TPMS, how often is paying for "rebuild kit" necessary?

Never run IFS, so I'm asking "when and why to alignment" on these trucks- I'm from the Jeep world where you can tell a bad mechanic by them charging for a "4 wheel alignment" but know nothing about the 2nd Gen Tacos.

 

When getting new tires put on, typically the rebuild kit is simply a little rubber gasket kit and costs no more than a couple bucks per wheel. Anything beyond that would only be necessary if you have a faulty sensor and need it replaced. I've never heard of the sensor itself being rebuild, it's usually just the joint where the sensor meets the tire. It's the equivilent of getting new valve stems put in.

As far as alignment, get it as frequently or infrequently as you need. If you off road or do a lot of chopped up roads, then you'll probably need them every few months (maybe more). If you're always on nice, flat, paved roads, once a year might even be a lot. I try to get mine aligned once a year just to keep my tires wearing nicely and I usually go after winter is done.

Signs that the tire shop is taking advantage of you... Well, charging $150 for a bullshit 'rebuild' is a good indicator in my book.

You can get a 4 wheel alignment on our trucks but it's not really necessary, it just tells you that the rear is tracking correctly. There is some play where the centering pin from the leaf springs drops into the axle. If you put a new leaf pack on or put in an AAL (or someone follows your truck and tells you the truck isn't tracking correctly), then you can make some minor adjustments to the rear although most shops won't make the adjustment.

 

Agh, pugga you're too quick for me. I called the place and they were $8/tire the rest was tax and disposal (like I said I wasn't paying attention)... lol, so I totally changed my question. Thanks for the detailed answer!

 

Ah, you pulled the ninja-edit

No worries, $8 isn't terrible, the kit costs a couple bucks/tire usually so the rest is probably for them to install the new gaskets. Check out Discount Tire Direct, they have a rep who is a member here and their prices are great (they do price match).

 

You can't really 4-wheel align a Tacoma either. You have to loosen up UBolts to make any changes and most shops won't do that for the average customer.

As far as when to do it - When ever you feel an issue with the way the truck is tracking.

 

Not to mention doing wheel alignment with out tightening wheel bearings first is waste of money, and it will only make things worse.