Subaru Outback Forums banner

Orange "clonable" TPMS sensors - no more reprogramming each season

12K views 16 replies 10 participants last post by  kcmusa 
#1 ·
I recently acquired a pristine 2007 Outback XT Ltd with 26,000 miles and will be needing winter wheels by November.



These SCG00A Orange TPMS sensors are clonable, meaning they can be set as direct copies of your existing summer wheel sensors, so you can swap wheels each season without worrying about reprogramming the TPMS computer. They fit our cars and and they are CHEAP!:

"Replacement sensor for the following vehicles:

SUBARU LEGACY 2004
SUBARU LEGACY 2005
SUBARU LEGACY 2006
SUBARU LEGACY 2007
SUBARU OUTBACK 2004
SUBARU OUTBACK 2005
SUBARU OUTBACK 2006
SUBARU OUTBACK 2007
SUBARU TRIBECA 2006
SUBARU TRIBECA 2007"

US$27 each here:
[ame]http://www.amazon.com/Orange-Electronic-SCG00A-Pressure-Sensor/dp/B002DYB1DG?SubscriptionId=AKIAJFJPKERSTLV5KG2A&tag=buy-cheap-orange-elec-20&linkCode=xm2&camp=2025&creative=165953&creativeASIN=B002DYB1DG[/ame]


Manufacturer's Home Page:
http://www.orange-electronic.com/eng/07product/sub05.html

I called my favorite tire store (Discount Tire) and talked to the store manager. He did not know about these and did not have the programming tool. He sounded really interested, since it would save him a TON of shop time reprogramming cars each season (they do it free, but it costs them in lost labor). So I will drop by tomorrow to show him some print-outs and see if I can get him to invest in these sensors and the programming tool....

Comments? Has anyone actually installed these and do they truly clone the originals? No warning light with your second set of wheels installed?

Thanks

John Davies
Spokane WA
 
See less See more
1
#2 ·
Update: A long sad tale....

I ordered a set of winter wheels and decided that I would find a local dealer that could program (clone) these Orange sensors. Which, BTW, are now only US$17.30 each with free shipping online: ........ Amazon.com: Orange Electronic SCG00A Tire Pressure Sensor: Automotive


I went to the Orange Electronics home page to find a dealer..... no luck. I don't recall the last time I visited a major manufacturer's website and did not see some sort of dealer locator tool. I called their customer service line and talked to a very nice lady who said that they don't keep a list of dealers, the distributor does. She told me she would call and find a local store.

I got an email from her saying Midas was the only place that had these TPMS units, and they had only had them for a month. She didn't give me a location.

I checked online at Midas.com, and when I typed in "Spokane, WA" I got a "Critical Error 1!" message. I tried Seattle and got half a dozen hits. Hmmmm... I'm living in a town with nearly half a million people and there are no Orange dealers.

I tried a Google search for "Midas Spokane" and received a number of hits, but all the phones were disconnected. I tried nearby Coeur d'Alene, ID and got more disconnected phones.

At this point I gave up, My local Discount Tire store won't commit unless all their stores do, and who knows when that might happen. There isn't any point in buying cheap sensors if you can't find someone nearby to clone them.

I sent an email to Orange and strongly suggested that they offer a consumer grade cloning tool for less than US$150. (Their shop tool is US$427.50). I pointed out that older cars were going to start seeing dead sensors when the batteries finally die, and LOTS of folks would be interested in an affordable tool and $20 sensors to replace them, or to clone for their winter wheels. To minimize hardware costs they could offer a cable unit that would interface with a laptop computer. The cable would have to have a small antenna that would allow it to read the OEM codes when the sensors were installed inside the wheels, and also write the copied code to the installed Orange units. It seems to me that it would be a pretty simple and cheap design.

If Tire Rack or Discount Tire came on board, I can envision them selling a gazillion sensors and a bazillion cloning tools.

So, if you have even a _little_ interest in this, PLEASE send them a quick email with your suggestions. Maybe we can make this happen. They certainly need some help, since their dealer network is so small right now.

Contact Us - TPMS - Orange Electronic USA - Tire Pressure Monitoring System | TPMS - Orange Electronic USA - Tire Pressure Monitoring System

Here is a training video showing how this all works..... OPSS Gen. 2 - TPMS - Orange Electronic USA - Tire Pressure Monitoring System | TPMS - Orange Electronic USA - Tire Pressure Monitoring System

Boy, do you think they made that scanner big enough?!! It looks like a kid's toy calculator!

John Davies
Spokane WA USA
 
#4 ·
Well, this brightened my day a little bit - here's the reply from the customer service gal at Orange;

"I will have our guys contact Tire Rack as well as Discount Tire. Maybe we can have someone get a tool up there!
Thank you, Lisa"

No, thank YOU Lisa!

John Davies
Spokane, WA USA
 
#5 ·
Good luck, John!

What I really wish is that Subaru had spent a little more money and put a better TPMS in these cars.

With my GM truck, all I had to do was tell the truck to "re-learn" the sensors and then go around to each tire and release a little air pressure in each tire for it to know which sensor was at which corner. That system could also tell me the air pressures in each tire, not just "you have a tire with low pressure - you figure it out!" like the "idiot light" on our Subarus... :8:

That system made it much easier to swap out sets of tires & wheels, too. I was actually quite surprised to learn that Subaru's system was not setup the same way.. With as many folks who use these cars in cold weather climates, where they want to swap out for winter tires.. or live in mountainous areas where they may want to swap out for some AT tires and hit some back roads, it seems like a better system would be very well received by their customers.. :8:

Again, John, good luck! Let us know how it turns out! :7:
 
#7 ·
What I really wish is that Subaru had spent a little more money and put a better TPMS in these cars.:
My old 2007 RAV4 was stupid, but if you paid the bucks for an '07 Land Cruiser you got a Summer/ Winter tire selector switch inside the glove box.

My 2010 Acura TL SH-AWD will automatically detect a second set of sensors when you swap wheels and drive for a while.... tho I have never actually tested that feature.

John Davies
Spokane WA
 
#6 ·
Awesome concept, just wish they had them for my model year and i could actually get them programmed. Then no more yellow light all winter long.
 
#9 ·
#14 ·
Well, I pulled the trigger on these too. I got a set for the girlfriend's Outback and the programming tool to get everything set up. if you're considering one, remember, today's the last day before it goes up to $200.

To help make this a worthwhile purchase, I'm willing to program the sensors for those in Colorado so you don't have to buy the tool. I'm in the Springs but we could work something out if you're in Denver or nearby.
 
#15 ·
Well, I pulled the trigger on these too. I got a set for the girlfriend's Outback and the programming tool to get everything set up. if you're considering one, remember, today's the last day before it goes up to $200.
Looks like it goes up to $249, when I checked.

I don't really understand why this is better than the ATEQ TPMS flasher though -- at least, for those of us who missed out on the $11 sensors on Amazon.

It seems to be the ATEQ is a little more flexible, because it doesn't care what kind of sensors you have, so you could share it with some buddies.
 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top