TPMS sensor secured by duct tape - Has anyone encountered it?

Joined
Nov 6, 2011
Messages
32
Location
British Columbia, Canada
Yesterday, a driver of an '08 Nissan Frontier arrived at my workplace with a TPMS problem. I used the Autel MaxiTPMS TS508 to pinpoint which sensors were faulty. The left-front and left-rear tires had bad sensors. But being a 12-year-old pickup truck, we had to replace all four since their batteries have a short lifespan.

During the sensor replacement, I encountered something unusual. As I was working on the left-rear tire, I heard something tumbling inside the wheel and tire assembly. After dismounting the tire, I found the TPMS sensor landed on the tire instead of being secured on the wheel where the valve stem sits. What's worse, someone from another shop used duct tape and wrapped around the wheel several times just to secure a sensor with a regular, non-TPMS rubber valve stem sitting in its place.

Four rubber snap-in Autel MX 1-Sensors and an OBD relearn later, the truck now has working TPMS. But there is one lingering question. Who in the right mind would think using duct tape to secure a TPMS sensor on a wheel is a good idea? I'm used to Ford banded, aluminum clamp-in, and rubber snap-in TPMS sensors, but never duct tape.

Has anyone ever encountered that scenario before?
 
It could be any tire shop, including chains. Worst case is they get caught, play dumb, and spring for the sensor.

The informed consumer should know if their stems are rubber or solid bolt-in, and ask if they get a car back with a rubber one when the other three are stiff. (There's a chance the shop busted an OE one and replaced it with a different brand one with rubber stem without mentioning it, so be polite!)
 
My local shop cracked one of mine while replacing a tire. Not only did the owner come up front and show me, he told me it would work for now, go ahead and order a new one from your dealership and when you get it in, we'll replace it for free and reimburse you the cost of the sensor. Of course it helps when your father has had a 35 year friendship with the owner.;)
 
It could be any tire shop, including chains. Worst case is they get caught, play dumb, and spring for the sensor.

The informed consumer should know if their stems are rubber or solid bolt-in, and ask if they get a car back with a rubber one when the other three are stiff. (There's a chance the shop busted an OE one and replaced it with a different brand one with rubber stem without mentioning it, so be polite!)
To be blunt, when I dismounted the left-rear tire, the formerly-duct-taped TPMS sensor that was left tumbling around the tire was a Nissan-Schrader OEM unit, with the aluminum valve stem attached. Upon closer inspection, the valve stem was bent out of shape and there was no nut to secure it.

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(Photo from Dill - dillvalves.com)
 
My local shop cracked one of mine while replacing a tire. Not only did the owner come up front and show me, he told me it would work for now, go ahead and order a new one from your dealership and when you get it in, we'll replace it for free and reimburse you the cost of the sensor. Of course it helps when your father has had a 35 year friendship with the owner.;)

It's a bit of an art when the tpms sensor is part of the valve, but at least you know where it is. Not minding it pretty much guarantees a broken sensor. If the sensor is banded down, you'd have to go look for it after you push the tyre of the rim and before you try to pull it over. Not sure everyone does that every time.
 
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