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88 Bucks to reset the TPMS

Maintenance/Repairs
#1

So, I’m apparently the last to find out… my Suzuki is due for an airbag recall. The only “dealer” who handles it is 100 miles away.

Last fall, I had to get new tires. Although they tried valiantly on three different occasions, Costco was unable to reset the TPMS.

It was in the fall of 2015 that I was told that the batteries had died in 2 of the 4 TPMS sensors. I checked around, and Costco had the lowest price. So, I had Costco replace the 2 dead sensors.

And… the TPMS light has been on ever since.

So, since the car is due for the airbag recall, I thought… as long as I’m at the dealer… I could have them reset the TPMS sensors. Surely, they must know what they’re doing, right? But, I have to admit I’m kind of steamed about the idea of forking over 88 bucks to someone to “solve” this problem, when really, it’s Costco’s problem, as far as I’m concerned.

Having said that, I’ve heard that the TPMS on the Suzukis are notoriously difficult to reset, so… look at it another way… maybe not really Costco’s fault after all (the last time Costco tried, I think they were at it for over an hour and STILL couldn’t get the TPMS reset)

I’m pretty conscientious about tire pressure… so… I might just let it go… but it’s a feature that the car came with, and when I go on long trips, well… it’s a nice feature to have.

Question: if it were YOUR car, would YOU pay the 88 bucks?

#2

You don’t list year of vehicle and Suzuki has left the US market if that is where you are. Blaming Costco I don’t agree with. You should have had all four sensors replaced since two were bad the others weren’t far behind. I can’t speak for the dealer service policy but I would expect them to want all sensors to match before they would warranty their work.

2 Likes
#3

It’s a 2007 SX4. And, yes, I bought the car used knowing fully well that was the case… that Suzuki stopped selling here in 2013. And, I actually don’t mind driving to the “dealer” once in a blue moon, either.

I can certainly appreciate the point about maybe it would’ve been better to buy all four sensors, but I’d seen stories floating around on the Suzuki discussion forums about folks spending upwards of $200 for each sensor at the dealer. At Costco, they were $45 a piece.

Costco says that the TPMS reset is “included” when you buy a set of tires and pay the service installation fee… but… obviously it’s not included if they can’t figure it out how to perform the reset.

For the record, I don’t know why the engineers made the procedure so darned difficult. Really, needlessly too, I might add.

I’m thinking about Tom and Ray’s patented “fix all” — a piece of black electrical tape over the sensor light on the dashboard. WAY cheaper than 88 bucks. LOL.

P.S. - Someone told me… one of the tire techs at Costco, I think… that they’ve seen sensors last as long as 15 years. I figured it was best to just let the other two expire when they expire…

#4

Nope! (You asked…)

3 Likes
#5

Thank you! I certainly did. :slight_smile:

It just seems to me that for a procedure that should honestly not take longer than 10 or 15 minutes, that’s a bit overpriced…

#6

I looked at a YouTube about this process (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EAg31gMzpoo)
and see that you have to have a reset tool and also do a little dance with the door light button. While $88 seems a little steep, you are paying for the labor, the shop time, and the tool, as well as the knowledge the technician has.

You might be able to remove the bulb from that warning light, but I bet it takes you more than 15 minutes, and you’ll be standing on your head under the dash.

2 Likes
#7

So, while I was out running some errands, decided to get a second opinion at a place I’ve had some service done before. Specifically, a tire shop.

I asked what it would cost to reset the TPMS, and before I knew it, he had the sensor in his hand and was checking my car.

After just a couple minutes, he determined that the reason the TPMS is not resetting is because it’s looking for a sensor in the spare tire, and it’s not finding one. He said that “there isn’t one in there.”

Admittedly, that doesn’t make a LOT of sense because in the Suzuki, it’s the indirect method of TPMS, not the direct… but then again, I’m not an expert either. :slight_smile:

#8

I don’t think so. The indirect system has nothing to replace in the wheel.

Anyway, I’ve already put black tape on my TPMS light.

2 Likes
#9

“Costco says that the TPMS reset is included”

That sounds easy enough, locate and press the reset button, however the term “reset” does not apply here. With indirect tire pressure monitor systems the computer relys on tire circumferece to monitor for under-inflation. After replacing tires a tire dealer will initiate the calibration process, this does not apply to direct monitor systems.

After replacing sensors they must be registered to the TPM receiver. This procedure can take 30 minutes or more. How much labor time is worth can depend on location, so far you have not found the right people to perform this task.

2 Likes
#10

Thanks again for the insights and opinions.

I have to admit that the more I think about this, the less sense it all makes.

The TPMS on the car did work just fine… until the batteries failed on two of the tires.

But when you look at the instructions for how to do the reset on this particular Suzuki, you have to go through some gyrations… press the button on the driver’s side door for two seconds, release, another two seconds, release, then 5 seconds, and release… and after you go through all that… the instructions tell you that you have 90 seconds to go around to all the tires with the handheld unit… and yesterday, when the mechanic did that, I heard an audible “ping” every time.

So… I am kind of confused as to why it would take up to 30 minutes when the instructions from Suzuki tell you that you only have 90 seconds. But like I said, I’m not an expert, either.

Right now, I’m afraid that even if I do spend the 88 bucks at the dealer, they won’t be able to “get it” either… just because, up to now, no one has.

Sigh.