TPMS Replacement Cost

almostover

Bit of a rant on the above.

So I have a 12 year old Lexus IS300h which has TPMS on each wheel. NCT is tomorrow and my bad luck resulted in the TPMS light coming on Tuesday and not responding to being reset via the button on the dash. Checked the tyre pressures, all OK. Went to a tyre garage and their reader wasn't picking one of the sensors and they suspected a dead battery.

Guess what, the battery is soldered into the sensor and covered in potting epoxy. Not viable to remove the battery from the sensor and replace it. And most tyre shops don't have the software to program a Lexus sensor. New sensor + programming cost me €220 from Lexus. Service guy at the dealer informed me that the batteries do start to fail after 10+ years and to expect it to happen again soon. So I'm all good for the NCT tomorrow but there's a €660 bill waiting in my future just so I can pass my now yearly NCT.

TPMS was mandated by the EU for cars produced after 2012. Apparently as a safety feature because the average motorist is too stupid and/or lazy to check their tyre pressures regularly. Even though the car can be driven on 4 flat tyres anyway and this only becomes an issue at NCT time. So each new car manufactured since 2012 has a 'safety' feature in it that does nothing to make the car safer but will cost close to €1000 for mandatory replacement as the car ages. Is this not another example of superfluous safety equipment being mandated in cars that doesn't materially improve road safety but does end up financially costing the average motorist? Should the NCT not be changed to pass cars with a TMPS warning light illuminated provided the tyres are correctly inflated?

Rant over…..

mk7r

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/2058427549/tpms-replacement-cost

Most tyre places can fit aftermarket sensors for about €80 you don't need to go to lexus.

There are also different types of tmps system, the older cars tend to have sensors in each wheel but they have now moved to a system that uses the abs to detect differences in rolling radius that doesn't need any maintenance or sensor replacement but at the cost of lower precise pressure accuracy.

With regards the NCT I would say no.…the NCT is the only reason a lot of people get anything fixed and 95% of cars that come to us for service have incorrect tyres pressure so I'd say it should stay as a fail

User1998

What a pointless rant and waste of money…

TPMS faults are only a fail for cars registered after October 2014. Try doing some more research next time😂

almostover

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123950023#Comment_123950023

Are you serious? I could have passed the NCT with the warning light on the dash?

User1998

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123950075#Comment_123950075

Yep, page 93 of the NCT manual states this

It's actually Jan 2015 onwards, not Oct 2014 like I stated previously

almostover

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123950096#Comment_123950096

Reading that it would have been an advisory pass. How aware are the testers of this pre-2015 clause typically? Seems like the kind of thing that could result in a dispute.

almostover

One other thing, the car is a UK import. So despite being a 132 reg I do notice that on some documentation the first registered date is 2018 i.e. when I imported the car and registered it in Ireland.

User1998

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123950142#Comment_123950142

They are completely aware of the testing rules and it would not have ended in a dispute. Also, it's based on the date of first registration, not first registration in Ireland. So you would have passed no problem

almostover

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123950166#Comment_123950166

Great, should have come here first it seems. Anyway, sense bought is better than sense taught.

User1998

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123950178#Comment_123950178

At least you have no TMPS warning now

almostover

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123950202#Comment_123950202

A small consolation

GavPJ

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123950238#Comment_123950238

Most cars pre 2015 can have the TPMS sensors turned off permanently.

Same thing happened me Monday eve, sensor sh 1T itself and my NCT was

Weds evening. No time to get it sorted. Luckily enough I know that if you disconnect

the battery and reconnect it after 30 seconds it knocks the light out and it won't come

on again until you have about 10k done.

kirving

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/2058427549/tpms-replacement-cost

Apparently as a safety feature because the average motorist is too stupid and/or lazy to check their tyre pressures regularly.

…a 'safety' feature in it that does nothing to make the car safer but will cost close to €1000 for mandatory replacement as the car ages. Is this not another example of superfluous safety equipment being mandated in cars that doesn't materially improve road safety but does end up financially costing the average motorist?

This view simply isn't backed up by studies that the EU and their counterparts in the NHTSA in the US have carried out, and I can't see you applying the "stupid and/or lazy" argument to a smoke alarm for example.

Maintaining correct tyre pressure improves stopping distance, handling, fuel economy and tyre life, and minimises the chance of a blow out. It also means that people don't have to waste time checking something on a weekly basis.

As someone posted above, you can get aftermarket models for much less cost, and I would happily bet that on average, over the life of the vehicle they easily cover their own cost in fuel savings and tyre wear alone.

almostover

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123951360#Comment_123951360

I'd be reticent enough to go doing that with the 12v battery on my car with it being a hybrid. Anyway, NCT passed this morning so I'll move on now and know better for the next time.

almostover

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123952383#Comment_123952383

I'm not for a moment denying that maintaining correct tyre pressures results in a safer driving experience.

I'm challenging why hundreds of € of sensors are required when instead motorists should be regularly checking their tyre pressure. A person who isn't checking their tyres pressures regularly isn't likely to be the type to take action when a warning light appears on their dash.