Mine weren't worn out, but I see what you're saying if you buy new wheels/tires already mounted (which you shouldn't if you have a TMPS). Unless you have a second set of tires & wheels, it's cheaper to break down tires than to buy all new hardware.

 

When I swapped out my stock bullets with the 20's the bands were a little hard to find except Ford, and they wanted $50 a piece for the bands. I just sold the bullets last week and it cost me $70 to get the bands out and re-mount the tires before I got rid of them. So, in the meantime the PVC pipe is working perfectly, it has been exactly one week and no TPMS light. Apparently the bands can be found for $50 a set at different places, but then add mount and balance of 20" 35 series tires and the TPMS fee most tire places are charging now and you're looking at almost $200.

 

My dealer charged me ONE HUNDRED FIFTY DOLLARS for nearly two hours of labor because they had NO IDEA how to do this. The service rep tried to make it sound like I won, by saying he thought my sensors were defective and needed replacement ($48 each for the sensors, new bands, dismount and remount the tire...). Lucky me!

I have never NEVER been more frustrated with a so called service department. No Ford dealer will ever get another dime from me (as tempting as it is to give them 48k for the Shelby GT they have sitting out front [/sarcasm]). And the SOB who recommended Bowditch Ford to me is getting an earful tomorrow.

 

 

Bowditch Ford is where I bought my car. What other kinds of problems have you had with them. Just wondering because I haven't had to use the service department yet.

 

Let's just say I wasn't completely happy with the buying process nor the level of knowledge displayed by some people at the dealership.

 

SCT is working on a way to allow tuners to disable the portion of the PCM programming that controls TPMS. I haven't heard of any updates on their progress, but hopefully someone comes out with a solution to this stupid system.

 

That would be great, could you keep us updated on what SCT doing.

 

I'm not trying to be johnny law, but from what I read Its a against Federal law, to disable the the light/warning. Im sure loopholes exist something like, "Off road tune only." Something simular to disabeling 02 sensors, and/with O/R Hipes pies.
Could they disable the seat chime/warning while they were at it!
I know when my seatbealts off or on, thanks.

 

The beltminder can be disabled. Check your owner's manual.

 

Yeah, but thr process is long, and only works for that key cycle.

 

It will remain off if you disabled it properly. I have disabled it on my 00 Vic and my dad's 03 E-series. My Stang came with the driver's belt minder disabled for some reason. I have never heard it chime, but the passenger belt minder seems to work.

 

I have both the driver and passenger disabled. That was the first thing I done.

 

September 18, 2007
To:All Ford and Lincoln Mercury DealersSubject:EFC0700791DC Tire Pressure Monitoring Systems (TPMS) Migrating To More Vehicle LinesTIRE PRESSURE MONITORING SYSTEMS (TPMS) MIGRATING TO MORE VEHICLE LINES
As of September 1st 2007, all 2008 models available for sale in the United States with Gross Vehicle Weight Rating (GVWR) of 10,000 lbs. or less are required to have the Tire Pressure Monitoring System (TPMS) added, in order to meet Federal regulations.
Therefore, increased dealer and more importantly customer awareness is required to accelerate customer acceptance of the system. Please make sure the New Vehicle Check-in, Pre-delivery, Sales and Service personnel are aware of the TPMS requirements.
New for 2008:

1. All vehicles built after August 1st, 2007 with a GVW of 10,000 lbs. or under have TPMS.
2. TPMS must be reprogrammed after a tire rotation on vehicles with different tire pressures front to rear (split placard). This is part of maintenance and therefore a customer paid expense.
3. Some E-Series (Econoline), F-Series 150 with 7700 GVW, and the Super Duty F250 and F350 SRW built after August 1st, 2007 have a split placard and are shipped with the TPMS Calibration Transmitter Tool (8C2Z-1A203-A).

SALES DEPARTMENT: SYSTEM OPERATION & CUSTOMER AWARENESS

• The tire pressure monitoring system (TPMS) is designed to alert the driver if the air pressure in one or more of their tires requires attention. Inform all customers to check the air pressure in their road tires and their spare tire once a month. Direct them to "Inflating Your Tires" in the Tires, Wheels and Loading section of their Owners Guide.
• Changes in outdoor temperature increases/decreases tire pressure by approximately 1 psi per 10 degrees Fahrenheit of ambient temperature change. Direct the customer to the "How Temperature Affects Your Tire Pressure" in the Tires Wheels and Loading section of their Owners Guide.
• During the sale of a vehicle it is recommended that the CUSTOMER IS ADVISED WHAT TO EXPECT regarding their TPMS system:
  • Review the operation of the warning light – looking for flashing or solid at key-up.
  • Setting tire pressure on vehicles with warm tires will provide inaccurate tire pressures.
  • Review the location of the Tire or Certification Label located in the driver's door jam.
  • Advise owners that tire pressure will require adjustments for changes in outdoor temperatures and elevation. Direct customers to read "Inflating Your Tires" in their Owners Guide.
  • Tire pressure must be set using an accurate tire gauge. Digital or dial gauges are recommended as stick gauges are highly inaccurate.
• The temporary spare wheel is not equipped with a TPMS sensor. When the spare is in use, it is normal to see warnings from the TPMS system. To restore full system functionality, instruct your customers to have the road wheel repaired or replaced and installed on their vehicle as soon as possible.
• Resetting tire location after a tire rotation is part of maintenance and is not covered under warranty for vehicles with split placard pressures.
• Federal law prohibits dealers from disabling TPMS. Disabling TPMS can result in fines of $6,000 per vehicle.
• Aftermarket wheels and tires not are not recommended and may cause the TPMS system to malfunction.
• Never drive on a flat tire when possible. Damage to the tire pressure sensor(s) may occur and is NOT covered by warranty.
• The TPMS warning light will reset itself (turn off) after the tire pressures are set to the recommended specification and the vehicle has been driven above 20 mph for at least 2 minutes.
• Refer customers to their Owners Guide for complete details.

