Discount Tire Requires TPMS rebuild kit???

[The_Jeff]

When I busted tires putting the stem at 12 o'clock when the bead buster was at 3 o'clock protected them pretty well. Never broke one that I knew of.

Did have a customer come in with a flat, an empty hole in the rim, and the remnants of the sensor floating around in the tire. Customer said, derp derp derp, he didn't know how that could be. I figure he hit it on a curb somehow parallel parking-- they're protected, but granite curbs are lumpy.

Expensive stuff hanging down low leads to finger pointing and hard feelings.

 

[supton]

interesting. I figured the seals ought to be replaced each time, like getting new stems.

Then again, I plan on removing mine as they break/wear out. I have metal stems which just do not like salt up here.

 

[Bill_G]

Originally Posted By: 2010Civic
I went to Discount tire today and was told that the TPMS rebuild was mandatory and is $8 per tire. This really irritates me. How can they require you to buy this? I love Discount but this may have me looking elsewhere.

Anyone else experienced this?


If you're THAT irritated, go someplace else. They're only trying to prevent future problems for you - if you don't agree, go somewhere where you can save 32 bucks. Personally, I've never had a problem paying this charge and have never had a tire or tpms problem with any of the many purchases I have made there. And have never had anything but outstanding service - it's a pretty good place to buy your tires.

 

[Shrubitup]

Oh the horror of not relying on TPMS! you may hafta manually check your pressure now!

 

[opus1]

A coworker had the dealer replace *one* TPMS kit on her vehicle for $100. $32 for the set is a steal, IMHO.

 

[Rand]

Originally Posted By: opus1
A coworker had the dealer replace *one* TPMS kit on her vehicle for $100. $32 for the set is a steal, IMHO.


That sounds like a sensor not the rebuild kit.

 

[Jarlaxle]

Originally Posted By: opus1
A coworker had the dealer replace *one* TPMS kit on her vehicle for $100. $32 for the set is a steal, IMHO.


...if they actually do it.

 

[Vikas]

Why can't a tire shop treat TPMS valve stem differently than the regular valve stems. Tire shop will yank and discard regular valve stem to save the time in deflating the tires but it does not have to be that way. Remove the core and deflate the tire. If you do nothing to the valve stem, it will last for a long time. Heck, one of the girl (actually wife of a mechanic) did the rubber swap while keeping the TMPS valve intact. She did everything while wearing a skirt and high heels. The mechanic and the shop owner husband filmed it and gave her grief all the time Savvy youtuber would know who I am talking about!

Bottom line:- No reason to mess around with the TPMS valve stem but they need the $8/tire to add to their bottom line.

 

[Vikas]

Originally Posted By: mehullica
To prevent breaking the sensor, you're supposed to unbolt it & drop it into the tire. That way the bead won't break the sensor when pulling it over the wheel edge. This breaks the seal of the small rubber sealing washer & it's cheap insurance to replace the kit with the tire off. If your tire shop leaves the sensors installed while installing tires, that's asking for trouble. I work at a dealership & have seen hundreds of sensors come in failed after recent tire replacement. Almost every time the bead contacted the sensor & made hairline cracks on the sensor causing it to fail soon after
May be those mechanics need to watch that amateur lady I talked about? Really, there is no excuse for NOT doing a careful job.

 

[ccap41]

Originally Posted By: Traction
Originally Posted By: mehullica
To prevent breaking the sensor, you're supposed to unbolt it & drop it into the tire. That way the bead won't break the sensor when pulling it over the wheel edge. This breaks the seal of the small rubber sealing washer & it's cheap insurance to replace the kit with the tire off. If your tire shop leaves the sensors installed while installing tires, that's asking for trouble. I work at a dealership & have seen hundreds of sensors come in failed after recent tire replacement. Almost every time the bead contacted the sensor & made hairline cracks on the sensor causing it to fail soon after

I have Installed thousands of tires without dropping the sensor, and have never broke one yet. You can not drop the sensor if it is attached to a rubber valve stem. You can easily destroy a sensor just trying to take the nut off, especially if it is corroded. The only time I would replace a seal is if it is leaking. If it isn't leaking it is better left alone. My wife's car at 190kmi, and several sets of tires, in the salt belt do not leak yet. The rubber seal can easily, but not always of course, outlast the sensor. The sensors get broke by tire techs from not indexing the tire to the correct position when dismounting, or mounting the tire. Rubber valve stems can be cut for the same reason.


100% agree. That was the same exact thing I did. Most new tpms aren't as easy as just unbolting them from the outside. I know Ford and GM look like just a rubber valve stem from the outside. You can't just unbolt that. All you need is a tech that has half a mind on how to do his job correctly.. I never broke a censor taking a tire off. I've broken them because they are corroded to [censored] and back and the customer had a leak and wanted them replaced/rebuilt.

