I wll soon be getting new tires. My TPMS sensors are original equipment. Where would you have the new sensors programmed?

Paul

 

Might want to see if your local Toyota dealer will price match or come close on the tires. They would probably program for free.

 

i don’t recall your year, if it’s 2002-2006 you will need TechSteam to program, if you have 2007-2010 then most tire shops should have no issue.
did you purchase the new sensors?

 

Not yet. My problem started a couple of weeks ago. TPMS light came on. Put air in all four tires to 35 PSI. Then the VSC light came on which I reset. Went to work this AM and it was on again. Used my scanner which showed RF was at 20 PSI. So I immediately went to Evans and had them check the tire for nail, screw whatever. Evans confirmed the 20 PSI reading also.

This is where it got weird. There was nothing obvious about the tire that would explain the low pressure. But, the tire has a strange groove about ten inches long that goes down to the steel belt on the inside of the tread. And the rear passenger side has pretty severe wear on the inside edge of the tread. It is being checked now for alignment issues and try and figure out what happened here. I was due new tires on my next rotation anyway and my sensors are original as far as I can tell. Batteries were at 2.6 volts last time I checked on them so they are due to be replaced also which I was going to do after my next scheduled rotation.

Now I have two tires needing replacement and no explanation what happened yet. Topless is an 02 and she just had the entire suspension sytem including shocks, struts etc. replaced about 10K miles ago. I have never seen a failure like I see on the tire with the groove before. The picture isn't great but it does show the groove.

Paul

 

Did u do an alignment after you did the suspension work?

You can look at these pictures of wear patterns and get a sense what is going on
https://www.tirereview.com/reading-tire-wear-patterns/

 

Could the new suspension be too low/wide and the groove be caused by the new suspension parts rubbing on the tire? Maybe just on speed bumps?

 

LOL. Come on D. Of course!

The shop (Evans Tire) had their master mechanic look at it too. No explanation for the groove in the tire though. Maybe it was somehow cut and just widened over time is their best guess.

But the real question is who besides the dealer can link the new TPMS sensors? I haven't heard of anyone lately. And I don't own Techstream because I wouldn't use it often enough to justify the trouble. Just trying to save a buck on an expensive maintenance item.

Paul

 

Maybe it is time to bite the bullet. This could be a first step.

https://sandiego.craigslist.org/csd/...258389399.html

Figure an hour of dealer labor is $100+ and do the math from there....

 

just curious, how did you check the voltage with no TechSteam?
also, since you have a 2002 you can always unplug the TPMS system in the center console to get rid of the dash light.
otherwise, it’s new sensors and TechStream to program them.

 

I use an "iCarsoft i905" Multi System Scanner. It reads all codes including retractable top codes. But just like Techstream, some codes can only be read while in operation. Retractable top codes to me more specific. I wrote a post last year about why everyone should own their own scanner. Whether it be an iCarsoft or another brand doesn't matter. Its just another tool to help you so you don't get taken by unscrupulous mechanics. It does NOT allow all functionality like Techstream like programming keys, TPMS sensors etc. It's just a high quality, low cost scan tool that so far hasn't let me down. It comes with a nice canvas case and a USB cable for computer updates to the S/W.

As far as disabling the TPMS system, I just dont feel comfortable doing that since I dont have a spare. The cost is high to replace them all. But considering mine have lasted almost 19 years and 125K miles, it's really not that bad.

Paul

 

Thanks D. I bought a computer with Win 7 awhile back. But my Techstream S/W was 13 I think. Ordered an earlier copier but that is what they sent. Getting it working turned into a huge headache. I work on Computers every day and to be honest, I hate them. New hardware and new S/W makes it necessary to continuously re-educate yourself. I have been doing that for almost 40 years now when the first desktops hit my desk at work back in 1988. Just couldn't bring myself to finish off the loading and configuring. I did a lot of research. Wrote a post that turned into quite the thread. From that, I found out that there is a lot of misinformation out there. So, I went the easy route and just use the i905 now. Quick, easy and reliable for just about everything when I need a quick answer on what might be happening. Thanks for the link Sir.

Paul

 

If you have any indie Lexus shops in your area, they probably can program the TPS for you. Otherwise, you are probably stuck with the dealer or possibly Toyota, though I've seen some push back lately from Toyota dealers with regards to Lexus parts and service.

 

On a different note... If anyone needs a good cheap laptop, let me know.. I have them coming out of my ears since I am in the IT field, and I re-sell a lot over the web.. I have something that would be a hell of a lot better than what that thrift shop is offering for the price!

 

Getting a computer with windows XP is the key. You can buy an old version of XP on ebay for about $5, but u would need an activation key
https://www.ebay.com/itm/Microsoft-W...cAAOSwfz9f9849

Activation key
https://www.ebay.com/itm/Windows-XP-...4AAOSwmhlfudqV

 

Update - called three Lexus dealers in my area. Prices vary for the senors from $590 to $476. I went with the $476. Picked them up this morning. Got home and called the dealer back about programming and was initially told it would be $190 for an inspection plus the cost of programming. If they could even do it. Needless to say, I was a bit upset. I told them I wasn't paying $190 for an inspection when they couldn't assure me that they could do the programming. The receptionist said she would have the service manager call me back where he went on to explain that sometimes the sensors are installed incorrectly and they had to unmount the tires to get the problem corrected. I told him I was aware of the "color code" of the sensors and am at the tire shop now where I explained to them that they are wheel specific. 1 and 2 go on the left and 3 and 4 go on the right.

Basically the juxt of the story here is that Techstream updates at the dealer may prevent them from doing something that should be normal, routine maintenance item on our cars. Final updates when I have them.

Paul