NEW VEHICLE CHECK-IN

• Most trucks are shipped with air pressures lower than specified in order to prevent flat spotting of the tires during shipping. This situation will cause the TPMS light to be on and therefore those vehicles should not be sent to the service department for further diagnosis and/or repair.
• Most Car and SUV's are shipped with air pressures higher than specified to compensate for ambient temperature changes during shipping. In this situation, the TPMS light will not be on, but the tire pressure should be adjusted before delivery.
• On Single Rear Wheel (SRW) E-Series, F-150 with 7700 GVW and all F250 and F350 SRW review the Certification Label. If the tire pressures are different front to rear axle then verify the vehicle has the TPMS Calibration Transmitter Tool (8C2Z-1A203-A).

PRE-DELIVERY INSPECTION

• The tire pressure must be adjusted to specification prior to delivery using the placard information printed on the Tire Label (located in the driver's door jam) or Certification Label.
• Tire pressure must be set using an accurate tire pressure gauge (Rotunda Part Number 204-354 is recommended)
• Tire pressure must be set when tires are cold and at outside ambient temperature. Setting tire pressure at shop temperatures without compensating for actual outside temperature will result in inaccurate tire pressure and unnecessary low tire warnings. Refer to the "Outside Air Temperature Versus Tire Placard Pressure" charts found in the Pre-Delivery Information (PDI) Manual and the Workshop Manual of each TPMS equipped vehicle line if air pressure must be set indoors. PDI and Workshop Manuals can be found on FMCDealer.com/Parts and Service role/Technical Tools/Pre-Delivery sheets or PTS.
• The TPMS warning light will reset itself (Turn OFF) after the tire pressures are set to specification and the sensors are awake. Wake-up the sensors by either driving the vehicle above 20mph for at least 2 minutes, or "ping" the sensors with the appropriate service tool. A sensor Training tool, 204-363, was sent to all dealers in the Spring, 2005.
• A TPMS Calibration Transmitter Tool (8C2Z-1A203-A) which is required for resetting tire location after tire rotation is included in a small plastic bag attached to the vehicle in the glove box for F-Series and on the Owners Guide Portfolio for E-Series with different front to rear tire pressures.
• To determine the status of the TPMS system, observe the operation of the TPMS telltale when the key is cycled from OFF to ON. This is important since per NHTSA requirements, all new systems have a modified telltale operating strategy.
• Low tire condition: Solid at key up and remains solid as long as the issue is present (same as all other TPMS systems).
• Fault condition: Flashes for approximately 70 seconds at key-up, and then goes solid (in compliance with the latest NHTSA requirements).

GENERAL MAINTENANCE OR REPAIR SERVICE INFORMATION
It is imperative to be aware when collecting information from a customer as well as diagnosing a vehicle concern.

• Air pressure should be adjusted (if necessary) and status of the TPMS telltale should be checked prior to writing a work order or running vehicle diagnostics.
• Since the TPMS system is designed to warn the driver that their air pressure needs to be adjusted, and air pressure is a customer maintenance item, customer tire inflation/deflation maintenance to turn the TPMS low pressure warning telltale off is NOT covered by warranty.
• Resetting the system after tire rotation for vehicles with different tire pressures front to rear is required and part of regular required maintenance and is NOT covered under warranty.
• Ford recommends that tire pressure should be checked monthly - including the spare tire. The absence of regular customer maintenance, changes in the seasons, as well as significant changes in the weather will cause the TPMS system to alert the customer that maintenance is necessary. Please help instruct customers by guiding them to their Owners Guide to help them understand the TPMS system and their maintenance responsibilities as vehicle operators.

 

Had our 1st banded style tpms replacement in yesterday. New ones are easily programmed. If in the Chicago area and need it done let me know, Ill take care of it for ya.

 

I'm not quite sure what your refering to. Aren't all the Mustang TPMS the banded style?

 

Yes. But Im just saying that our shop has just replaced one for our 1st time (Ford Banded) We've done the valve stem style hundreds of times.

Its as easy as pie. I was concerned when installing a NEW sensor, vs swapping them from rim to rim.

 

This is exactly why TPMS sucks. In fact, I think something should be brought against these auto manufacturers. It's anti competitive. They're making you buy the wheels from them. If you buy aftermarket somewhere else, they charge you a rediculous fee to do something that is very simple. There is no choice whether we have TPMS or not, yet it costs several hundred dollars extra to upgrade your wheels because of it.

 

Well not really. Discount Tire moved over the OEM TPMS sensors from the OEM wheels to the ones I bought and only charged me $10 for each band.

I think maybe the TPMS system is a Federal mandated safety system? I'm not sure though. Can anybody confirm?

 

Yes it is a federally mandated system, IIRC the implement date has been move at least two times till now, its part of the TREAD Act.

People whine about it, but that part of the TREAD Act, wasn't to bad of deal. Its a pain when you modify your vehicle (but consider 99.99999999% of the public does not modify their vehcles and also consider 99.9999999999999999999999999999% of the public only checks the air pressure when they have a problem with the tires or have some sort of service performed that includes handling the tires). The other good thing about the TPMS is when your out on the road and you get a slow leak, on a smooth highway and a constant speed with low profile tires (especially some of these cheap tires that have a sidewall like a rock - you know the one everbody raves about for thier killer handling and great price) its hard to downright impossible to detect a low tire pressure till the tire is ruined or catastrophic result occurs which may lead to other serious events like serious injury to death, or costly property damage. A TPMS helps guard against that. It also helps with tire maintenece (even though the threshold is set a little to high at 20%).