TPMS battery died. Any way to salvage the car?
08-23-12, 01:25 PM
#1
TPMS battery died. Any way to salvage the car?
The tires on my 06 is250 were pretty bald when I got a flat this week. The dash lit up with warnings, I put on the spare and got 4 new tires installed by America's Tire. Dash was still lit up when I picked up the car and I figured either they were just too lazy to reset it or it needed to be driven for a few miles to reset itself. When I got home I tried pushing the little button really hard but didn't manage to improve the situation which now reads either "Low Tire" or Check System".
Back to America's Tire the next day and they hold a flux capacitor up to each wheel and conclude that both front sensors are bad. Sure, the 7 year expected lifespan ends today, but really? Both at the same time? At the same time as my tire change? Anyway, they say they'll order some and get them installed for me tomorrow and I head on my way, assuming they meant this would be free or for a nominal charge.
Some googling revealed that not only are the sensors more expensive than an entire set of tires, but that's only the beginning. Apparently after the sensors are installed I'll have to make a trip out to the dealership to deliver another huge pile of money and I'm starting to realize that my shiny new Lexus is essentially totaled as the cost of replacing this $5 CR2477N watch battery nearly approaches the current value of the car.
So, what to do? The cheapest option is obviously to fly to Japan and murder the idiot who decided to put a battery inside the tire, then maim the moron who neglected to make the battery replaceable. More googling suggests even more extreme solutions such as cutting wires or covering lights with tape.
So it seems I can remove the battery with a little digging and soldering, then bond in a replacement with expanding foam but this is a pretty awkward procedure to perform in the parking lot of America's Tire. Has anyone done this? Are they accommodating to such strange requests? Another option is to spend insane money on a TPMS programmer, then install/program new sensors on the front and rebuild them at home for future use in the rear.
Is there a class action suit already in motion? Any links would be appreciated since the cost of obtaining my own lawyer would nearly exceed the cost of a replacement TPMS sensor so filing an individual suit would really just serve in principle.
Back to America's Tire the next day and they hold a flux capacitor up to each wheel and conclude that both front sensors are bad. Sure, the 7 year expected lifespan ends today, but really? Both at the same time? At the same time as my tire change? Anyway, they say they'll order some and get them installed for me tomorrow and I head on my way, assuming they meant this would be free or for a nominal charge.
Some googling revealed that not only are the sensors more expensive than an entire set of tires, but that's only the beginning. Apparently after the sensors are installed I'll have to make a trip out to the dealership to deliver another huge pile of money and I'm starting to realize that my shiny new Lexus is essentially totaled as the cost of replacing this $5 CR2477N watch battery nearly approaches the current value of the car.
So, what to do? The cheapest option is obviously to fly to Japan and murder the idiot who decided to put a battery inside the tire, then maim the moron who neglected to make the battery replaceable. More googling suggests even more extreme solutions such as cutting wires or covering lights with tape.
So it seems I can remove the battery with a little digging and soldering, then bond in a replacement with expanding foam but this is a pretty awkward procedure to perform in the parking lot of America's Tire. Has anyone done this? Are they accommodating to such strange requests? Another option is to spend insane money on a TPMS programmer, then install/program new sensors on the front and rebuild them at home for future use in the rear.
Is there a class action suit already in motion? Any links would be appreciated since the cost of obtaining my own lawyer would nearly exceed the cost of a replacement TPMS sensor so filing an individual suit would really just serve in principle.
08-23-12, 01:30 PM
#2
TPMS costs $50 per sensor. Tire discounter programs them for free. The stealership will charge you $140
if u really wanna save money do the pipe bomb https://www.clublexus.com/forums/is-...pipe-bomb.html
if u really wanna save money do the pipe bomb https://www.clublexus.com/forums/is-...pipe-bomb.html
08-23-12, 01:35 PM
#3
Ebay 40 bucks each, take the tires to a mom n pop tire shop 40 bucks, take the vehicle to toyota or lexus dealer to register the sensors another 40 bucks. Whats that around 160 bucks to remove a small light from your dash.
But imo I think the tire shop damaged the sensors and doesnt want to fess up the repairs.
But imo I think the tire shop damaged the sensors and doesnt want to fess up the repairs.
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08-23-12, 03:07 PM
#10
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OMG finally a solution to my problems with the TPMS. I been driving around with two messed up sensors when I could have 1) salvage my car and be stupid 2) sue somebody and be stupid.
