Habious

So,

My wife goes to take the car out of town yesterday. She's gone about 15 minutes and then calls me, telling me there's a light on the dash ("an open parentheses, two dots, and a closed parentheses"). I asked her if it looked like a "flat tire", she said "no". Since we weren't sure was it was (I was sure, she wasn't), she turned around and came home.

Sure enough, it's the TPMS light. I whip out the tire gauge and they all look fine (a little high but, it was like 90° out). I didn't think "a little high" was a problem but, just in case, I went ahead and let some air out of them (down to like 34.5-35 PSI all around). No change, light was still on.

Damn, guess I have a bad sensor. So, I sent the wife on her way told her not to worry about the light. She comes back about 7 hours later (and a tank of gas lighter) and we run out to the dealership to get it looked at.

We have a 6 hour drive this week and I really didn't want that orange light staring me in the face the whole time.

Drop it off at the dealership and we walk across the parking lot grab some dinner (Anita's...very good Mexican food if there's one around you). We come back like 45 minutes later and the car is parked out front. Done? Already?

I go inside. Yup...all fixed.

What was it?

The switch inside the glove box got switched from "primary" sensors to "secondary" sensors. Wow....I'm stupid!

Now, in my defense, I wasn't in the glove box! The wife swears she wasn't in the glove box! I don't own a second set of tires so I've NEVER even hit that switch. But it got hit somehow. Dealer just smiled and didn't charge me anything.

For those in the Washington DC area, Pohanka Lexus in Chantilly is great.


P.S. Driving in this (cool) morning, my TPMS light is on again. And I know for sure what it is. I let too much air out of the tires that were fine all along!!!

C'est la vie.

JohnnyCake

This is one of those great "head's up" threads cuz it could happen to anyone. I use the glove compartment all the time -- I'll have to find the switch to make sure I don't hit it.

Habious

VINDICATION...IT IS MINE!

So, I got home tonight and whipped out the tire pressure gauge and air compressor. I check the tires and, they're really not that far off but, I go ahead and set them exact (33 PSI). Sure enough, the TPMS light is still on.

I'm typing this from a computer at the dealer's Internet cafe. They just came in to tell me what they found...The White sensor is bad. I knew it!!

I'm not crazy...I didn't hit the switch in the glove box without realizing it (and neither did the wife...I was blaming her, you know I was).

Now for the bad news. The car is 4 years old. One of my sensor's batteries has died. You know the other 3 are not far behind but, the dealer can't replace them until they actually fail and "throw a code". So, looks like I'll be making this trip 3 more times...probably in the next 6 months!

Yay for the CPO warranty.

velocity12

I knew it had to be Pohanka when you mentioned Anita's. I've had a burrito there while waiting for service. It is a good dealership but they did not beleive me when I went in for that hot air vent problem mentioned in your earlier posts.

Habious

Just had to throw this out there....the light's back on!! It was off for a whole day. RRgggg!

So, when I find some time, trip number 3 to the dealer for the same problem.

Habious

Felt like updating this thread. Just got home from the dealer. For some reason, it took them 2 days to replace TPMS sensor #2. I'm sure the other 2 will fail within a few weeks.

They really need to replace these things as a set if it's obviously and end-of-life issue.

Habious

Just because I enjoy continually updating this thread...

So, I get in the car this morning and start it up.

Now the TPMS light starts blinking and I'm getting a Bong, Bong, BONG from the dash. Uh oh....I think I know what this means. I get out and look around.

Turns out, I really do have a flat tire this time!!

And I mean FLAT. I tried to check it with a tire pressure gauge and didn't even get the little "hisst". Thankfully, I have the micro-spare so I swapped it out. Check out what I found in the tire.

Roofless

Thanks for keeping this thread updated, Habious. Do you think this is what caused the original warning light? Or (more likely,) you got punctured just after replacing the sensor?

Habious

I think I'm just having bad luck with tires (and sensors).

I had two bad sensors for sure on trips #2 and #3.

intdiamond

iTrader: (2)

Last Tuesday my TPMS light came on.... front right tire had a brand new stainless steel 1.25" Phillips head screw in it. Yanked it, plugged it, filled it, and the light went off. Thursday I get in the car, and there's that lovely orange light AGAIN.
This time the REAR right tire has the same exact-looking screw in it. Yanked it, plugged it, filled it, and the light went off. Came home and checked out the alley behind my garage.... found 12 of those beautiful screws all over the place.
No idea how this'll help anyone, but I figured this was the perfect time and place to blow off some steam.