 

[CapriRacer]

I said it earlier in this thread and I will say it again, here.

The rubber parts in a TPMS can develop cracks over time and leak. That's the reason many places recommend you do a rebuild when you change tires.

I am certainly proof of that. I should have taken my own advice, but instead, lost 2 tires when the old valves leaked.

 

[asand1]

Originally Posted By: Vikas
Why can't a tire shop treat TPMS valve stem differently than the regular valve stems. Tire shop will yank and discard regular valve stem to save the time in deflating the tires but it does not have to be that way. Remove the core and deflate the tire. If you do nothing to the valve stem, it will last for a long time. Heck, one of the girl (actually wife of a mechanic) did the rubber swap while keeping the TMPS valve intact. She did everything while wearing a skirt and high heels. The mechanic and the shop owner husband filmed it and gave her grief all the time Savvy youtuber would know who I am talking about!

Bottom line:- No reason to mess around with the TPMS valve stem but they need the $8/tire to add to their bottom line.


I worked for a tire shop for a few years. I've seen a lot of cracked and broken valve stems. You cannot warranty your tires if there is a chance of a valve stem breaking and losing all the air on the freeway.

The tire guys yank the stems because they have to replace them anyway, and it is the most efficient means. They want you to get a quick and thorough service, not make you wait forever and leave with sketchy old valve stems.

 

[buck91]

my '11 F150 (so, from 2010) has original TPMS components with no leaks. Discount tire did not give it a second thought to leave it alone when I had the AT3's installed.

 

[bdcardinal]

Originally Posted By: buck91
my '11 F150 (so, from 2010) has original TPMS components with no leaks. Discount tire did not give it a second thought to leave it alone when I had the AT3's installed.


Yours should use the stem style where the valve stem has a little metal stem on the wheel side and the sensor slides over it and a self tapping screw holds the sensor on the stem. There is actually a service kit everyone is supposed to use when changing tires which is a new screw and valve stem. 9L3Z-1A189-A is the sensor part number for the sensor and 9L3Z-1700-A is the part number for the bag of 4 stems and screws.

 

[JHZR2]

I don't get the gripes over this. If I was replacing tires, I wouldn't think twice to replace the old style black valve stems. Yes, they're $1.50 each vs $8, but they perform the same functions and to me it's a totally reasonable and regular thing to do. Here the item requires some rebuild which takes some more time and some other parts, so it costs a nominal fee. I'm no fan of tpms myself, especially after seeing just how much it has taken to set it off on some cars.

But if a rebuild can help extend the longevity of a $75 sensor for me, I'll take it.

And take peace in the fact that an item which has been a regular replacement item for as long as they have existed, is being replaced appropriately.

 

[Jarlaxle]

Offhand, I would be worried that the tire monkey might damage a very-expensive TPMS sensor while "rebuilding" it.

 

[Silverado12]

Originally Posted By: Finklejag
DTD charges $4.00 for the rebuild kit. I always asked them to price match their own company, and they do.

I hope my next car has ABS base TPMS rather then the wheel ones. Just another part that breaks and cost money because the gubmint forced this on the manufactures because of all the morons in this country.


Today's lower profile tires are harder to detect if they are low just by looking at them. I had a TPMS dash light come on while driving my Challenger, and I got out and looked, thinking something was wrong with the system when none of the tires looked low. I put a gauge on them and found out one was 10 psi low and had picked up a screw. I would tend to agree with your statement if cars still used the old type of 14, 15" tires, though. I gauge the tires normally every 1-2 months.

 

[HTSS_TR]

Originally Posted By: Silverado12
Today's lower profile tires are harder to detect if they are low just by looking at them. I had a TPMS dash light come on while driving my Challenger, and I got out and looked, thinking something was wrong with the system when none of the tires looked low. I put a gauge on them and found out one was 10 psi low and had picked up a screw. I would tend to agree with your statement if cars still used the old type of 14, 15" tires, though. I gauge the tires normally every 1-2 months.

You can't feel difference driving with 1 tire that much PSI lower ?

The performance/handling is deteriorated when 1 tire has 2-3 PSI(or more) less than the other tire on the same axle.

 

[slacktide_bitog]

A huge outcry over this will eventually lead to the TPMS law being repealed.

I'm glad at least Honda has gone back to indirect TPMS sensors that are in the ABS instead of the tire. So no TPMS rebuild kit is required.

 

[ccap41]

Originally Posted By: slacktide_bitog
A huge outcry over this will eventually lead to the TPMS law being repealed.

I'm glad at least Honda has gone back to indirect TPMS sensors that are in the ABS instead of the tire. So no TPMS rebuild kit is required.


How the heck does that work???