TPMS sensor life

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How long do TPMS sensors last? I've got a set on my winter wheels / tires going on 7 years old. Tires are only used ~5 months out of the year. I assume these have a battery of some type with finite life. I need new winter tires this year. Is it a good idea to replace the TPMS sensors while the tires are off, or can they go a lot longer than 7 years?
 
You might get another couple of years out of your current sensors, but it would be a good idea to either rebuild your sensors when you mount the new tires - only good if the rebuild includes a new battery, but may not be possible with all sensor brands - or replace the sensors with new ones.

HTH
 
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Originally Posted By: novadude
How long do TPMS sensors last? I've got a set on my winter wheels / tires going on 7 years old. Tires are only used ~5 months out of the year. I assume these have a battery of some type with finite life. I need new winter tires this year. Is it a good idea to replace the TPMS sensors while the tires are off, or can they go a lot longer than 7 years?


The odds are they can last over ten years but one out of four might not make it that long. If you make it 7 years and need to replace the tires around then, I would replace them.
 
We replaced ours at 8 years while getting new tires. Our RAV4s have five sensors, that added $300 to the cost of the tires times two....OUCH!
 
I have a 2008 and 2010 Civic with TPMS. The 10's are original and I think the 08's are too. I plan to disable the TPMS light when they come on. I'm not going to spend a couple hundred bucks on each car to get new sensors. I'll just check my tire pressure myself. They really don't even work that well anyways...
 
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Originally Posted By: RTexasF
We replaced ours at 8 years while getting new tires. Our RAV4s have five sensors, that added $300 to the cost of the tires times two....OUCH!


There are cheaper ways such as buying them on Amazon, but you need a cooperative tire shop to put them in. I think most tire shops look at these as a nice profit center.

Having said that, they can save your life or those of your wife and kids. Not just by avoiding a blowout, but by avoiding being stuck on a freeway and having your family subjected to meeting a new group of “friends” on the side of the road.
 
It is going to depend on how long they are actually being used on a vehicle that is being driven. Most of them only power ON and transmit a signal when the tire is spinning faster than a certain speed, usually about 30 mph. When they are sitting static they power themselves OFF and the lithium battery is not being used/depleted.
 
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Originally Posted By: 2010Civic
I'm not going to spend a couple hundred bucks on each car to get new sensors.
$50 for a 2-pack (VDO SE1001HP). I presume most units can be had for a similar price. Sam's Club will install for $5/tire and a $19 programming fee. I think Walmart has similar price. Check with your preferred tire shop too. Certainly doesn't have to cost a couple hundred bucks.
 
Originally Posted By: hallstevenson
Originally Posted By: 2010Civic
I'm not going to spend a couple hundred bucks on each car to get new sensors.
$50 for a 2-pack (VDO SE1001HP). I presume most units can be had for a similar price. Sam's Club will install for $5/tire and a $19 programming fee. I think Walmart has similar price. Check with your preferred tire shop too. Certainly doesn't have to cost a couple hundred bucks.


Amazon has the VDO 2-pack for $53, which it says do not fit my 2010 Civic. So that is $106 for all 4. Plus $40 for install/programming. Almost $150 out the door. I'll pass.
 
If they lasted 7 years, $150 would be just over $21.00 per year vs doing a tire change in an interesting hood.
smile.gif
 
Ever wonder what drivers did for the 100+ years that TPMS was not available?
I check my tire pressures regularly and I keep an eye on my tires, always have. I am not about to spend what amounts to a pretty good percentage of the cost for a new set of tires to replace TPMS sensors. For me, this is a waste of money. I would rather invest the money in a better quality set of tires and replace them more often.
 
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Originally Posted By: Snagglefoot
If they lasted 7 years, $150 would be just over $21.00 per year vs doing a tire change in an interesting hood.
smile.gif

So if you bought a car that didn't have them, would you retrofit them?
 
The biggest issue is, that the people that really need TPMS the most, are the people that have no clue as to what the stupid light even means, don't own a tire pressure gauge, know how to add air, or set the pressure to spec. They usually have a couple more warning lights on too, and will just keep driving the car until it quits for some unknown reason.
But, back to the OP, I wouldn't worry about it until the first sensor fails. I also don't worry about the O-rings, etc., unless they are leaking. Too many sensors self-destruct just trying to remove them for a new kit, requiring an early replacement sensor.
 
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this all started with unaware drivers running their Ford Bronco tires on low pressure popping the tires then flipping the vehicle breaking their necks (roofs were another can of worms)...anyway if you run multiple wheel sets like I do I found it best to disable and I have 9 working sensors..reprograming them every season was just too much.
 
Originally Posted By: supton
Originally Posted By: Snagglefoot
If they lasted 7 years, $150 would be just over $21.00 per year vs doing a tire change in an interesting hood.
smile.gif

So if you bought a car that didn't have them, would you retrofit them?


If the car already had the electronics, I would do it at the first set of new tires. They are a safety feature. As said, they don’t prevent flats but they let you know you’re losing air earlier than you would notice otherwise.

If a person doesn’t want to maintain the safety features of their car, carry on. Just because a person may have checked their air pressure prior to a trip doesn’t amount to a hill of beans if you pick up a nail on the trip.
 
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I've had vehicles with TPMS since 2007. The only vehicle I've ever had problems with the actual TPMS in the wheels was with our 2007 Honda Odyssey minivan. They came loose within the wheels and tumbled themselves into bits on two of them after about 3-4yrs. Could have been the result of a tire tech's neglect I suppose, nor had it ever been suggested to me that they be rebuilt. Possible neglect on my part too.
 
I bought my son a 2012 Hyundai Accent. It has no spare tire, only a "tire mobility kit" that I hope he will never have to use. He had a nail in one tire a few months ago and the TPMS alerted him to the issue before the tire went completely flat. In fact, that is one thing I think TPMS is good for. I check my tire pressure regularly, about twice a month, but a small item stuck through the tread area can easily go unnoticed. The TPMS has actually saved tires on both his car and mine. Every 8-10 years I can buy aftermarket sensors for about $100 a set and replace them at a tire change interval. In this way the system has the potential to pay for itself. My 2012 Mazda3 had a mail in a tire when it was only a few months old and then again just a few months after purchasing the first replacement set of tires. Overall, I actually like the system.

FYI, his Hyundai requires programming with the appropriate hardware while my Mazda more or less does it by itself with minimal effort on my part.

For the vast majority of drivers the system is a good thing.
 
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