I am going to get new tires from Discount Tires this afternoon. They recommend to put the rebuilt TMP kit on to ensure there will be no leak.

This new technology is really a hassle. I read online and it says the built in battery in the sender unit will last 6 to 8 years. After that you either replace it (not the battery, but the whole unit) or have a TPM warning light on the dash. I wonder how much will that costs when the dealer does it (It says something about needs to be re-programmed)

 

When I worked for Chrysler the TPMS modules were $75 a pop for most vehicles and $100 for programming. Might be different for Honda.

 

If it is the same price:

4 x 75 + 100 = $400

I think I would rather get used to the TPM warning light.

 

If I recall correctly, on average Honda dealers reset the system for $100 and each sensor is $55 a pop; though of course, prices vary from dealer to dealer. The thing is though, the TPMS only needs to be reset if a new sensor is introduced to the system.

The "rebuild" kit consists of new rubber grommets and washers. Not really needed in your case since you're just getting new tires and the TPMS sensors will not have to be removed at all to swap tires.

 

I think the theory of "We'll cross that bridge when we come to it" applies. Who knows what technology will exist in 8 years, maybe tpms with an easy programming kit.

 

Most tire shops prefer to unbolt and drop the TPMS into the tire so the tire machine doesn't break the sensor. It can easily be avoided, but they don't want to take liability if they do break it.

 

That may be so, but doing so creates unneeded work since portion of the sensor containing the electronics is located down in the drop section (forgive me, I forgot the actual name).

All the tech has to do when breaking the bead is make sure that they don't have the bead breaker (again, forgot the actual name) over the sensor and while they are mounting/dismounting the tire, just make sure the tire's bead is being held above and away from the sensor as the tire machine's duck guides the tire onto the wheel.

 

I know :P I used to mount/dismount all the time, and I completely agree it's not necessary. unfortunately people don't think about it before they destroy the sensor. I'd personally pay for the "rebuild", or make sure the shop can do it properly.

 

The shop should be able to do the process without having to remove the TPMS sensors so if something does happen, it will be at THEIR cost, not yours. If they can't do it right, then pick a different shop.

As for the TPMS sensors, those with VSA have to have sensors or else the VSA is engaged at all times.

~SB

 

Black tape will take care of the TPM warning light on the dash...

 

I bought winter tires on steel rims from TireRack for my wife's 2009 Accord w/o sensors. When I swap out the summer tires in the fall, the sensor light comes on. When I put the summer tires back on in the spring, light goes off. Black tape works fine in between.
...btw, I'm looking forward to buying a 2012 Fit and want to thank you all for some great advice - love this forum!! It's making my decision easier!

 

TPMS is the worst thing ever. Its the result of a knee jerk lawmaker response to Exploder-gate, and just adds cost to the vehicle that could have gone towards something more meaningful (such as rear disc brakes).

 

You may not love it on your car but think of the guy whose flat at highway speeds might crash into you.

 

I bought 2 sets of wheels and tires for my Fit and ended up not getting TPMS sensors installed. At the time the cheapest I could find sensors was $50/ea and the dealer wanted $100 for programing ($200/year if you're like me and want to run winter tires half the year).

I just sold the car and looked into what it would cost to get TPMS for the new owner (Honda dealer bought the car back, so it ended up being a non-issue). Tirerack sells sensor for $144 per set of 4 and ATEQ makes a Quickset tool for $150 that lets you reprogram the vehicle yourself using the number that's printed on each sensor. Not sure if it lets you set pressure levels for the warning or not.

IMO the "value" to me of Honda's TPMS is about $40, so obviously the cost isn't worth it. I would pay around $200 for a system that tell you the psi in each tire rather than just ignite a dummy light. So the cost has to come way down on these systems before they're anything but a PITA.

Or... Honda and the Japanese need to learn from the Americans and make the vehicle user reprogrammable without a computer. That way you only have the cost of the sensors and can easily reprogram them yourself for free.

 

No.

TPMS has a few different benefits.

From the get go, knowing that you have all tires at the minimum safe tire pressure is a good thing for almost everyone on the road. Getting a nail in a tire (as most everyone I know has had at least two or three times) can cause a slow leak where you wouldn't know one tire was getting low without a regular daily inspection of each tire.

