Originally published by Tire Review December 6, 2024
There are many reasons for Autel’s success with its Tire Pressure Monitoring System (TPMS) products in the aftermarket. Tire and Rim shop owners often cite the value of the programmable universal 1-Sensor as a major driver in their revenue growth. With 99% vehicle coverage, it’s the best-selling sensor in the aftermarket. But before we started making TPMS sensors, we made TPMS tools. While our 1-Sensors can only be programmed with our tools, our tools can activate, diagnose, and relearn every known sensor in the market.
Like how we approach the development of all our products, Autel designs TPMS tools with the technician’s in-use workflow in mind. Further, we set our product development goal to use our user-technician feedback to improve it. Every product can be made better, and no one can tell a manufacturer how to make them better than the technicians who use them daily.
No feature on our TPMS tools speaks more to the value of that feedback than the at-a-glance, color-coded status screen. The feature maximizes the efficiency of system testing by utilizing the technician’s workflow:
• Activate each tire sensor, starting with the left front tire.
• Plug the VCI or cable into the OBDII port.
• Pull the sensor IDs, and the tool performs the diagnostics.
Especially important here is the ability to warn the vehicle owner of any impending sensor failure due to battery life. Remember, the batteries in modern TPMS sensors are only designed to last seven to nine years at the most. The low battery detection on our TPMS tools protects motorists from the dangers of a malfunctioning system. It helps your bottom line by allowing you to discover a maintenance issue that needs to be addressed. Detect and report a low battery condition due to weak signal strength while testing your customer’s tire pressure monitoring system.
Every vehicle that comes through your bay doors should have a diagnostic performed on the TPMS system. Just because the malfunction indicator light is not illuminated doesn’t mean there are no system issues. The wheels may be in the wrong location relative to the locations stored in the module, or the battery in one or more of the sensors may be weak, indicating a pending failure of the system.
In a typical scenario where a low battery is discovered, all four or five sensors on the vehicle have been in operation for the same period. It is almost certain that the additional sensors will fail in short order. The best thing we can do as technicians to ensure the integrity and reliability of our service is to explain to the customer that all four or five sensors, if the spare is equipped, should be replaced at the same time. This will prevent the customer from returning for a subsequent visit to replace additional TPMS sensors. If the vehicle is in for a replacement set of tires, there is significant labor overlap, making it less expensive for the customer to perform both services simultaneously.
The diagnostic process on all of Autel’s TPMS tools is the same: We activate each of our sensors and plug into the vehicle’s OBDII port to complete the process. The diagnostic feedback data displayed on the screen instantly informs the technician of the next step, if any, is needed to bring the system back to full function. A low battery Icon or “low” value is displayed in the battery column on the screen to indicate which wheel location has a pending sensor failure. Remember, just because the sensor is activated during testing doesn’t mean that the battery is in good condition. The next step is to speak to your customer about replacing all four sensors on their vehicle. Value and efficiency are the hallmarks of every Autel product.
