[SE95]

It is likely they will charge you either way, the shop has to make sure the system is working when the vehicle leaves, per federal law.

Just do it yourself and save all of the money.

 

[SE95]

What does TPMS have to do with tire rotation? As long as the tires remain on the car TPMS doesn't care. Sounds like a sales gimmick to me.

A lot of cars have TPMS that requires recalibrating every rotation. A lot of GMs and Chryslers for example. They display the pressures in clear numbers inside the car, so the system has to know which sensor = which tire.

 

[SE95]

All the new systems are very simple wireless battery sensors which simply signal the ECU that pressure is within spec doesn't matter if you rotate the tires or even if one is dumped in the spair tire bin with the proper pressure as long as all 4 sensors are seen and heard from thats all the TPMS system wants to know.

I'm saying that is why they charge for TPMS, because a lot of cars (probably a good 50-75% of the cars they deal with) require the system to be reset every time. I'm not debating whether this is required for Subarus.

 

[SE95]

Doesn't work. They won't transmit unless they get spun up. Toss them in the spare and you'll get a light on. I know this because I've rotated my full size spare and it lights up. The only reason I need to get the dealer to reset is so the ECU has the 4 on the car in memory. Having the fifth in the car does no good.

If you rotate 4 tires, as stated by a few people, your dealer/tire monkey is ripping you off if they charge you extra for the reprogram. Odds are, the tire monkey can't reprogram it anyways. Ask them to show you what they are doing when they reset it.

Then tell them that you aren't going to pay a **** dime extra for that, blinker fluid flushes, or any other worthless crap they try and push.

I find this a little bit offensive. Unless you go to Donnie's Discount Retreads, I'm sure wherever you go will be able to reset the TPMS...

Maybe that was true years ago, but TPMS has been mandated on all vehicles for 5 years now... most shops have the proper equipment.

Also I'm sure Walmart uses a torque wrench, too much liability if they don't.

 

[SE95]

In the case of a vehicle that comes in with something not working, that is correct. But in the case of coming in with a fully functional system, they can't do anything that would cause the vehicle to leave with the system not fully functional. At least based on how I'm reading the legislation, if your TPMS is working when you come in and work is done that would cause any need to reprogram the sensors they would need to reprogram them before you take the car back. How would a tire shop know whether a TPMS is working or not considering how long it takes for the light to light up, I don't know.

Yes, that is correct.

I would assume the TPMS is working on your 2013, which is why I felt no need to mention it.

Every vehicle's TPMS is different. Most cars the light will come on immediately when a fault is detected. The vehicle cannot leave the shop with the TPMS illuminated if it came in without the light on. However if the vehicle came in with the light on because of a flat tire, we would check for faults in the system and make sure the light is out before it leaves.

 

[SE95]

Not sure what part offended you, but the local tire chains (Discount Tire, for example) do not have the tools to reset the TPMS monitors. Neither did the local Firestone, Action Gator, or Sears. The dealership does. I wasn't out to offend, just to inform. Discount tire can move the TPMS from tire to tire, or rebuild the kit, but the ones local to me can not reprogram a Subaru ECU to accept a different sensor than the 4 already programmed in. In locations with cold weather (winter tires) and lots of Subarus (not Florida) that may be different.

If you are offended by the term tire monkey, then I'm sorry. Feel free to ignore the slang term and use tire tech or mechanic instead. No offense intended to anyone that changes tire for a living. Unless they are a monkey. In which case they are stealing jobs from humans, and should be beaten vigorously with a banana branch. In any case, please accept my apology if I offended, as that was not my intention.

I've had plenty of tires changed over the years... and torque wrenches are in every tire shop. They are usually sparkly, shiny, and mostly in like new condition. Unlike the socket on the air gun. Walmarts might be better.

I know the mechanic I take my car to torques them to spec, I know this because I'm usually 15 feet away, having a conversation with them. Make friends with the people that take of the things you care about, and you'll find your things are taken better care of. And who couldn't use another friend or two, anyways?

I'm not sure about 2013 Subarus as I don't think we have serviced one yet, but I know that there are very few vehicles that we have been unable to service TPMS sensors on. Our scanner works on just about everything and receives regular updates. At one point we had problems with Hyundai and Kia products, an update to our scanner's firmware remedied that. Most shops here in Western PA that change many tires have a similar scanner.

I only found "tire monkey" offensive because I work with a lot of good people who change tires for a living and bust their hump day in and day out. Go change a set of six 225/70R19.5 steel sidewall tires and then tell me how you feel . It is by no means an easy job, it requires a lot more strength and a lot more know how than most people realize. Especially in the winter when after you do the first car you are soaked and chilled to the bone from melting snow, you can't feel your hands, and your day is just getting started, and there is already a 4+ hour wait for customers the line is so long.

Torque is checked on every vehicle that leaves our shop, twice. This is a standard set in place by the TIA. I would like to think most shops follow TIA standards. All of our Tire Techs are certified through the TIA.

I do NOT change tires for a living. I was in retail sales until very recently, I currently am working on a digital marketing project for our business partner. When I was in sales I had to understand everything in a way that I could communicate to the customer and it would make sense... torque, tire pressure, TPMS, tread depths, vehicle systems, brakes, wheels... etc. It was the techs job to figure out the problem, it was my job to explain it to a customer in a way they could understand. This is why I also had to be TIA certified. I've also been through Goodyear Tire & Service Boot Camp.