08-23-12, 04:08 PM
#13
Look, if people could afford to replace these sensors every time the stupid $5 battery died there wouldn't be such a wealth of threads detailing hacks with pipe bombs and duct tape and crap. It appears that the normal cost of these sensors is around $500 plus another $100 for mounting/balancing and then a trip to the dealership for an additional $150 a$$fck. Yeah, maybe I can get some cheap knock-off sensors for $300 or so but they'll only last a year or two, assuming the dealer is able to program them.
So, lets talk about that keyfob. My dealer charges $450 for a replacement fob and reprogramming, making the fob vastly less expensive than the TPMS sensor. So what if they deliberately glued in the battery so that you had to go to the dealer and pay $450 every time the keyfob battery died? Everyone likes that idea?
I think you guys are defending the TPMS because you haven't yet had to deal with it. At some point in your life you'll see an $800 charge on your credit card for $20 worth of batteries and you'll probably find yourself asking the same questions I am:
- Why the hell is there a freakin' battery in there to begin with? That's the most idiotic and complicated method imaginable for powering the sensor.
- Why the hell didn't the tire shop just throw a new watch battery in there while the tire was off? Oh, because Lexus deliberately glued the battery in precisely to prevent that.
- Who can I sue for this very deliberate scheme to extort money?
So, lets talk about that keyfob. My dealer charges $450 for a replacement fob and reprogramming, making the fob vastly less expensive than the TPMS sensor. So what if they deliberately glued in the battery so that you had to go to the dealer and pay $450 every time the keyfob battery died? Everyone likes that idea?
I think you guys are defending the TPMS because you haven't yet had to deal with it. At some point in your life you'll see an $800 charge on your credit card for $20 worth of batteries and you'll probably find yourself asking the same questions I am:
- Why the hell is there a freakin' battery in there to begin with? That's the most idiotic and complicated method imaginable for powering the sensor.
- Why the hell didn't the tire shop just throw a new watch battery in there while the tire was off? Oh, because Lexus deliberately glued the battery in precisely to prevent that.
- Who can I sue for this very deliberate scheme to extort money?
08-23-12, 04:13 PM
#14
Look, if people could afford to replace these sensors every time the stupid $5 battery died there wouldn't be such a wealth of threads detailing hacks with pipe bombs and duct tape and crap. It appears that the normal cost of these sensors is around $500 plus another $100 for mounting/balancing and then a trip to the dealership for an additional $150 a$$fck. Yeah, maybe I can get some cheap knock-off sensors for $300 or so but they'll only last a year or two, assuming the dealer is able to program them.
So, lets talk about that keyfob. My dealer charges $450 for a replacement fob and reprogramming, making the fob vastly less expensive than the TPMS sensor. So what if they deliberately glued in the battery so that you had to go to the dealer and pay $450 every time the keyfob battery died? Everyone likes that idea?
I think you guys are defending the TPMS because you haven't yet had to deal with it. At some point in your life you'll see an $800 charge on your credit card for $20 worth of batteries and you'll probably find yourself asking the same questions I am:
- Why the hell is there a freakin' battery in there to begin with? That's the most idiotic and complicated method imaginable for powering the sensor.
- Why the hell didn't the tire shop just throw a new watch battery in there while the tire was off? Oh, because Lexus deliberately glued the battery in precisely to prevent that.
- Who can I sue for this very deliberate scheme to extort money?
So, lets talk about that keyfob. My dealer charges $450 for a replacement fob and reprogramming, making the fob vastly less expensive than the TPMS sensor. So what if they deliberately glued in the battery so that you had to go to the dealer and pay $450 every time the keyfob battery died? Everyone likes that idea?
I think you guys are defending the TPMS because you haven't yet had to deal with it. At some point in your life you'll see an $800 charge on your credit card for $20 worth of batteries and you'll probably find yourself asking the same questions I am:
- Why the hell is there a freakin' battery in there to begin with? That's the most idiotic and complicated method imaginable for powering the sensor.
- Why the hell didn't the tire shop just throw a new watch battery in there while the tire was off? Oh, because Lexus deliberately glued the battery in precisely to prevent that.
- Who can I sue for this very deliberate scheme to extort money?
PS people build pipe bombs not because tpms are expensive, it's usually because our after market wheels do not accept tpms and the light on the dash is annoying
