it. This was not done at a dealership. Went to tire shop in my area. I had a few questions

1. Since I can't see the individual numbers even when I'm near my garage, does this mean they wiped the registration of the OEM TPMS in my ECU?
2. Does anyone know of any reputable places in the GTA in Ontario I can go to? The place I went to seems extremely incompetent though they kept assuring me that the TPMS would work for sure
3. Why would the TPMS warning not come up but I can't see the individual numbers? Is there anything that can be done?

Thanks guys! Hoping this forum can answer these questions as I google searched and was not able to find anything. Really do not want to go into the dealer and get charged an arm and a leg.

Answer

As far as I know, no "cloned" sensors will show the pressures. I have Ez-Sensors 33500 and have the same behavior as you do. The system works, but pressures don't show in the dash.

For the OEM sensors, they have to be at the correct position for the pressures to show. And they are initialized at startup so they need to be on the car when you start it for the pressure readings to show.

SilvrBulet

Wow I wish I'd known that going in. So if I bought a set of OEM sensors for the winters would those be able to be cloned? or would I have to essentially register a new set and overwrite the OEM summer set in the ECU?

I knew on startup the car reads the sensors but I thought it was also on an interval. That's why I was surprised that it didn't read my summers sitting in my garage. Thanks for the info btw! Much appreciated.

Answer

With OEM sensors, you will have to reprogram the car every seasons, they cannot be cloned. So either you pay everytime or you buy at tool to reprogram them (~200$).

I was also told the cloned sensors would work just like the OEMs, they even tried two different models and they did the same thing. Even now, I suspect they aren't cloned correctly because I had to get the car reprogram once again last week... At least, my tire shop is doing it free of charge for me since it's "their" error.
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SilvrBulet

Did they give up on trying to make the sensors show individual pressures? or are they still trying? Let me know if you find a brand that works please.

Answer

They (we) pretty much gave up. As long as the system is working and I don't have a light in the dash, in OK with that.

computerwi

I have not heard of any aftermarket TPMS sensors that will give readings on any recent model since Lexus switched to the single set system. For the small extra cost of OEM compared to aftermarket sensors, I'd get the OEM ones (~$250 CAD). You can use Carista to program them for about $10/season. That's cheaper than the $30/season the dealer will charge.

SilvrBulet

Carista looks promising but I was browsing their website under customizations and do not see any ability to do TPMS? Looks a lot cheaper than Quickset. I'd pick it up for the next season if I could use it successfully.

computerwi

It's technically a beta feature. If you request for a beta (remember provide feedback), you can try it out for free even. I've managed to get it work on my IS, NX and RX.

goldengame

That's not true. I bought clone-type sensors from OK Tire (in Kitchener, Ontario) last year and they work perfectly. It shows my pressures for each tire.

Answer

so you actually can switch your tires without any reprogramming? Do you know the brand/model of the sensors? That would be a first as far as I know and a really great news!

goldengame

Yup. I don't have the boxes anymore so I'm not sure what brand they are. OK Tire in Kitchener likely still sells them so they might be able to help you out. I moved to California so I don't have my winter tires or TPMS units anymore.

SilvrBulet

Thanks buddy! I'm going to give them a shout tomorrow after going back to the tire store tomorrow. Going to see what these guys say before I dump more money into this. Really annoying not having full functionality when you pay for it and are promised it.

Answer

Keep us posted and try to get as much info as you can like model number and programming tool!