TPMS also is a subset of the components in VSA which IS a benefit to 99.99999999999999999% of the population. The computer can control the stability of the car much better than the driver during sudden directional changes.

And rear disc brakes add weight and do little if anything for braking in the fit. Other vehicles, maybe, the fit... not so much.

I agree greatly with Cargun's last statement. manufacturers need to find a solution for easy programming of tpms sensors. something like the ability of putting the car in "programming mode" and driving for 2 miles to calibrate would be nice. Fortunately for those of us without VSA, we can ride with the TPMS light on... those with VSA need the sensors.

~SB

 

Ok, so I have Enkei RPF1 wheels without TPMS on a 2010 Sport. What is that doing to my VSA? I honestly haven't noticed a single issue, but I also don't know what to look for.

 

If you drive a car enough and you know your car, you can tell when a tire has a slow leak. The handling is affected. TPMS is a reflection on people who fail to check tire pressures and don't pay attention to what their car is doing. I can tell 2-3 PSI differences in tire pressure easily with the difference in how the car handles. Variations in temperature affect tire pressures too and its definitely a noticeable change for me when it happens.

Actually VSA doesn't require TPMS at all to function. Remove TPMS, and you cannot manually disable VSA (for safety reasons) which means the TPMS sensors are virtually useless with regards to VSA. Where did you get the impression that VSA required TPMS to function? Rather you cannot turn off VSA as a safeguard since they assume if TPMS goes off, then you need VSA for sure as something is wrong.

The Fit has EBD. Any car with EBD uses the rear brakes more than old cars without EBD. Search topics of where people complain about Hondas where the rear brakes are wearing quickly - this is due to EBD.

As I said - TPMS is useless, but I suppose for the 99% that doesn't pay attention, it makes things safer. Still a sad waste of $$$ if you ask me, for people that don't need a nanny monitor.

Edit - I will qualify, it is useless, at least for most cars, including our Fits. TPMS is required in a car with run flat tires, since in that case the tire holds its shape and its much harder to tell if there's a slow leak.

 

Thank you. That's much more in line with what I was thinking.

 

I can give a little insight when it comes to TPMS devices as I work for Discount Tire Co. and am around them on a day to day basis.

The concept of the Tire Pressure Monitoring System was originally designed for vehicles with run-flat tires and luxury vehicles.

Most people when driving can not tell the difference when one of their tires is starting to go low, let alone when it has gone completely flat. I chalk it up to the fact that the suspension components are getting better and better on most vehicles, and it's making it harder to realize for the less aware.

There are two main styles of sensors being used as of 2011. The first style is a rubber based stem with a copper connector at the base that allows you to attach the housing unit via a star-bit screw. The second style is an aluminum based stem, and for most of these the housing unit and stem are one solid piece, with the shell being what you find in the rebuild kit. Rebuild kits are a very important part of keeping your sensors lasting as long as possible. Many people just want to look at the cost and say it's not needed, but do we say the same thing about an oil change? The rebuild kit can consist of 5 components: Rubber Grommet, Washer, Retaining Nut, Core, and Valve Cap. All of these parts are equally important, but the main reason you are strongly encouraged to replace the kit is to prevent corrosion build-up on the outside of the sensor. Remember, aluminum corrodes over time, and that corrosion can damage your sensor, so replacing the kits can help prevent future problems.

The average life of a sensor is 5-6 years, or approximately 125,000 miles, whichever comes first. Sensors do vary in price and can range from about $45 up to $125 all depending on the vehicle. A good tip for all you Fit owners, and just about any other vehicles you own, Discount Tire sells almost every model of sensor, and has the ability to reset and/or program these sensors into your vehicle using the latest technology. The best thing about our reset and programming procedure is that it is 100% FREE when you do business with Discount Tire. I just purchased sensors for my 08 Fit and they were $65 each.

That is just a little breakdown in the wonderful world of TPMS. I hope I was able to resolve a lot of the issues everyone was having regarding this subject and if I can be of more help feel free to PM me with any other questions.

 

Yes. This makes more sense than the TPS interfering with the VSA. Thanks for saying this.