I’ve checked my car’s tire pressure once a month since I got my first car in 1975. I check the pressure and visually inspect the tires every day on cross country road trips.
Never the less, I just blew a $100 getting a new tire pressure sensor installed. *The service tech seemed surprised that I wanted it done. * A $100 to get rid of an idiot light.
There’s still three more sensors just as old that will probably go out. Is it really worth $400 to keep a system working that wasn’t mandated by law until 2008?
If my expenses were tighter, this is one maintenance expense I’d ditch.
It’s so simple to check tire pressure. I do it the first weekend of each month. I have a air compressor in the garage.
A visual inspection is just as important. Look for cuts, bulges, or separating treads. I pick any rocks out of my treads. A idiot light is no substitute for a visual inspection.
I suspect the tire monitor systems on the newer vehicles are quite a bit more reliable than the ones that we had 8-10 years ago. I had a 2013 Terrain and there was zero problems with the tire monitors. On the cars in the early 2000’s all there was, was a “level light” if the car wasn’t sitting it’s “normal” level it would cause an idiot light to go on. Easy to reset once you inflated the tires. However, the JUNKY system on my 2007 impala was another matter. That system gave more trouble than the tires could ever hope to. Sensors always having issues and needing replacement. The other problem with that system was if you didn’t put the sensors in at all, you had a light on the dash on all the time.
I don’t think it’s worth it if you check your tire pressure from time to time. On my car, a new set of sensors runs about $240. If I replace them when I replace the tires (say in five years), the tire shop will do it for free, but that means I’m possibly replacing sensors that might have a few more years in them for no good reason. But if I don’t replace them, I’m going to pay at least $100 to get them installed later and the sensors probably won’t last more than 1-2 years longer than the original tires. So, the maintenance cost is something like $50 per year. I probably spend a combined 15 minutes over the course of a year manually checking tire pressure and pumping up the tires if needed. My time isn’t worth $200 after-tax per hour. I’m not sure how I’d pay to get rid of the idiot light when it comes on but I guess I’ll figure that out when my sensors fail. My guess is that I’ll get used to the light pretty quickly.
My current car, a 2018 Honda, doesn’t use those types of sensors. It watched the speed sensors and if there’s enough of a variation between them, it’ll turn on a light on my dash board telling me a tire is low (though it doesn’t tell me which one).
I’ve had the car for about a year and since then the tire pressure low light has turned on probably 20 times. I check the tires, they’re all fine, I reset the light and sometime in the next month or so (sometimes as soon as a day) the light is right back on.
It’s a leased car so I typically don’t bother with minor repair things like this. I’ll just make sure it’s off when I bring it back at the end of the lease and that’ll be that.
Hell yeah I want it. Right after we got the Sube we were starting on a trip when this warning light came on that looked like a cat’s ass; that was when I learned we had such a thing. (none of our earlier cars did) Made a quick detour and found out I had a nail through the sidewall. No biggie; got the tire replaced and went about my life of general contentment instead of getting stuck along 80 somewhere trying to change the tire. Had about the same deal heading to work but this time it was in the tread AND I actually had time to get the tire repaired and still clock in on time. Yeah, I have a pump and Fix-a-flat in the back but this was easier than coming out after a long shift to an aw-shit moment. Worth every penny as far as I’m concerned even though that is twice in 7 years.
Manually checking your tire pressures on a regular basis is a prudent thing to do, but most people don’t do it. AIUI, this is the biggest reason that TPMSs were eventually mandated (the other reason being that manufacturers had finally gotten the cost down to an acceptable level).
If you check your pressures monthly at home (and daily when touring), then you’re negating most of the advantage/purpose of your TPMS, but not all. A TPMS can still inform you of a slow leak that happens while you’re driving. Blowouts happen when driving an underinflated tire at high speeds, and the resulting high-speed crash can be fatal. A TPMS can literally save your life under these circumstances, so there’s still some value in keeping it functional. For me, the other part of the value lies in not driving a gradually-breaking-down-piece-of-shit car. I don’t like living with broken stuff, even stuff with limited utility. So yes, I’d spend the money to keep it working properly.
How does the handling on your car degrade with different tire pressure? I’ve had cars were it was subtle, and I’ve had a Prius. The Prius is quite susceptible to oversteer, IME, when back tires get low, and it doesn’t take much. This may be due to the low rolling resistance rocks they come with. On that car, I see why they put a TPMS on it.
Since you are diligent about checking pressures, I’d agree with Machine Elf that you’re negating most of the need for one.
I won’t defend this in court, but it wouldn’t surprise me if you had an accident and the insurance company found out the TPMS was faulty (even if it didn’t contribute to the accident) they might balk at paying up.
I went with “Yes” but only because “Only if you got the $$$$ to blow” seems a bit too cavalier. I can think of times it would have come in handy when I didn’t have it, and I might have saved some money replacing a blown out tire. On the other hand it’s a pain in the ass in winter when tire pressures drop on really cold days, and I can remember a time when a $100 sensor screwed my budget up for a month. I’d consider it one of those useful warning systems that you can let go if you can’t afford to address it, and if you promise to be vigilant about your tires while the system isn’t functioning.
