New Tires

[OLEG]

Hello RX350 gurus,

If i'll put new tires on NON Lexus shop (for instance on Wall Mart), they will NOT put pressure sensors

into tires. So question is: how car computer will react on new tires without sensors and if will give

"tire pressure" light ON how to turn OFF? (but spare tire is still original: with sensor).

Thank you in advance.

Regards, Oleg

[GDixon]

Have them leave the tire sensors alone. They do not need to be replaced.

The question is not how the computer will react but why in the world would you want to replace, or remove, the sensors if they are functioning correctly?

It sounds to me like a "lack of communication" is going on here.

[skywagon]

Hello RX350 gurus,

If i'll put new tires on NON Lexus shop (for instance on Wall Mart), they will NOT put pressure sensors

into tires. So question is: how car computer will react on new tires without sensors and if will give

"tire pressure" light ON how to turn OFF? (but spare tire is still original: with sensor).

Thank you in advance.

Regards, Oleg

Sensors should be in the wheel not the tire. They should not need to touch them to change tires

[lightflick]

I recommend going to a shop that knows how to change tires with the tire pressure sensors in them. The tire pressure sensors are part of the valve stem assembly. Those sensors do not get changed out unless they have an issue with them. The only thing that Lexus recommends to replace is the gasket/seals around the tire pressure sensors everytime you change your tires, due to the fact that they may leak if you dont replace the gasket/seals. The tire pressure sensors are also fragile and may break if the tire isn't dismounted or mounted correctly. Replacing a tire pressure sensor can be costly and they have to be reprogrammed to your vehicle.

[osjohns]

:) the owners manual says to replace the sensors when you get new tires. I'm all for not paying Lexus to do that and and pay them to reprogram the new sensors if not absolutely necessary. But, how long will the sensors last? Is there a battery in them that will eventually die? And, let's assume I buy my tires at CostCo (and save $100 a tire) and need to replace the sensors--any problem with buying after market sensors? And if I do that, is Lexus the only party that can reprogram them for my car. If so, what would I expect to pay for this service? That's a lot of questions, isn't it :(

I recommend going to a shop that knows how to change tires with the tire pressure sensors in them. The tire pressure sensors are part of the valve stem assembly. Those sensors do not get changed out unless they have an issue with them. The only thing that Lexus recommends to replace is the gasket/seals around the tire pressure sensors everytime you change your tires, due to the fact that they may leak if you dont replace the gasket/seals. The tire pressure sensors are also fragile and may break if the tire isn't dismounted or mounted correctly. Replacing a tire pressure sensor can be costly and they have to be reprogrammed to your vehicle.

[dpyang]

:) the owners manual says to replace the sensors when you get new tires. I'm all for not paying Lexus to do that and and pay them to reprogram the new sensors if not absolutely necessary. But, how long will the sensors last? Is there a battery in them that will eventually die? And, let's assume I buy my tires at CostCo (and save $100 a tire) and need to replace the sensors--any problem with buying after market sensors? And if I do that, is Lexus the only party that can reprogram them for my car. If so, what would I expect to pay for this service? That's a lot of questions, isn't it :(

I just bought a set of four tires and had them changed for the first time, and went through this. There are two different things being discussed here. There are (1) the sensors (which include the valve stems; do a Google image search for "tire pressure monitoring system"), which do NOT need to be replaced, and there are (2) the washers around the valve stem, the nut that holds the valve stem to the wheel, and the "innards" of the valve stem itself (not the sensor), which can be replaced at tire change time. Replacing (1) is about $180 per tire. Replacing (2) is about $18 per tire. Go to a tire store that has done this before and know the difference.

[osjohns]

:) the owners manual says to replace the sensors when you get new tires. I'm all for not paying Lexus to do that and and pay them to reprogram the new sensors if not absolutely necessary. But, how long will the sensors last? Is there a battery in them that will eventually die? And, let's assume I buy my tires at CostCo (and save $100 a tire) and need to replace the sensors--any problem with buying after market sensors? And if I do that, is Lexus the only party that can reprogram them for my car. If so, what would I expect to pay for this service? That's a lot of questions, isn't it :(

I just bought a set of four tires and had them changed for the first time, and went through this. There are two different things being discussed here. There are (1) the sensors (which include the valve stems; do a Google image search for "tire pressure monitoring system"), which do NOT need to be replaced, and there are (2) the washers around the valve stem, the nut that holds the valve stem to the wheel, and the "innards" of the valve stem itself (not the sensor), which can be replaced at tire change time. Replacing (1) is about $180 per tire. Replacing (2) is about $18 per tire. Go to a tire store that has done this before and know the difference.

Thx dypyang. Googling per your advice, and Wiki'ing, it appears there are batteries inside the sensors that will require sensor replacement after 7-10 years. I guess that's the time you replace the stems with standard valve stems.