Hi all,

I'm getting the "inactive" warning tire pressure system light in my dash. Had the car taken to Wheelworks to diagnose as I suspected that the sensors in the tires have run out of battery. Turns out 4 sensors are coming up bad. They quoted me $120 per sensor plus $297 labor for a total of $800 including tax! Are you serious?

Are there other options for me besides ignoring the annoying light, or trying to figure out NCS expert to disable the TPMS light? I refuse to pay $800.

-nels

 

https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...-inactive.html

They're taking you to town on those prices. See the other thread for a kit you might be able to use. I say might because there are different versions of the sensor based on what year your car was produced. But in general, it should not be $120 per sensor.

If you choose to not replace the sensors then yeah those are your options for dealing with the light. I would also not pay $800 for tpms!

 

Thanks for the response 3lusive, so $88 per sensor will save me some cash, however the labor $297, really?

-nels

 

Tirerack has the sensors for about $50 each. They will know which version you need. We just picked up some wheels for our '10 MCS from them and they mounted the sensors before shipping. We had our tires mounted locally and everything worked fine, right away.

 

Since I bought my tires from Costco they said if I brought in new TPM sensors the cost would be about $15/wheel to install new ones, so ~$70 for 4.
Quite a bit less than your quote.

 

It's very unlikely all 4 sensors would die at the same time. Also the warnings will tell you which wheel is bad if it's just one. You probably have a bad transceiver, but the dealer should be able to tell you for sure and then you can swap it out on your own

 

I have inactive light. From what I read even if one sensor is bad this could occur. And wheel works told me that all 4 are bad unless they were lying to me.

I don't believe I have a bad transceiver since I had no issues with my 1st set of wheels. These are a second set of wheels I just put on that supposedly had good tpms sensors.

But appreciate the help from everyone. I think I need to try to find someone who will help me install a new set of tpms sensors for lower cost.

-nels

 

My guess is the new set of wheels have the wrong sensors...Happened to me a couple of years ago. Confusing the issue more was I had the first set of tires in my garage and the car would detect them when parked...then I'd drive away and the inactive signal would pop up after 20 miles or so...

 

When I talked with Tire Rack, they told me that my '07MCS needed the expensive set --- about $120 ea. This was about six years ago so I don't remember the compatible years for my set. And yes, Costco will install them for about $15 ea IF you bought the tires or rims from them.

As mentioned earlier, there are different sets available, depending on year / model. My guess is the wheels you just bought were from a different year / model, and that's why the TPMS sensors aren't working for you. I haven't checked RealOEM for TPMS sensor part numbers, but they might be listed for your VIN. I suggest you find out which part number is right for yours, BEFORE buying.

 

How can the sensors be tested if not mounted in wheels? I have a spare set that might work for nels415.

 

Best guess, they are selling you OEM ones since that is a bit more than you would pay at a MINI parts counter.

 

wow, a bunch of topics are getting mingled here. A few thoughts:

1. My 2007 had the 'old style' pressure monitor that ran off the ABS .... so if talking a 2007 you may not have sensors at all ....

2. The TPMS showing which corner is the issue is fairly new .... my 15 R59 has this but it is the first car with TPMS I've owned that did this. (incl MINI, Honda, Ford and Ferrari)

3. Outmotoring sells a set of 4 TPMS sensors (MINI specific) for $270
http://www.outmotoring.com/mini-coop...nitor_set.html

4. The notes on the outmotoring site:

Basically all 2007 and newer MINI's have TPMS and the way you can tell is to look at the valve stems; they will have a 1/2" or so funky looking cap and they're usually a light grey but there are also green and black caps out there.

Price includes a full set of 4 TPMS monitors and valves.

Please note, as of the Sept 2009 build date MINI has a different frequency for the TPMS sensors. Please note the option on the drop down menu for build date and slight price change for the newer TPMS kit. Also, the Gen3 MINI ("F" series models) use a different kit as well. Please select accordingly.

5. My '14 FOCUS ST has TPMS with sensors and the valve stems look like regular old black rubber ones of pre TPMS wheels. What the valve stems look like on sensors depends on who you buy them from .....

6. IME OP's 'labor cost issue' is summed up by one thing: he lives in the SF BAy area!!!! I lived in Novato for a couple of years (north Bay area) .... cost of living was WAY WAY up from anything I'd seen b4 or since. Until you live there, you have NO idea! When I was sent there I planned to stay forever and when offered an escape 2 years later I RAN FAST.

 

I have a 2009 with production date 2/2008. The 2nd set of wheels are used R112s and had previous working TPMS sensors. They're just old now. I was thinking of buying a set of new sensors and storing in the trunk as some have mentioned that the sensors work even without being mounted. However, will that work with the old sensors still mounted in the wheels?

 

A 2009 built in 2/2008???

Anyhow, I went back to RealOEM and found my sensors "(desc)Wheel electronics module, RDC (supp)433MHZ (qty)4 (from)08/2007 (up to)09/2009 (p/n)36236798726". My build date was 09/2007 and my system does show which corner is at fault. Chances are, this is the sensor you need --- depending on your build date. Again, check RealOEM --- http://www.realoem.com/bmw/enUS/select --- using the last few characters of your VIN. There's a good possibility the sensors on your R112's are for a later or earlier model year, and there's nothing wrong with them, just not compatible with your system.

I have a set of ice tires stacked in my garage, next to the mini parking area, and there is no TPMS interference from them. They have to be mounted and the system reset for their TPMS to function. A new set, stored in the trunk, is pretty much useless --- at least this is the way my set functions, and they are functional --- I've had low pressure warnings.

 

9/2009 was the split year with ~early 2008 when the inboard TPMS showed up.

https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...with-tpms.html