Should I replace my 2yr old TPMS when changing tires?

The OEM Toyota TPMS will last you 10 years, however if you bought aftermarket ones from China, they will probably not last very long.

 

Some cheap aftermarket will only last a few years, so the real question is the quality of the ones that was last installed.
My expectation is at least 5-8 years out of a good quality sensor. That's also what I would expect from good quality tires too.

 

Never replace any TPMs unless there is a warning light, is my recommendation.

It’s a big waste of monetary funds, especially if you are on OE.

FYI for DIY engagement; it’s actually fairly easy to replace TPMs yourself - without any special tools.

 

Short answer....no.

 

Longer answer: Good Lord, no.

I’m in Canada, where (as far as I know) TPMS is not mandatory, so maybe that colours my opinion, but I would wait till they die, and then “consider” getting them replaced, the next time new tires are needed.

for what it’s worth: our ‘10’s still got functional, from-the-factory sensors.

 

I drive a 2011 and a 2017, both have the original units in the tires.

I see no need to replace them.

 

I found TPMS systems to be useless, if you have a blowout. The flap-flap sound of the totally flat tire will warn you at the same time as any TPMS light on the dash.

If you check the tires every month, you'll never need. Othe past 14 years that my TPMS was working, it only came on with the onset I f cold weather.

I recently had a blowout and got new tires and the TPMS light came on. The tire shop asked me if I b wanted the TPMS sensors replaced. I said no.

The TPMS light now stayed on.

Instead replacing them, I turned off the light. ON Gen 3 P, just jumper positions 5 and 6 on the back of the connector block as shown in this photo.

 

Or just live with the light? There's typically one or two others on, say passenger seat air bag status; it can keep them company. I'm just averse to doing fundamental mod's, particularly ones I might forget the how-or-why, with another decade.

 

There is a cheaper way to refurbish your original TPMS from Toyota. I have a friend that buys the original Panasonic batteries from online sources for about $4 each. Uses liquid silicone to seal them after they have been replaced, looks original when done and should last another 10 years since the batteries are the same Panasonic ones from OEM. Big savings compared to buying new ones from Toyota at $80 to $100 each

Most people won't check their air in their tires regularly, just like they don't check the engine oil levels. So this TPMS is a good warning for most people when their tire is low on air.

 

I live in rural Maine. Over the past 20 years, there have been many times when a vehicle of ours suddenly has a leaking tire [farm tractor, dump truck, 1/2 ton pickup, or sedans]. I have gotten into the habit that every time I unplug the charger I look at the tires. If one tire looks a little low. I air it up again.

 

You will get ten years from oem or aftermarket because they sleep when the car is not moving.

A tpms will tell you when the tire is low but not yet flat. Running at 22 psi looks ok but heats up the tire leading to ply separation which is never good.

It is an essential safety feature since no one really checks tire pressures or even oil levels anymore. Especially the 99% who just drive their appliance and don't care about diy forums.

 

Over a bit longer period, I've had a couple valid TPMS alerts from fast-leak punctures. One gave me just enough warning to cross 3 lanes of heavy traffic from the left-side HOV to the next right-side exit, and down the exit ramp to a safe wide space to park, without any flap-flapping, though the tire was a total loss.

The other was slow enough to let me re-pump and continue the 25 miles into the main town while the spouse called around to find a tire shop that wouldn't already be closed on a Saturday evening before we could get to them. (And despite the TV ad campaign, the Les Schwab would not stay open late for us.) Only two would still be open, but the Costco wouldn't touch tires they didn't sell (car still had factory tires), so we reached the other just minutes before closing. If not for that, the tire would have gone dead flat overnight, and our trip would have needed to pause at a local hotel all day Sunday while we waited for the other tire shops to re-open Monday morning.

Two additional TPMS alerts were for slower puncture leaks that could have waited for monthly manual checks.

The 2010 Prius also had a series of spurious alerts when it went too long between detections of a single sensor. The next Prius didn't exhibit that problem.

I've never had an alert from cold weather pressure drop. Regular monthly pressure checks ought to avoid that, unless you intentionally jigger the alert thresholds to alarm at less pressure drop than the standard factory margin.

(Only two of the above events, the fastest and the slowest, were on the household's Toyota. The other two were on the Subaru.)

 

I wonder if it'd be possible to make the sensor batteries more easily replaceable? If practical, maybe that should be mandated: besides saving car owner's money, it would ensure sensor compatibility, it seems like the spent sensors, with embedded battery, are a recycling nightmare. Kinda like electric tealights, except worse.

 

Manufacturers don't really want you to replace batteries, they rather you buy new ones. We use to have cell phones with easy to replace batteries, until they figured out it's better to make them hard to replace and the regular consumer would have to upgrade or buy new again.

It's all part of the disposable economy we live in, having access to cheaper parts from China that fail 5x faster. I guess that's what people are wanting, nothing that last long, just instant gratification at a lower entry price and more expensive long term.

Most OEM parts are always engineered to be better than third party items. If you can replace the battery (with a little labor), it would beneficial for the earth and your pocketbook to just replace the battery.

 

I am curious - are you asking because the installer offered it, or because you are curious about how often it should be changed? Are you referring to the TPMS sensor, or the TPMS service pack that installers often recommend/require?

Unless you are getting an error, you do not need to replace the sensors, and they are not part of regular maintenance/replacement. The TPMS sensors themselves, last north of 10 years. I had to replace mine at 13 years. You almost never have to think about this or their service/replacement unless you are getting an error.

However, during tire changes, what you are often asked to change, or is part of the installation of new tires, is a TPMS Service Pack. This is usually the valve stem, grommet, valve core, cap, nut, etc. This you should replace and install, because these are subject to weather and the elements, and not to mention, are very inexpensive ($3 per tire at Costco).

So to answer your question - no you shouldn't change the TPMS sensor. Yes you should opt for the TPMS service pack.

 

Over the many years that I drove without TPMS, the issue was never a slow keak but a tire picking up debris that resulted in a fully flat tire.

Every time I was fully prepared with a compact floor jack and a full size spare. I was back on the road in 15-20 minutes.

I would prefer a good jack and a full size spare to any TPMS system.

 

My life experience is strongly weighted towards punctures causing less-fast leaks. The destroyed tire in that reply above was my fastest flat ever. TPMS gave me sufficient warning to get to a much safer stopping place than the left shoulder of an urban Interstate.

I wish all this household's vehicles over the decades had space for a full-size spare without sacrificing travel capacity.

We survived the pre-TPMS era just fine, but I have found TPMS to be a positive added value.

 

Agreed. It is there for a good reason.

To share an anecdote, I was in a large car, and the TPMS light went on. We were a bit confused as the car was running fine. Out of caution we pulled over and realized the tire was flat. The car was so large that we didn't notice a major change in drive feel, and cabin was very sound insulated so we didn't hear the thudding of the flat.

It very well saved our lives, or at least potential property damage, since we were still only driving straight at the time.

 

The driver needs to be more aware of how the car handles.
It's easy to tell the car is handling different when a tire is low, or flat!

The sensors are for the TIRES, not the engine.... "TIRE" pressure monitoring system...

If you have a nail or glass or stick in the tire and the leak is slow, the light will come on to let you
know at least one of the tires pressure is lower than it should be and to check it out.

You could check the pressure now, and the tires are where you set it, but drive down the road and
run over a nail or glass and start loosing pressure. So it alerts you to pressure change so you can repair it
before it gets too low and ruins the tire...