Sunday, June 22, 2014

TPMS Sensors Have Changed Tire Care | Joe & Tony's Service Inc.

Here to stay - Six model years have passed since Tire Pressure Monitor Sensors became mandatory for vehicles sold in the U.S. In the auto repair industry there are differing stances on their significance. These opinions range from denial to complete acceptance. The cold hard fact is that their use is considered a safety feature so they are no more likely to go away than are seat belts or airbags.

Consumer friendly- What could be more clear than responding to a dashboard warning light? The easy answer is "nothing" but that assumes that the driver of the vehicle knows what the symbol is and what it looks like. The telltale for low tire pressure is a yellow cross section of a tire with an exclamation point in the center. In a recent study performed by Schrader, a company that makes tire valves, 42 % of the respondents could not identify the symbol and ten percent said they have ignored it.

False positives ?- In climates that have seasonal changes in temperature, it is not unusual for colder weather to cause the light to appear. This, of course, is a good thing since it means the system is working as designed.
But drivers not familiar with the light or those not understanding how it works tend to consider the light a nuisance since it requires confirming that the tire is low by manually checking the pressure and inflating the tires to the proper level.

Costs involved - With technology comes expense, the expected life of the batteries that power TPMS sensors is approximately five years. They are not cheap in most cases replacing them can cost between $75 and $150 with installation labor. Some systems require re-learning after each tire rotation which generates additional expense. The facts are that the system works. What price is too much to pay for safety? 

TPMS Sensor

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