2007 Lexus RX350 TPMS Main/2nd selection
 

Hello,
This is my first post. I wanted to share with you my TPMS experience. I have a 2007 Lexus RX350 AWD. It is the first and only vehicle I have that has TPMS, so I was very unfamiliar with the TPMS system. It only has a TPMS warning light on the dash, it doesn't tell you pressures or which sensor it has a problem with if the light comes on. Last Fall I purchased a set of winter tires on new wheels with new sensors. I purchased them online and installed them myself. When I installed them I followed the factory relearn procedure in the owners manual, which is turn the key on, let the TMPS dash light stop flashing and be on solid, then hold the set/reset button under the steering wheel until the TMPS dash light flashes 3 times, then release the button and the system will learn the new sensors. I don't know if the selector switch was on Main or 2nd because I was not familiar with it. The vehicle did learn the new sensors and the light went out, I did not have to take it to a tire shop for any sensor programming or anything else. If I understand correctly, this only works if the sensors have been programmed or preprogrammed from the manufacturer. 2 weeks after installing them the TPMS warning light on the dash came on. I took the vehicle to 2 different tire shops and they both told me the sensors were dead, no battery power. Winter was fast approaching so I decided to live with the light for the winter. This Spring I took the vehicle in and had 4 new sensors installed. They were Schrader EZ Sensors, which come blank and have to be programmed. They cost me $28.88 each + $10.00 each for installation, which included rebalancing. The Main/2nd setting was set on 2nd. These sensors also had rubber valve stems which is something I wanted due to the amount of road salt that is used around here on the roads in the winter. It took them a few tries but they finally got the light to go out. About a week later the TMPS dash light came back on. I took the vehicle back in and they could not get the light to get out. I took the vehicle to a couple of other shops and they could not get the light to go out. Each time the sensors were checked and I was told the sensors tested "good". The tires, including the spare all had the correct pressure of 30 psi. The next thing I tried was replacing the batteries in the old sensors that had just been removed. I carefully cut away the silicone over the battery and replaced it (#2450 button cell), I took these to a shop and they told me that all 4 now tested "good", they are VDO Redi-sensors. I took the vehicle home and took all 4 winter tires off and moved them away from the car. I took the 4 sensors that I had just replaced the batteries in and put them in a 3" PVC canister I made with a tire valve and aired them up to 30 psi. I followed the relearn procedure, but the light did not go out. I took the canister and moved it away from the car and got out the set of summer tires and followed the relearn procedure. The light still did not go out. At this point I was pretty frustrated as I was out about $350.00 for 2 sets of sensors and my light was still on. I decided to try the one thing I didn't want to try because I was afraid it would mess up the Main side of the TPMS system. I switched the Main/2nd selector switch under the dash to the Main setting. With the summer tires on the car I turned on the key and the dash light went out, ok that made sense because it was the summer set of tires. I took the summer tires off and brought over the winter tires, followed the relearn procedure and the dash light went out. I then took the winter tires off and moved them away from the car and brought over the canister with the 4 sensors in it that I had replaced the batteries in. I followed the relearn procedure and the light went out. By now I figure I've messed up the summer tire setting, but I moved the canister away from the vehicle and brought over the summer tires, I turned the key to on and the light went out without following the relearn procedure. I was surprised at this because the manual says the computer will store 1 set of codes for the Main setting and 1 set of codes for the 2nd setting. I tried the winter tires and the canister and the light went out without doing anymore relearn procedures. So on Main setting, my dash light was staying off no matter which set of sensors I gave it to look at. I switched back to the 2nd setting and none of the sensors would work, the dash light stayed on with all of them. So I seem to have a problem with the 2nd setting on the selector switch, maybe it is just the switch itself. I would like to have one of the tools that will program sensors so I could work on it better myself, but at over $500.00 for the tool I just can't justify it. I hope this post helps someone and if anyone has any helpful comments, they would be much appreciated.

I had new tires installed this year and had a hell of a time with the sensors. Just like yours, it took some time after the install, then the light came on solid and no ammount of resetting and reinitializing under the dash would get the TPMS light off. Eventually, I had to take it to the Lexus dealer after local shops said it was dead sensors. Here's a few take aways I learned at the dealer as I get pretty engaged with my service rep, but he's great and goes along. Hopefully these offer some insight to someone.
1. 2007 and newer (RX350s) use a different TPMS system than was previously used and it is called Direct Link, IIRC
2. If the TPMS light on dash blinks, one or more sensors have a dead or dying battery. If light is solid, problem is with registration/initialization. Light can blink any combination of times which relate to dead or dying sensors. Once, three times, ten times, for one minute, etc-but if it blinks there's a low battery in one or more.
3. I ended up having 2 sensors with low batteries (confirmed by dealer in Techstream) and shown to me as a print out, but that wasn't my initial and real problem. (I think having the light on solid in mine, and all the messing around attempting to reset contributed to the low batteries I had in 2.)
4. My main TPMS problem, and why (even with low batteries) my TPMS light was on solid was my sensors had "Lost Communication with ECU". Dealer said they have seen this problem before and it can happen for a number of reasons mainly dealing with incorrect registration.
5. Dealer installed 2 new sensors for me and performed the following attached TSIB to correct problem "Lost Communication with ECU". If you know what you are doing, it can be done the old school way by jumping wires at the OBD2 connection and going through the initialization process again.
This may or may not be the problem you are having with you other sensors, but it sounds alot like you are having same problem I had-since your old wheels work ok (they're registered in your ECU) and your light is on solid. TPMS sensors are new to me as well and I know very little about them even still really.

I bought a used 2007 Lexus Rx400h in 2012 and am having my first experience with TPMS. 3 days ago, the "Check TPMS System" warning came on. I checked the tire pressure of all tires and reset the maintenance warning TPMS initial pressure button. The warning display persisted, so I plugged in my laptop to the OBD and loaded up Techstream. Turns out the rear passenger wheel sensor is no longer responding. I'll be taking the car to America's Tire to have a Schrader brand TPMS sensor installed for $60. I'll ask if there's a registration ID with the sensor since Techstream requires it and I believe it may be the only way for the warning display to go away.

did it work

A few yrs old thread.....But I'll add what I did........A couple yrs ago, I was picking up my brother when he was dropping off one his trucks at the shop & the the tpms light went on, so after picking him up, stopped at a tire shop to check the tire pressure, which they were good, so I figured I'd just buy new sensors, since I was getting new tires, turns out that one of the new sensors were bad, (warrantied out) & used one of the good sensors. So two of the old sensors (spare & one on the ground) were good. Haven't had a issue since. Yea there is a ID # on the sensor, I went w/ VDO redi sensors, # SE10002A......

Did You drop the spare tire and change the TPSM in the wheel also? The batteries only go on when they feel movement or vibration. The spare works similar to the regular tire and turn on when bumps or movement. Check the spare TPMS!

I actully used the spare for a wkend.....