Lot of expertise here, so here's my question: If I should replace my tire pressure sensor on a Lexus, can it be programed from the outside or does it need to be programed first. The tire dealer wanted $90 to R and R. Is there any way to buy it and get be cheaper?



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 01/07/2021 09:17PM by MattNall.

Check Youtube!!

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The TPMS itself needs no programming but once on the car any new sensor will have to be programmed into the ECU. Along with any Toyota or Lexus dealer, any good tire store will have a scanner able to reprogram or you can buy a scanner for less than $150 and program the ECU yourself. Just be sure the scanner is compatible with the model/year of the Lexus you have. Your Lexus should have the capability to store two sets of sensors so once all the sensors are programmed you can swap back and forth to mounted winter tires without having to reprogram the ECU each time.

Great info!

MODERATOR
Sea Mountain, between Charleston Harbor and Coos Bay! SW Oregon Coast
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Sounds like Toyota needs to get with the program like Dodge. You install a new sensor and the vehicle recognizes it and the position on the vehicle. GM you do some routine to get it in learning mode then let air out of the tire until the horn honks then move to the next one and so on until done. I have three sets of wheels for my dodge ram, summer, fall/hunting season and winter and just swap them around and the vehicle just knows. Good luck.

James
West Kelowna, BC

1965 Corvair, Corsa, Convertible 180/4 - Artesian Turquoise w/ white interior
1966 Corvair Corsa Coupe, 140/4 - Aztec Bronze w/ black interior
2016 Dodge 3500 Crew Cab 4x4 (for hauling cars, trailers, fifth wheels, quads, etc.)
2019 Express Car Hauler (Aluminum, Enclosed)
2015 Polaris 570 EPS
2016 Polaris 570 SP
2019 Toyota Highlander Hybrid Ltd.
2020 Outdoors RV 25RLS
2020 Corvette HTC 3LT,Z51,FE4

Not on my BMW cycle, they just started to go. I found out they have a 2032 coin battery in them, with 8 to 10 years life. It looks like the real ones are well over $100 each. Plus they must be paired to the ECU at a BMW dealer, since its a proprietary system. Looks like you can change out the batteries, not easy, but the old ones will stay paired. See what happens.

J.O.

65 Corsa Turbo Vert
79 Honda XL 500S
69 Honda CL 160 D
2010 BMW F 650 GS
2003 Bounder 36D
2013 KIA Optima SX turbo-AKA ZIPPY (wife,s car)
69 Newport Holiday Sailboat
Baja 150 dune buggy cart
Coleman HS 500 UTV
2016 KIA Sorento SXL Turbo

Bethlehem,Pa

No, they all need to get with the program like Volkswagen. VW measures tire rolling diameter through the ABS system and compensates for temperature change by also comparing any change with the other three tires. Meaning there are no sensors of any kind in the tire and resetting is as simple as a push of a button on the dash for any tire/wheel change.


jcorvair Wrote:
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> Sounds like Toyota needs to get with the program like Dodge. You install a new sensor and the vehicle recognizes it and the position on the vehicle. GM you do some routine to get it in learning mode then let air out of the tire until the horn honks then move to the next one and so on until done. I have three sets of wheels for my dodge ram, summer, fall/hunting season and winter and just swap them around and the vehicle just knows. Good luck.

NMCarNut Wrote:
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> No, they all need to get with the program like Volkswagen. VW measures tire rolling diameter through the ABS system and compensates for temperature change by also comparing any change with the other three tires. Meaning there are no sensors of any kind in the tire and resetting is as simple as a push of a button on the dash for any tire/wheel change.
>
So what happens if you change tire size? Also dynamic rolling radius/diameter changes substantially with speed and load so I don't see how this would work.

NMCarNut Wrote:
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> No, they all need to get with the program like Volkswagen. VW measures tire rolling diameter through the ABS system and compensates for temperature change by also comparing any change with the other three tires. Meaning there are no sensors of any kind in the tire and resetting is as simple as a push of a button on the dash for any tire/wheel change.
>
>
> jcorvair Wrote:
> -------------------------------------------------------
> > Sounds like Toyota needs to get with the program like Dodge. You install a new sensor and the vehicle recognizes it and the position on the vehicle. GM you do some routine to get it in learning mode then let air out of the tire until the horn honks then move to the next one and so on until done. I have three sets of wheels for my dodge ram, summer, fall/hunting season and winter and just swap them around and the vehicle just knows. Good luck.


GM had the ABS based system in the '90s and it worked just fine and was a lot les trouble. I've had it on a '99 Buick and its all you really need. Tire size doesn't mater as long as they all match. The ABS watches the rotation speeds of the wheels and if one starts going flat, there is a constant increase in the speed signal for that wheel, so the ABS turns on the low tire light. You just have to get out and see which one. The main advantage of pressure sensors in each tire is to provide individual pressure read outs on the dash.

Dan Brizendine, Circle City Corvairs
'64 8 door Greenbrier, +.060 stroked 186 ci.140 PG. "In beautiful Wanamaker Indiana...with one stop light and 5 pizza shops"

You can but the cost and time associated $90 sounds very reasonable. The would need to be removed and rebalance unless you have the tools for the tire. The part cost ~$45 from rockauto.

