Getting new wheels and tires with no $120 BT TPMS sensors. What error will display?

[yogi799]

Hey guys, new member here. Awaiting delivery of a new M3 and I will be getting new wheels and winter tires but i won't be getting the CAD$120 BT TPMS sensors.

Does anyone know how annoying the error message will be? As in, total PITA every time I drive or something invisible or not problematic at all? Thanks everyone.

 

[Mixxfixx]

I think just a light on the screen. Personally it would drive me crazy to drive an $80,000 car and another $3000 in rims and tires to have a light on all the time. What’s another $500

 

[Heymon123]

I think just a light on the screen. Personally it would drive me crazy to drive an $80,000 car and another $3000 in rims and tires to have a light on all the time. What’s another $500

Well it's quite a lot when you just spent $99,500 on the car. $2,000 on window tint and PPF. $2400 on ceramic coating the vehicle and windows and $2600 on winter wheels and tires. All within two weeks. That's why I didn't get them. Never thought about it causing a fault though That's Canadian $$

 

[jjrandorin]

There will be a message on screen all the time about it. At least in previous versions of the OS you could shrink the message down to a little "I" ("I" as in "I"nformation) on the screen by swiping it, but you couldnt get rid of it completely.


I personally dont want to normalize seeing any error messages, so I wouldnt want that on the screen all the time, but I also dont have to swap to winter tires where I am. I ride around year round on summer tires (and have done so for 15+ years now) since where I live it doesnt snow.

 

[Randy-12]

Well it's quite a lot when you just spent $99,500 on the car. $2,000 on window tint and PPF. $2400 on ceramic coating the vehicle and windows and $2600 on winter wheels and tires. All within two weeks. That's why I didn't get them. Never thought about it causing a fault though That's Canadian $$

Well the one thought on this comment is the that if you can afford to all of this and yet you can't afford another $500...sigh...enough said.

 

[Heymon123]

Well the one thought on this comment is the that if you can afford to all of this and yet you can't afford another $500...sigh...enough said.

If I knew it would cause a warning on the screen I definitely would have got them. I'll leave it for one winter and get them installed next winter.

 

[804son]

I drove last winter without the Bluetooth TPMS sensors. Yes, there will be an error message on the screen, which can be swiped partially away to an informational dot. It's not a big deal, but I do prefer driving with the correct TPMS sensors. You can check out T-sportline, I think they were at least a little cheaper than Tesla for the Bluetooth TPMS.

 

[jjrandorin]

Well the one thought on this comment is the that if you can afford to all of this and yet you can't afford another $500...sigh...enough said.

For me, there is a big difference in "cant afford" and "dont want to". Anyone that could afford to spend all that money in the first place could definitely afford to spend a little more if they wanted to, but the question is do they see value in it.

This is the same discussion people have about $5 or $10 smartphone apps being "too expensive" for someone who is buying a brand new car. They obviously can afford it (there is no way a person who could afford to buy a brand new car couldnt afford a $10 smartphone app), but what they are actually saying is "I dont see the value in XXXXXXX, at the cost of YYYY".

Once you replace "afford" with "Value" then the discussions make a lot more sense, because different people see value in completely different things (and thats ok, for sure).

This is what I had to do for myself, anyway, because it used to bother me for some reason to see people saying "I cant afford it" for something they obviously could (like a $5 smartphone app, or $10 premium connectivity monthly).

 

[Heymon123]

For me, there is a big difference in "cant afford" and "dont want to". Anyone that could afford to spend all that money in the first place could definitely afford to spend a little more if they wanted to, but the question is do they see value in it.

This is the same discussion people have about $5 or $10 smartphone apps being "too expensive" for someone who is buying a brand new car. They obviously can afford it (there is no way a person who could afford to buy a brand new car couldnt afford a $10 smartphone app), but what they are actually saying is "I dont see the value in XXXXXXX, at the cost of YYYY".

Once you replace "afford" with "Value" then the discussions make a lot more sense, because different people see value in completely different things (and thats ok, for sure).

This is what I had to do for myself, anyway, because it used to bother me for some reason to see people saying "I cant afford it" for something they obviously could (like a $5 smartphone app, or $10 premium connectivity monthly).

Well that was my thought. Do I really need them? I thought no so I didn't bother spending the money. I bought the wheels and tires from the same place. Had them mounted, balanced and shipped. I had a few conversations over the phone with them making sure I was getting the right set up. (went from 20's to 19's for winter) I am wondering why they didn't even bring up purchasing the sensors. More money for them. Plus if they mentioned the warning light issue I would have definitely purchased them.

 

[Alysashley79]

the downfall of not having them is that if you blow a tire you won’t know until it’s to late. Honestly. If that happens you’re out $400 for a new tire and $300 for a.

I know it’s an expense that no one wants to spend BUT it could also save you $. Just my two cents.

 

[stopcrazypp]

Hey guys, new member here. Awaiting delivery of a new M3 and I will be getting new wheels and winter tires but i won't be getting the CAD$120 BT TPMS sensors.

Does anyone know how annoying the error message will be? As in, total PITA every time I drive or something invisible or not problematic at all? Thanks everyone.

It's tolerable for a spare tire for a few days (I got a loaner wheel before that didn't have it), but it would be annoying to me to have it for longer than that. As others mentioned, having the sensors can warn you in advance and prevent a full blowout if you have a slow leak on your tire. Having experience a blowout before from a slow leak, I would probably not go back to not having TPMS unless it was for only a short period (like a loaner wheel).

