Is it the wheels, balance, alignment???

I took my '09 Tacoma for new tires (Bridgestone Duelers). Prior to that the tire pressure sensor was lit. After they put the new tires on the rims (stock rims) they said it was very hard to balance the tires and the rims "may"be out of round. And the sensor is still lit. The tire guy does not know why. Also said I should get an alignment when I get new tire. There is a shimmy now.
I just don't know where to turn, the dealership, a rim guy, another tire guy.
Why would the sensor still be lit? Did they balance the tires properly?
Any ideas would be a great help since I am tired of pouring money without answers.

 

Maybe they broke a sensor when they changed the tires

 

No

 

You guys realize he said it was lit before, and is still lit now. Lol.

OP. If your tire light blinks for 30ish seconds and goes solid, you have a sensor issue. If it blinks once and goes solid, you have a pressure issue.

That "shimmy" you have is because or improper balance. Worst case, it could be a loose wheel they didn't torque. (check for that ASAP). Take it to a proper tire shop that has a balancer that can check for an out of round wheel or tire, and that can properly balance your wheels.

As for alignments. They are not necessary unless you replace suspension components, or you are experiencing an issue (tires not wearing properly, pulling to left or right, etc) Alignments used to be more common, but on newer vehicles, especially Toyotas, the specs rarely go out of spec on their own.

Other questions? Feel free to Pm me.

 

If you did not have a balance problem before the new tires were put on then it's the tires. As far as the tire pressure sensor that is another issue. A sensor may be bad. Not sure if the spare is considered part of the system. Check the pressure on it. I think the sensor is set for about 25 lbs. Check around each wheel for any wiring problems, like bad connections etc.

 

If the tire was low pressure prior to bringing it in it would show a light and the sensor can fairly easily get damaged changing tires so , brought up to pressure and the TPMS reset could still show a light , no ?

 

Skimmed it. Saw the "may have damaged part" and moved on to the next sentence. Lol.

True. Now it all depends on the OP. Was the light flashing or solid before. And is it solid of flashing now?

 

Jerk

 

Asshat

 

Thanks for the replies (I think)
Well the sensor was lit solid before and solid after the new tires were put on. So none of you addressed the shimmy nor the rims being out of round.

 

The shop should have addressed the rim issue when installing the new tires. It is standard proceedure to check the rim for runout when there is a balance issue. If the rim has been checked and still won't balance, the tire is suspect. If the rim is tweaked, the tire won't turn true.
Take it back and complain that they f'd you when they installed the new tires. Since they didn't do their job correctly the first time, they owe you a free rim inspection.

BTW, an alignment, after a PROPER tire installation, is standard proceedure too. Once a year, 6-8k miles, or after new tires. It really depends on the roads and driving style. Once your tires start to wear improperly, it is not reversable; especially when worn out of balance.

It made me laugh when you noted this: "After they put the new tires on the rims (stock rims) they said it was very hard to balance the tires and the rims "may"be out of round." Ok, it maybe out of round, what does that mean, and what should I do about it? Your shop, after you get the problem fixed, should be left for a better one.

 

Find a shop that uses one of these. That machine will identify any problem with the rim or tire. Dealer locator on the site.

http://www.gsp9700.com/

 

Did the guy even know how to reset the sensors? Maybe he never reset the sensors after install? Have you tried to reset them yourself? (Instructions in manual)