TPMS "Tire Pressure Too High" Warningq

[tinm]

So I needed new tires and got replacements for my S's Michelin MXM4's at a local Discount Tire.
Everything was fine until I got in the car and backed out of their garage. I noticed this warning in the dash display:

Went back and told tire person. They checked the tire pressures, and then ran a device next to each tire to "talk" to the TPMS sensor in the tire. One, the rear right, would not respond. TPMS was working fine with my old set of tires. They said they had to put new sensors in for all four tires this time.

Then they say that Discount Tire TPMS sensors don't work with 2013 Tesla Model S's. And that I should talk to Tesla and order TPMS's from them and Discount Tire will put 'em in at no charge.

Does this sound reasonable or did they screw me?

Understand there are NO Tesla service centers in New Mexico (don't get me started) so this will be weeks of waiting for parts to arrive (that I have to pay for!?!?) from Denver or some place, all the while I will be driving with the blasted "Tire Pressure Too High" warning on the dash.

Aaarrrrgh. Any advice?

 

[Joelc]

AFAIK changing the tires shouldn't require replacing the TPMS sensors. Did they say why they changed them?
Ask them to put the original sensors back.

 

[Barry]

AFAIK changing the tires shouldn't require replacing the TPMS sensors. Did they say why they changed them?
Ask them to put the original sensors back.

Unless they broke them while removing the old tires.

 

[tinm]

And would there be a way to prove they broke them? I think that is what happened.

 

[Barry]

Only by the logs not showing the warning before they messed with it.

 

[jerry33]

Did you check the pressure with a known accurate gauge? Tire shop gauges have often been mistreated and can be out by quite a bit.

 

[tinm]

I have now talked to multiple Tesla Service folks and Discount Tire itself.

Current conclusion: DT broke my TPMS sensors, and then gave them to me in a little baggie of parts, but did not really explain that they were using new valve stems with old Tesla sensors glommed onto them, or new DT sensors where the old ones were (not clear).

Tesla shows the TPMS warnings started at 10:10am on Saturday, which was when they were done and gave me the car back and I got in and pressed the brake pedal to turn the car on.

So now I have another appointment with DT and have to go back there and I suppose they have to take all 4 tires off the wheels and muck around with the sensors and try to rebuild them or something!? Ugh, what a mess.

 

[TaoJones]

I don’t let DT replace anything TPMS-related but the o-rings and not even those the first time around (just needed new tires at 1 year for the second S since it came with the underwhelming Goodyear Eagle Touring tires). The Michelins for the first S lasted over twice as long.

Also have found DT to be somewhat shop-specific when it comes to Tesla knowledge. Which you wouldn’t think...

Condolences re yer experience. Overall I’ve found DT/AT to be really good, but even so due to the Model S’ unadjustable rear camber, I’ve now found an independent shop now for tire/suspension/alignment work (and addition of adjustable rear camber links/bushings). Won’t even let Tesla check air pressure now.

However, when I’m on the road, DT/AT will be the shops I look for for slow leak repair and for tires when they wear out far from home. But they won’t get to replace my TPMS - and your tale reminds me of why.

Good luck getting all of that put back the way it should be. At least it sounds like it can be fixed with money and time and then it’s just a matter of who pays for what. Still... Bleh.

 

[tinm]

Went to Discount Tire again today at the appointed time. Had to re-tell the whole story over again. Red-shirt DT Guy has to start from scratch asking all the same questions again. Has to check all the tire measurements again. Has to run the TPMS device that talks to each sensor and get data, all over again. And like on Saturday, it says the right rear tire is 87psi. Which it isn't. But sensor says it is. The Model S computer just says "Tire Pressure Too High" but I bet somewhere in the logs there is an 87psi reading.

The Red-Shirt DT guy seemed 38% stumped and 62% apathetic, so he goes and looks for a manager. Of course, it is well after 2pm and the manager is on lunch supposedly. Says he will go find somebody.

I wait out by car. Five minutes go by, I go back into store, and Red-Shirt DT Guy is back to computer helping other customers.

Then another guy, this one in a black shirt, takes over, by starting all over from scratch. Needs to know the whole story. I tell it. Needs to know the readings all over. He gets them. Runs the diagnostic on the sensors all over again. Gets the same data. 87psi in right rear tire, according to TPMS device, 46psi according to two physical devices checking the actual valve.

Asks all sorts of questions, tries hard to say it's Tesla's fault. I told him no. Not buying that.

He says you gotta talk to the manager. He wanders off allegedly looking for him. I wait out by car. Five, ten minutes go by and I go in. Black-shirt guy just helping other customers.

Eventually he sees me and asks if manager has talked to me yet. No. He wanders off. Sez manager is around, "I just saw him." Gee that helps.

Then I see manager. He comes into store from garage. Immediately starts helping another customer.

That's it. Back in car, 45 minutes waiting for nothing. I gotta escalate this beyond the local yokels who clearly don't care and don't wanna deal with it.

Ironically, there is this poster on the wall, right behind the counter:

 

[dhanson865]

I assume your TPMS is 5 years old? For a 5 year old TPMS it isn't impossible for a TPMS sensor battery to die (good ones are rated for 10 years but MTBF is just a statistic). They are sealed inside the TPMS but people that like to save money will cut the seals, replace the battery and reseal. If the seal is good and the battery is still good the chance of the sensor dying otherwise is basically nil.

Of course you could be right they might have screwed something up and that is more likely. I'm just saying whatever the odds it's not 100% guaranteed Discount Tire messed up, just very very likely.

I'd escalate it up the chain as though it's their fault for sure.

 

[MP3Mike]

Of course you could be right they might have screwed something up and that is more likely. I'm just saying whatever the odds it's not 100% guaranteed Discount Tire messed up, just very very likely.

Of course it is 100% DT's fault. They broke the existing TMPS modules and replaced them. Even their own tool to read the pressures shows that one sensor is reporting the wrong pressure. It is obviously defective and needs to be replaced, again.

 

[tinm]

Reached the regional office, but all they do is take a message and some Vice President is supposed to get back. Obviously what they're doing first is checking with the local DT to see what they have to say. Haven't heard a peep from the regional office VP yet.

 

[Tam]

According to TeslaTap.com making sure to get the correct part number because of the change starting with VIN 50900, around September 2014.

 

[tinm]

Yep, thanks.

And if a moderator sees this could you please remove the stray ‘q’ in the thread title thnx.

 

[tinm]

Stopped by another Discount Tire today while in Albuquerque. All tires fine except right rear. Right rear at 46psi but the TPMS sensor keeps saying 87psi.

DT want me to get a new Tesla sensor. No
discussion about who’s gonna pay for it. But they sure aren’t offering.

How much does a new sensor cost?

 

[Tam]

Stopped by another Discount Tire today while in Albuquerque. All tires fine except right rear. Right rear at 46psi but the TPMS sensor keeps saying 87psi.

DT want me to get a new Tesla sensor. No
discussion about who’s gonna pay for it. But they sure aren’t offering.

How much does a new sensor cost?

I assume you have got to match your receiver with your 4 tire sensors. I am not sure keeping your old pre-2014 receiver would help with 4 brand new gen 2 tire sensors.

The post-2014 sensor is listed for $189.00 each but it's sold for $65.95

The pre-2014 sensor is sold for $95.95