Service Department Woes and TPMS during routine items :(

jmichaelsjeep · **Posted:** Fri Dec 10, 2010 12:12 pm

Okay so this is for my Toyota Camry but here is the situation:

I am purchasing and having installed four tires at a stealership that we've otherwise been happy with. Out car has TPMS in the four valve stems. Evidently by poor design, there are metal valve stems and caps that seize up. When they try to get them off they end up breaking the TPM. They broke one last oil change (because they check everything each time) and they paid for it (supposedly they cost $165 dollars each). They broke one this morning and they will pay for that one. They called to authorize us paying for the other two "if" they break them. To which I said, you break it, YOU pay for it. Well I talked to the service manager and they wouldn't budge. So I said well, either way I'm not paying for it, you can put the tire on without the sensor, but I didn't feel I should have to pay for their breakage.

His reasons were: It was my car, my wheels, and my valve stems so I should pay it, it wasn't their liability. To which I replied, it is your work, you break it, you pay for it.

His comment was: For the amount you are paying for these tires it would be backwards for me to replace the tire pressure sensor as part of our cost, (My quote for tires, installation, and alignment was $642, cost for 3 tire pressure sensors are $495). To which I say, come on, then I guess you better be careful, take your time and do it right.

He then claimed it was the age of the vehicle. To which I say: It is only 3 years old.

I chose this stealership to service our camry hybrid because they came highly recommended and they do good work. In anticipation that when the time came, we would buy a vehicle from them.

In the end I conceded that I wouldn't be paying for TPM and that they had better be careful when the remove them because I would just not replace them if they don't replace them and purchase them... I did say if they break one, they are to call me immediately because I still want to know. Reason being, I'm planning on calling the general manager of the stealership to complain.

Am I in the right? Should I just suck it up to owning a newer vehicle with TPMS? ADVICE QUICK PLEASE!

tjkj2002 · **Posted:** Fri Dec 10, 2010 12:59 pm

You are not right.If the TPMS sensors are corroded and break it's your responsibility to pay for new ones after they stopped work and warned you that the remaining ones may break.It is a super common issue with TPMS sensors,and yes you the customer get the shaft and have to pay more and you get to thank stupid poeple that could not check there own tire pressure then got killed when there tires failed.It's not the techs fault that the sensors are corroded and are breaking and the shop is in no way responsible for replacement cost.Now if they cheated and did not fully remove the sensor from the wheel and it got broke while tire mounting then yes they are responsible but breaking when trying to remove a corroded sensor no they are not.

When I have to deal with TPMS sensors and the 1st one that starts to break I stop,inform the service manager and the customer has to either pay for new sensors to replace any that break,live with the light on and run regular valve stems,or go somewhere else to have the tires replaced.

Just wait as a whole bunch of TPMS sensors are going to start failing here pretty soon as the older years ('04-'05's) are about at the end of there non-replaceable battery life which is only 5-7 years.That will be on all customers to have them replaced and not covered under any warranty but the 3/36 bumper to bumper warranty which will be long expired by then.

TAHOE · **Posted:** Fri Dec 10, 2010 1:28 pm

Is your car out of the 3/36 window? If not, then I would make them pay. If it's passed that, then I would tell them to put regular valve stems back in, put a piece of black tape over light, and then write a letter to both dealer and Toyota telling them how I won't ever be buying one of their car again, ever ( not that I would in the first place)....if it were me.

JL Rockies · **Posted:** Fri Dec 10, 2010 1:32 pm

I had a customer that traded in his 6 mo old Colorado on a new Silverado. He requested that we swap the tires because he really liked the tires he bought for his trade over the stock tires on the Silverado. I got a quote from service, the customer agreed to pay and they went to it. In the process of swapping the tires the tech broke one of the sensors somehow and the new sensor showed up on the customer's bill... much to his shegrin. I thought it was out of line and when I went to the service writter he looked at me like I was some kind of Democrat... he said "it's the chance you take when you do work like this" "If you don't want me to charge the customer, I'll charge sales... let me know"
I had to talk to the foreman who agreed to charge it to policy for the sake of protecting CSI. So yeah... what TJKJ said seems to be the way of the world.

jmichaelsjeep · **Posted:** Fri Dec 10, 2010 3:26 pm

Thanks tjkj and all.
I kind of thought that would be the response, from all indication, it broke trying to take the caps off. IMHO poor design, 1) why would they make something that so easily breaks (the sensor) and 2) Why couldn't they at least have it be a less costly sensor part so at least if I have to replace it every tire change or service visit I'm not paying out the wahoo.
I hope there is mass rioting in the streets when people have to start paying for these stupid things regularly... Just stupid.

No it is well out of the 3/36 window (74k on it)... He said that if it was the rubber stem/ cap and it broke they wouldn't have a problem replacing it, ugh.

He evidently told my wife when she picked it up that the metal ones are NOT factory for this car. Anyone know if this is true? I have to look it up yet. They broke the other two... So I now might have to do the black tape method. as I now have two working and to non working. I'm pretty sure it will annoy the snot out of my wife.

tjkj2002 · **Posted:** Fri Dec 10, 2010 7:55 pm

jmichaelsjeep wrote:

He evidently told my wife when she picked it up that the metal ones are NOT factory for this car. Anyone know if this is true? I have to look it up yet. They broke the other two... So I now might have to do the black tape method. as I now have two working and to non working. I'm pretty sure it will annoy the snot out of my wife.

A few early vehicles had alloy valve stem caps with TPMS sensors but very rare to find and talking about '04 and earlier.They learned there lessons quick and yes only plastic light gray caps for TPMS sensors.GM,Ford,and some Subaru's use a TPMS sensor with a rubber valve stems now that are bolted together.

If they warn you before hand it's on your dime,sorry but the way it is.As techs we don't want to deal with TPMS either as we rarely get paid for all the issues that we have to deal with trying to simply air up a tire.

If you do not want to pay the extra for TPMS then please do your own work on vehicle,that means you dismount and mount your own tires.Live with it or get rid of it,it's a crap system that is forced to be on any '08+ vehicle sold here.Techs do not want it anymore then you,trust me on that,we hate it more then any consumer does.

Service Department Woes and TPMS during routine items :(

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