In VW's system the tire size does not even have to match. To reset you first have to acknowledge the pressures have been verified correct and then drive up to 30 miles for the system to "learn" the correct rolling diameters of each tire. Any tire change or rotation will require a reset. So I guess I lied a little, it takes a dash button push and a drive to reset. I also have a Ford, GMC, and Subaru with TPMS and in comparison they all suck.


Brizo Wrote:
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> GM had the ABS based system in the '90s and it worked just fine and was a lot les trouble. I've had it on a '99 Buick and its all you really need. Tire size doesn't mater as long as they all match. The ABS watches the rotation speeds of the wheels and if one starts going flat, there is a constant increase in the speed signal for that wheel, so the ABS turns on the low tire light. You just have to get out and see which one. The main advantage of pressure sensors in each tire is to provide individual pressure read outs on the dash.

I have a Toyota Venza which probably uses the same system as your Lexus.

The sensors are not "programmed", instead the BCM is trained to recognize the new sensor. For my snow tires, my Toyota dealer installed "clone" sensors which receive and record each sensor's data from my current wheels. This allows me to switch wheels/tires seasonally without having to get into the BCM with my scan tool. Super convenient.

The dealer supplied and programmed four new clone sensors very reasonably. I think parts, labor, and programming (cloning) was about $200 for all four.

Craig N. Coeur d'Alene ID.
66 Black Monza 4dr, 4.2L V8 49k
61 Seamist Jade Rampside 140 PG
60 Monza coupe (sold, sniff sniff)
66 Sprint Corsa convt - First car! Re-purchased 43 years later
2+2 gnatsuM 5691

+17 Tons of parts

Snow Tires?? GG


Cody sent the '67 with studded snows!! I pulled the studs and put them on the front... super soft and sticky... over 16k miles now

MODERATOR
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I bought a couple Denso Sensors from Rock Auto for $37.50 ea and installed one myself. It was advertised as being able to program itself but not so far. I went to a tire dealer and he said it would have to be removed and programed. I am confused. Oh well,I'll figure it out. Thanks to all who posted.

Layton Curtis Wrote:
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> I bought a couple Denso Sensors from Rock Auto for $37.50 ea and installed one myself. It was advertised as being able to program itself but not so far. I went to a tire dealer and he said it would have to be removed and programed. I am confused. Oh well,I'll figure it out. Thanks to all who posted.

Wow, pull them? Go get another opinion.

Ed
65 Crown/Wills Corsa
WPB Florida

Actually the VW system sucks. It is cheaper but not near as good. It doesn't know if all the tires are low and it won't tell you quickly enough if a tire goes down fast. If someone else is driving the car and doesn't notice a flat tire before the start out the tire will be ruined before the system decides it is flat.
It is better than nothing but no where near as good as a system that actually reads the pressure.
All the tpms sensors should have replaceable batteries. What a rip off.
A friend of mine replaced the ones in his Z06 and the local tire store programmed them for free.

Joel
Northlake, TX
5 Ultravans, 114 Corvairs and counting...




Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 11/03/2019 04:01PM by joelsplace.

In rental cars they are GREAT!!

MODERATOR
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These TPMS things annoy me. They are stupidly expensive for what they are and people used to check the pressures themselves. I cna see the value where run flat tyres are fitted but for no run flats it's just more expense.

We have winter tyres on our cars so we need 2 sets of sensors i.e. one set per wheel set. The sensors for my old BMW cost nearly as much as the tyres, but at least the car could cope with 2 sets of TPMS. My wife's Lexus could only cope with 1 so I just fitted a set of wheels without TPMS and she put up with the light coming on all the time. At least it didn't make an annoying noise.

Now I have an Infiniti which is Mercedes based and I bought used wheels from a Merc and the TPMS works perfectly, again 2 sets no problems (German car!). My wife now has a Seat which is a VW based car and has the inferior monitoring system but it does mean no more sensors are needed on either set of wheels.

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Mark Gibson, Staffordshire, England

1961 Corvair Greenbrier
1980 Triumph Dolomite Sprint
2009 Mazda MX5
2018 Infiniti Q30

Calling VW's system inferior or superior all depends upon personal preference; being able to monitor individual tire pressures versus the hassles associated with having sensors inside the tires.
VW's system will trigger with about 5 psi drop in a tire (at least mine does) which is not too horribly different than an in-tire sensor system and while the pressure drop might be greater it will detect a similar difference in rolling diameter of all four tires. Assuming no tire issues mine requires a reset when the tires are about 1/2 worn from new.

So I'll stick with a push button reset and a tire gauge in the glove box.

I've had both systems save tires and the no sensor one is better than nothing. My Buicks don't get nice parking places and sit on uneven ground. If I jump in the car and it has a flat on the passenger side the system doesn't warn me and since the car isn't level anyway I can't tell by that. I have to take off and feel it.
Your non sensor system has to travel down the road a certain distance at 5 psi low before it can determine an average difference. Sensor systems will let you know immediately. A fast leak could be totally flat by the time the non sensor system picks it up.
Slow leaks while driving are where the 2 systems are essentially the same as far as warning goes.

My wife's Outlook tells you you have a low tire and which one it is as soon as you turn on the key. (assuming you have the tires mounted in the correct location)
It's an '08 so I'm sure it will require some sensors soon.

My aftermarket system in my International gives me a constant readout of tire pressures and the pressures of the car I can't see back on the wheel lift. Really nice to know these things. The batteries are replaceable also and I can program the sensors myself with no tools.

Joel
Northlake, TX
5 Ultravans, 114 Corvairs and counting...