Originally Posted By: Traction
Originally Posted By: mehullica
To prevent breaking the sensor, you're supposed to unbolt it & drop it into the tire. That way the bead won't break the sensor when pulling it over the wheel edge. This breaks the seal of the small rubber sealing washer & it's cheap insurance to replace the kit with the tire off. If your tire shop leaves the sensors installed while installing tires, that's asking for trouble. I work at a dealership & have seen hundreds of sensors come in failed after recent tire replacement. Almost every time the bead contacted the sensor & made hairline cracks on the sensor causing it to fail soon after
I have Installed thousands of tires without dropping the sensor, and have never broke one yet. You can not drop the sensor if it is attached to a rubber valve stem. You can easily destroy a sensor just trying to take the nut off, especially if it is corroded. The only time I would replace a seal is if it is leaking. If it isn't leaking it is better left alone. My wife's car at 190kmi, and several sets of tires, in the salt belt do not leak yet. The rubber seal can easily, but not always of course, outlast the sensor. The sensors get broke by tire techs from not indexing the tire to the correct position when dismounting, or mounting the tire. Rubber valve stems can be cut for the same reason.
+1. Been in the industry from the beginning of tpms going mainstream, and I have only broke two sensors.
The first was when nobody knew what they were, and I managed to clip one. With a shovel.
The second was when a customer had tpms sensors installed in some 30 series tires after they were installed previously. Later he needed new tires and breaking the bead 180° out caused it to crack. After that we tried to drop the sensors but because of the angle of the aftermarket tires stem hole they would wedge on the tire. We ended up breaking all four. his vanity caused this and he realized it so he didnt fight much. Sensors still functioned so he put them in a pressure vessel.
I have literally done tens of thousands of tires. Indexing the tires works, but the seals In tpms do go, so it is best to get them changed out. I mean really $8 for 60k seems trivial compared to what bitogers spend on maintenance.
However if they say it looks corroded and they don't want to push it, go with their recommendation. I have seen too many dodge stems In perticular hold air and never come apart. Even to the point of rotting the valve core area of the stem away