I need some advise on what the best way is to fix this:

1. Tire pressure light blinks for a minute, then on solid, indicating error.
2. Bring to dealer. Dealer informs me the system needs to register 5 tires, but my spare is missing.
3. Apparently my spare was stolen at a valet, I think I know when this happened. Dealer wants $1500 for new spare.
4. I say no thanks.
5. After I leave dealer, my pressure light is mysteriously off and stays off.
6. Several weeks later, I buy a brand new tire pressure sensor and a used lexus wheel/tire ($130) to use as a spare. Tire Shop mounts it, registers new sensor ID, we tested by letting air out of one of the tires, all works great.
7. Several weeks later, bring car to dealer for unrelated issue. Service guy asks me if I ever found a spare. Being proud of getting my $130 spare off a crashed es350 and buying a sensor at a toyota dealer, I told him all is working great.
8. I pick up my car, before I leave the parking lot, my pressure light comes on in error mode again, first time in many weeks.
9. I immediatly go back to dealer, they state that it is probably because the car was not programmed right, it will be $70 charge to hook up the computer and fix it. He went on to state the getting the tire pressure sensors to work takes an hour and a half. I'm pissed because it had been working fine until this visit. I also don't beleive it takes an hour and a half. Also hooking up the computer is not $70 worth of work, you just plug it in under the dash. The service rep made it sound much more complicated.

So, what do I do to get my pressue sensors working right? Bring it back to the dealer and pay them? Demand it for free as part of my warranty? Bring it to another shop? I don't want to have to fork out another $70 if I don't have to.

How difficult is it to program these things?

What do you all think?

---
2007 ES350

 

I would suggest you go to the owners manual and do the step by step process for turning off the TPS. I would think this would fix the problem.

 

If the car is under warranty, they should fix it at no charge.
TPMS is a safety system, and they better take it seriously.
If the dealership resists to fix it for free, take the issue to Lexus corporate.

 

Agree whole heartedly with zhivauyatut. I'd go back to the dealer, asked to speak with the service manager, not the writer, explain the chronology. If that doesn't work tell the service manager you're going to take it up with Lexus Corporate. With Toyota's current issues regarding safety systems, and their new stance about them, this should never go that far. Good luck

 

There is something really off with what is going on here, IF all information is correct.

1: $1500 to replace the spare tire? The rim, tire, AND TPMS sensor are not that much, unless the tire is around $600. Something is not right.

2: Labor @ 1.5h is not $70. My dealer is round $100/h. So simple math means something there isn't right.

3: The timing. It IS odd timing for sure. BUT, I do have to admit, I HAVE seen things like this happen out of pure coincidence. So the TPMS system may or may not have to do with the dealership . There really is no way to prove it either way.

 

This is crazy.

Did you check the tire pressure in all five tires after the light came back on? Maybe you got a nail in one of em. It's happened before!

 

I agree to recheck the pressures if not for a nail, it is conceivable the technician may have readjusted the pressures incorrectly. I know they check and adjust pressures when I take my cars in everytime.

 

Well, it is not a low pressure warning, but rather the error message. According to the manual, the error is when it blinks for 1 minute than stays on solid. Lexus states this is not a covered warrenty item since I bought the rim, tire and sensor elsewhere.

 

It's the way the LPMS works. They always blink then stay on if it is incorrect or the system can't read one of the sensors. Another thing I have noticed is, my spare was out for awhile and the light didn't come on for over two weeks with the spare out! It would go throught the normal indicator lights but would go off. One day for no reason the indicator did what yours was doing. I took it in because at that time I didn't know the spare tire was part of the system and found out it was looking for the spare. I put the spare tire in and all has been good. Why it worked for weeks without it and all the sudden recognized it wasn't there is beyond me.

 

^ Since you mention that, I wonder if there is a TSB out on that, or if it is normal.

 

tpms will sense that the sensors are not with the car. i switched out to aftermarket wheels i didnt put tire sensors in it because i didnt feel like paying for them. my light goes off constantly because there are some missing tire pressure sensors.