How much will the labor charge be to replace them one at a time? Most techs are charging one hour labor to diagnose and replace one sensor.
If the sensors are being replaced during tire mounting the labor charge might be 1/2 hour to register the new sensors.
They told me $85 per tire doing one at a time. Results may vary I suppose though. I didnāt think diagnosis would play into it since it should just read as one tire not responding and the others ok. Guess Iāll find out but at least I raised the issue not really caring to spend an extra $300 for nothing.
$85 for one sensor/visit is reasonable, Tire Rack wants $53 for each sensor. Your tire store can get aftermarket sensors for half that amount.
I donāt believe the OPās car has a display that identifies the location of each sensor. A scan tool is usually needed to monitor the sensors while deflating each tire to find the failing sensor. On a late model Toyota or Lexus that shows tire location if one sensor is out the display will show dashes for all four tires.
Are we still talking about replacing the entire sensor here? The last time I was hit up for this, it was a sensor rebuild kit, which basically translated to a battery replacement. Still not worth it, but replacing the whole sensor is really not worth it if itās not busted.
The only people I know who recommend that you replace the TPMS on a regular interval are people who sell them. What at it possibly hurt if you wait til it fails? Itās not like a timing belt which could be catastrophic if you wait. My wifes 07 Lexus is now almost 11 years old and still has the original TPMS on all the tires. Iāll wait til they fail.
Thereās the inconvenience of having to take the car to the shop again. And it probably weakens a tire a little to dismount and mount it again. Finally thereās the risk of a tech at the shop making a mistake during the process and causing a problem you didnāt have before.
Actually validates my point. Why replace them if they havenāt failed? If you think the shop might make a mistake during the processā¦then why take the risk of having them replaced if they are still working?
Have you seen a unit with replaceable battery? Curious who has themā¦ The only ones I have ever seen were all hermetically sealed inside the assembly. The rebuild kits Iāve seen are just the rubber bits like orings or stems and the valve core that are typically replaced anytime a new tire is mounted. Itās risky not to loosen the TPMS when breaking the bead and R&Ring the tire so the sealing ring needs to be replaced at a minimum.
Iām a risk taker. My 10 year old truck just got new tires and I kept the OEM TPMS.
Yeah, I was unclear there wasnāt I. They said they would replace my batteries. Obviously, it was crap, but then so was charging me 20 bucks a wheel for a valve stem and a little circle of rubber.