TPMS Sensor replacement

You don't need Techstream. You can use an Autel TPMS scanner (or similar manufacturer) and depending on the model scanner, it'll tell you the condition of individual TP sensors. They're about $130 on up. It makes any TP sensor issue easy to identify.....

 

Techstream is free. Obd2 interface is about $10.

 

I have Techstream yet haven't used it. Will it indicate battery condition?

 

I need to bring her in for a spring tune-up and will talk to my local garage to see if they can do it. If it was a little more straightforward I'd try to do it myself just to id the right sensor but I still need to switch from winter to summer wheels on the rims so the tires need to come off no matter what.

 

I'd like to do that too. Is there a way to shut off/disable the indicator light on the dash?

 

Can you please describe what it takes to "hardwire the warning light off"?

 

You can open the dash and cut the light itself off or just unplug the unit that is located in the headliner near the rear window. I personally have found the TPMS to be useless since they take such a long time to react to a flat. If toyota had used a decent system that displays real pressure at each tire it might be worth replacing. Since they didn't I just enjoy knowing that the light on my dash represents $100 in my wallet.

 

Sounds like the headliner option would be less invasive. Is it easy to get to? Or do you have to take the entire headliner out?

 

Don’t even try it. This was a myth started by 1 guy. Many people have tried it and it doesn’t work.

 

Aargh... and I'm not too comfortable screwing around with the instrument cluster. I guess I'll just have to ignore the light.

 

I disagree. Although our Tacomas have a very basic system, it can prove helpful in certain situations. I'm rather vigilant regarding tire pressure and it has alerted me to a low pressure tire on several occasions. When it's -10° at 3:30 AM, I'm not going around checking tire pressures with a gauge as a normal routine. Tacoma's TPMS is limited but not useless.

 

This programming stuff seems pretty easy I’ll take a crack after I get mine from Amazon.

 

It is easy if you have a TPMS scanner or Techstream.

 

You're an idiot.

The TPMS isn't meant to replace an air gauge. It is to warn you of a sudden deflation at speed. Twice in the last 10 years I've hit debris in the road while driving 70 mph that led to a puncture in tires. Both times the light came on and gave me an extra 30 seconds to get off to the shoulder of the road and stopped before the tire came apart. Both times the holes were too big to repair and the tires needed to be replaced.

New sensors are about $20 each and last about 10 years. That works out to about the same cost as a McDonalds value meal once a year to keep working sensors in your truck. Any tire store will install and program them free when getting tires mounted. I just replaced the sensors in my 2007 proactively with new tires last month. They were still working, but at 14 years and 213,000 miles figured they wouldn't outlast the new tires.

$50 MORESENSOR 315MHz TPMS Tire Pressure Sensor 4-Pack | Compatible with Lexus & Toyota Select Models | Replacement for 42607-33011 | Clamp-in | NX-S008-4

Amazon.com: MOBILETRON Tire Pressure Monitoring Sensor (TPMS) for Lexus, Toyota (TX-S008), 315MHz, Set of 4: Automotive

 

I created an idiot light for my bathroom. By monitoring the weight of the toilet paper roll it lets me know when the toilet paper is at critical level. I call it the TPMS. Saved my ass many times.

 

My 07 needs sensors, looks like the spare is steel. So I need 4 for Alloy and 1 steel for spare?

 

I may or may not be selling my Gen2. Just had new TPMS sensors put in. If I end up not selling it, those are coming out next time I need tires. I can at least make it the summer on what I have. Dealer I bought it from must have set the air pressure just right to not have shudder at highway speeds. Same dealer who told me the TMPS light was on due to cold weather, only to find out, I have no TPMS sensors. Just to stick it to them, I found TPMS counts as a safety device, and a dealer cannot knowingly sell a vehicle with a known safety feature fault. This would either 1 make them admit they lied, or 2 assumed to be negligent. I got new TPMS sensors after a few emails and asking what Toyota of America would think about this (they were not a Toyota dealer, just... whatever you call it where they can do Toyota things but not be some random shady used car dealer)