Originally published by Babcox, May 28, 2025
Your know-how can be a huge money maker in the world of TPMS service.
We all love it when customers come into the shop ready with questions. Whether they ask about sales or service, every question can lead to more income for your shop, now or in the future. This especially applies to TPMS questions customers ask. Tire pressure monitoring systems remain one of the most overlooked parts of a vehicle for customers. That’s why you need to answer all customer questions clearly, without confusing them. The same goes for questions from inside the shop.
TPMS Questions: Should I Replace My Spare Tire’s TPMS Sensor?
Customers might not think to ask this. Some spare tires have TPMS sensors, and some don’t. If you confirm your customer’s vehicle is one of them, and they came in for service because one or more of their TPMS batteries died, you will have to explain the benefits of replacing each sensor, including the spare.
At its core, TPMS is a safety system. You should explain its importance to customers as you would the importance of wearing a seatbelt. That goes for a spare tire just as much as it does for the four tires making contact with the road.
Explain that if one TPMS battery has died, the rest will likely follow, especially if they installed them all at the same time. Recommend replacing all five sensors at once, and offer a discount. That saves them money and keeps their vehicle safe, building trust.
What’s the Difference Between Direct and Indirect TPMS?
Most TPMS questions customers ask focus on how the system works. TPMS falls into two main types: direct and indirect. Direct TPMS uses a sensor mounted inside the wheel that sends a radio signal to the vehicle, reporting the exact tire pressure. Indirect TPMS, on the other hand, calculates tire pressure by monitoring wheel speed, using data from the ABS sensors.
Some vehicles, like those from BMW and Mercedes-Benz, combine both methods. Their systems use both sensor data and wheel speed for quicker blowout and flat detection.
Should I Update My TPMS Tools Often?
This one is more shop-centric, but the simple answer is: Yes.
Vehicle coverage is constantly expanding, and new features are developed fairly often for TPMS tools.
Imagine this: you have an already-busy day, and a newer vehicle rolls into your bay that needs TPMS work. Instead of having the updated tools and software to handle it, you have to wait until the tool is finished updating. Remember earlier when I mentioned questions that lead to profits for your shop? Waiting on tool updates leads to lost money (what’s the old saying…time is money?)
