[Yahoo]

I have just taken delivery of an LCI 335i touring and am going to pull the trigger on a set of aftermarked wheels for it.

I am unable to get a concrete answer for my local dealer whether my car uses TPMSs on the wheels. It is my understanding that cars with metal valve stems are TPMS and cars with rubber valves use a different system - mine has rubber so I'm presuming not.

Is this correct?

[xenon]

Yes. It uses ABS sensors so you don't have to worry.

[M3-FAST]

Originally Posted by Yahoo

I have just taken delivery of an LCI 335i touring and am going to pull the trigger on a set of aftermarked wheels for it.

I am unable to get a concrete answer for my local dealer whether my car uses TPMSs on the wheels. It is my understanding that cars with metal valve stems are TPMS and cars with rubber valves use a different system - mine has rubber so I'm presuming not.

Is this correct?

Even wheels fitted with metal valves have no sensors in them. They use the ABS sensors to monitor wheel rotation as Xenon says

[SoYank]

If all else fails, have someone look inside the tyre. Requires breaking the seal and then rebalancing the tyre but you'll absolute know for certain. If you're really interested it's probably worth the £10.

[Yahoo]

Thanks guys!

[doughboy]

AFAIK only the US has wheel mounted TPMS sensors due to Federal Laws on that stuff.

Everywhere else uses ABS sensors.

[MIKEYBMW1]

my VMR wheels have come from the States and they are fitted with the tpms be interesting to see if the cars computer pics them up when I fit them.

[doughboy]

Reading stateside stuff on their TPMS, the US cars have extra pickup sensors mounted in the wheel arches along with additional cabling and equipment etc for it to work.

[ed335d]

Originally Posted by Yahoo

I have just taken delivery of an LCI 335i touring and am going to pull the trigger on a set of aftermarked wheels for it.

I am unable to get a concrete answer for my local dealer whether my car uses TPMSs on the wheels. It is my understanding that cars with metal valve stems are TPMS and cars with rubber valves use a different system - mine has rubber so I'm presuming not.

Is this correct?

Very annoying that the dealer can't answer a simplle question like this. I had a valve snap while filling with air and needed a quick replacement. Took it to my local tyre place who wouldn't touch it because they thought it had the pressure monitor inside. Kwik fid then told me the same thing until I persuaded them to take the tyre off and look.

Getting back to the point, it seems that it is quite difficult to get a non-BMW metal valve to fit some rims, so I carry a couple of spares!

[Yahoo]

Originally Posted by ed335d

Very annoying that the dealer can't answer a simplle question like this.

The dealership didn't have a clue. The answer was "well, when I look at the computer there isn't an extra part for the wheel so I think it must be something in the valve". This was from a person working on the spares desk - totally clueless!!


What did people do before e90post? (other than talk to their wives/girlfriends during an evening)

[Em135eye]

Originally Posted by Yahoo

What did people do before e90post? (other than talk to their wives/girlfriends during an evening)

Ahem - drove an Astra. Believe me, Vauxhall "service" is about 2346523236256 times worse than BMW - just been to my dealer for a couple of minor things and they were very knowledgeable.

VW were slightly better but not a lot.

Strangely Suzuki are very good - but expensive.

[SoYank]

Originally Posted by MIKEYBMW1

my VMR wheels have come from the States and they are fitted with the tpms be interesting to see if the cars computer pics them up when I fit them.

If your car is set for the ABS rotation rate method then it will use that whether you have the TPMS in the wheels or not.

[Dr Dave]

I can well believe dealers not knowing this....well, the front line staff anyway.

Someone in this lineup of first contact personell within the dealership should be fully product trained.

Muppets.

[fastloop]

Its a bit hit and miss. My local dealership is generally pretty good, but they do have one guy looking after the parts department sometimes that can't even figure out how to use the computer. So very little hope asking about anything out of the ordinary unless you have the part number.

[doughboy]

That's it, they are a 'parts' department, not a 'vehicle engineering' department.

Its a bit like going into McDonalds and asking them the ins and outs of the milkshake dispenser pump technology.... errmmm fries with that?

Best off researching yourself first, then just go in with part numbers...

...try visiting the Church of realoem.com, its enlightening.

[E92Fan]

To give some clarification about TPMS/ABS sensors with regards to flat tyre monitoring...


The USA uses TPMS sensors in the wheels, which are mounted as part of the metal valve stem. The sensor sits on the inside of the outer rim, and relays the information to a communications module located just inside the wheelarch trim. This communications module is hooked into the MOST bus and the iDrive system uses this data to indicate the possibility of a flat tyre.

In the UK, all E9x models from March 2007 onwards use the ABS sensors to determine the possibility of a flat tyre. The ABS sensors measure the comparative rotational speed of each opposing wheel to determine whether there is a substantial change in the rolling circumference of the wheel. These cars do not have the TPMS receiver module in the wheelarch, and so even if a set of wheels is supplied with the TPMS sensors installed, they are totally redundant.

Incidentally, cars built before March 2007 may have had TPMS sensors - it is unclear which models have or have not, and what build dates are affected by the specification change. My own car, a September 2006 E92, uses the ABS sensors. However a friend's July 2006 E90 uses TPMS sensors.

[doughboy]

Originally Posted by E92Fan

Incidentally, cars built before March 2007 may have had TPMS sensors - it is unclear which models have or have not, and what build dates are affected by the specification change. My own car, a September 2006 E92, uses the ABS sensors. However a friend's July 2006 E90 uses TPMS sensors.

That's interesting Tony, so there will be some 'unknown' UK cars around with the wheel sensor system fitted, something to watch out for....

[E92Fan]

Originally Posted by doughboy

That's interesting Tony, so there will be some 'unknown' UK cars around with the wheel sensor system fitted, something to watch out for....

Correct. And there are only two ways of finding out - 1) take off the wheelarch liner to have a look if the receiver module is there, 2) take off the tyre and see if the TPMS sensor is installed!

[xenon]

Is there no functional difference in the i-Drive though Tony? My understanding was that the ABS warning just told you that a tyre was low but the full (sensor) TPMS allowed you to actually read off the pressure in each tyre in PSI? I'm sure the hire car I had in the US gave individual readings but I might be mistaken.

[E92Fan]

Originally Posted by xenon

Is there no functional difference in the i-Drive though Tony? My understanding was that the ABS warning just told you that a tyre was low but the full (sensor) TPMS allowed you to actually read off the pressure in each tyre in PSI? I'm sure the hire car I had in the US gave individual readings but I might be mistaken.

No, there's no functional difference for the European cars. The US cars might have an actual pressure reading, but I don't remember that on Floyd's car (which is US spec). The ABS sensor does only tell you when the tyre is low as it doesn't measure pressure directly. The TPMS equipped UK cars definitely do not show the actual pressure either...

[xenon]

I must be mistaken then. I also drove a Buick in the US that definitely gave individual tyre pressures on the display so it is possible. The rest of the car was a POS though so I wouldn't recommend it purely on that basis...

[SoYank]

Originally Posted by doughboy

Reading stateside stuff on their TPMS, the US cars have extra pickup sensors mounted in the wheel arches along with additional cabling and equipment etc for it to work.

This is true. My wheelwells have the sensors and my car needs the units in the wheels. Of course I could just remove them, go to non-runflats and when the car starts swerving all over the road with a thump, thump, thump, I'd know I had a flat tyre. I'd rather have the car tell me before the thump, thump, thump.