As a tire seller, I believe you have one or two TPMS tools in your shop. While they may be popular, troubleshooting can sometimes seem a bit confusing and time consuming. Not to mention, you need to reprogram the scan tool to match the vehicle’s application specifications.
In this review of Continental Tire Garage Studio tires, we discuss what a TPMS system is and the tools used to program it.
TPMS is a federally authorized passenger vehicle system. As part of the Transport, Recall, Improvement, Liability and Documentation Act (TREAD) passed in 2000, automakers must include a system that warns drivers if one or more tires are visibly under-inflated. By 2007, all light vehicles will require TPMS.
At the heart of each of the four tires is a TPMS sensor that remembers each individual code. TPMS sensors are programmed to work with a specific make, model, and year of the vehicle.
If a customer needs to replace their TPMS sensor due to maintenance or tire swapping, the TPMS sensor is programmed in the vehicle and re-learned with the TPMS tool to indicate which sensors are in which tires. Typically for indirect systems, this means connecting to the OBDII port for re-learning.
A good TPMS tool will show you what type of retraining is required for the specific vehicle you are servicing. Several system relearn methods include automatic, fixed relearn and OBD II relearn. Automatic relearning involves driving the vehicle for approximately 20 minutes while the sensors tell the control module its ID and location. This is rare, but some vehicles automatically relearn TPMS after a test drive. Fixed relearn is when your technician puts the system into relearn mode through a series of steps specified by the OE. Finally, OBD relearn uses the TPMS tool to connect to the vehicle via the OBD port to relearn the sensor ID and its location in the control module.
Some basic TPMS scan tools may not be able to perform advanced repairs or retraining, but if the vehicle has a TPMS, they can check tire pressures wirelessly. These basic scanners will also let your technician know if the TPMS sensor is working properly. Although overlooked, this is an important step in limiting liability!
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Post time: Aug-31-2022
