SENSOR PAIRING

▶ Unless you can break the bead between the tyre and rim yourself, without causing damage, you will need help from a tyre fitter. Be wary, however, of not only damaging the sensor but also chipping lacquer from the paint finish, which will court corrosion. Should you require a replacement sensor, hand-held TPMS equipment is required, which is uneconomical for a typical DIYER to purchase. However, you can still save money, by being aware of your options, in the event of total sensor failure.

Buying a brand new sensor that matches the type fitted to your car tends to be the most expensive option but it will not work straight away. Firstly, a new sensor requires activating, which is a wireless process that switches the unit on, so it starts transmitting. The new sensor will possess an ID code that will need pairing to the car, which allows the TPMS ECU to recognise it. Afterwards, most vehicles will have to be driven in a way to ‘relearn’ the new sensor’s ID and to ensure that the whole system operates correctly. As labour costs can equal the cost of a new sensor (at least), fitting a used item from a scrap car may be an uneconomical option.

An alternative method is to clone the original sensor’s ID onto a new ‘blank’ sensor. This is how Autogem’s i-sensor range offers a cost-saving. The ID can either be found printed on the old sensor body (as pictured), or the information can be accessed wirelessly, even if the sensor battery is nearly exhausted. The ID can then be transferred onto the i-sensor, which the TPMS ECU recognises. As the ID exchange is quicker than programming a virgin sensor, you can save on fitting costs. In addition, the relearn procedure is unnecessary.