I forgot exactly if the message was exactly the below, but it looks kind of like the below.

Tire Pressure Monitoring System Fault

 

[zhu-]

the downfall of not having them is that if you blow a tire you won’t know until it’s to late. Honestly. If that happens you’re out $400 for a new tire and $300 for a.

I know it’s an expense that no one wants to spend BUT it could also save you $. Just my two cents.

Agreed, it's a necessary cost IMO. If you get a nail in your tire it can most likely be fixed but not if driven at a low enough PSI and without TPMS telling you it will probably be too low and unrepairable by the time you notice.

 

[UtahRider]

Hey guys, new member here. Awaiting delivery of a new M3 and I will be getting new wheels and winter tires but i won't be getting the CAD$120 BT TPMS sensors.

Does anyone know how annoying the error message will be? As in, total PITA every time I drive or something invisible or not problematic at all? Thanks everyone.

It will pop up every time, very annoying. I had the wrong TPMS off eBay. Ended up Paying Tesla service to install the correct ones. Worth it to me!

 

[Lindenwood]

I have a few thousand miles on my race tires with no TPMS sensors, but if I could do it over again I would get them.

The error message blends in after a while (for better or worse), but whether daily driving or racing, I definitely underestimated the value of being able to just tap the screen and get a full readout of all pressures. Especially given how much tire pressures can vary over the winter, and how much tire pressure matters for both winter traction and efficiency, I would want the ability to check it regularly without having to kneel down in the cold.

Of note, I paid $250 US for the TSporttline sensors and they have indeed worked flawlessly since initial mounting!

 

[tm1v2]

I have a few thousand miles on my race tires with no TPMS sensors, but if I could do it over again I would get them.

The error message blends in after a while (for better or worse), but whether daily driving or racing, I definitely underestimated the value of being able to just tap the screen and get a full readout of all pressures. Especially given how much tire pressures can vary over the winter, and how much tire pressure matters for both winter traction and efficiency, I would want the ability to check it regularly without having to kneel down in the cold.

Of note, I paid $250 US for the TSporttline sensors and they have indeed worked flawlessly since initial mounting!

On my last ICE car, which had simple 1 warning light TPMS, I didn't bother with TPMS sensors on my winter wheels and I never missed them. The warning light would stay lit but...shrug. Just another useless warning light, the traction control / stability control off light was always lit on that car too. That version of TPMS was of zero value to me, so no point in spending a single dollar on TPMS sensors.

Now on our 2021 Model 3 where TPMS reports actual pressure for each wheel, that is legit useful! I will always run TPMS sensors on this car.

It's all personal preference though. TPMS didn't used to exist and we all managed just fine. I (manually) checked my tire pressures more often back then.

 

[blackT3$!@]

downfall of not having them is that if you blow a tire you won’t know until it’s to late

If you blow a tire and you don't feel it in the steering or suspension, did you really "blow" a tire? TPMS isn't going to help you if you have a tire blow out going 75mph on the freeway. It will alert you to a leak, but not a catastrophic tire failure.

 

[Mixxfixx]

If you blow a tire and you don't feel it in the steering or suspension, did you really "blow" a tire? TPMS isn't going to help you if you have a tire blow out going 75mph on the freeway. It will alert you to a leak, but not a catastrophic tire failure.

It will alert you to low pressure tho. And that can be the difference between a blowout and not. Ask me how I know lol.

 

[vickh]

For me, there is a big difference in "cant afford" and "dont want to". Anyone that could afford to spend all that money in the first place could definitely afford to spend a little more if they wanted to, but the question is do they see value in it.

This is the same discussion people have about $5 or $10 smartphone apps being "too expensive" for someone who is buying a brand new car. They obviously can afford it (there is no way a person who could afford to buy a brand new car couldnt afford a $10 smartphone app), but what they are actually saying is "I dont see the value in XXXXXXX, at the cost of YYYY".

Once you replace "afford" with "Value" then the discussions make a lot more sense, because different people see value in completely different things (and thats ok, for sure).

This is what I had to do for myself, anyway, because it used to bother me for some reason to see people saying "I cant afford it" for something they obviously could (like a $5 smartphone app, or $10 premium connectivity monthly).

well said.. some people (Like my MIL) say "we have the money, so lets spend" vs I look at value, % off vs what am I getting it return.

 

[coleAK]

You don’t need the Tesla OEM sensors. I’m running these $119 USD for a set of 4. Had them for 4 years in my summer set with no issues. They require programming, but I already had the tool as I use it to reset my other 3 vehicles twice a year.

Autel MaxiTPMS MX Sensor 4pcs Universal Tire Sensor Dual Frequency 315MHz/433MHz TPMS Sensor Metal Stem Programmable by TS508 TS408 TS508WF TS608 MS906TS ITS600 MS906PRO-TS Amazon.com

 

[tm1v2]

You don’t need the Tesla OEM sensors. I’m running these $119 USD for a set of 4. Had them for 4 years in my summer set with no issues. They require programming, but I already had the tool as I use it to reset my other 3 vehicles twice a year.

Autel MaxiTPMS MX Sensor 4pcs Universal Tire Sensor Dual Frequency 315MHz/433MHz TPMS Sensor Metal Stem Programmable by TS508 TS408 TS508WF TS608 MS906TS ITS600 MS906PRO-TS Amazon.com

Those will not work with a new Model 3.