Wednesday’s featured service is TPMS Sensor replacement on a 2008 Porsche 911 Turbo, brought to us by a client from New Westminster, BC.
Many cars built in the last decade have TPMS which stands for Tire Pressure Monitoring System. All cars sold in the US since 2008 must be equipped with TPMS but in Canada it is an option.
While TPMS adds complexity to a vehicle, and with it, additional repair costs, it is a more than worthwhile safety feature giving you early warning when your tire pressure drops below a certain point. I’ve discussed TPMS more in depth in this article and this video.
Our featured Porsche has a rather deluxe system in that it displays the actual pressure of each tire. Not all systems do this.
The vehicle was brought to us with a TPMS warning light on. It was not the low tire pressure warning light but a system failure warning light. We connected diagnostic equipment to the vehicle and tested each sensor. We found that the left front sensor was dead (there is a sensor located inside each wheel on most TPMS equipped vehicles).
After replacing the sensor the system came back to life, giving the owner full information about his tire pressures and no irritating warning lights on.
Knowing tire pressures on this type of vehicle is so important: the tires themselves cost a fortune and you want them to last as long as possible. Running these tires under-inflated is not only dangerous but can add a great deal to your cost of operations if the tires blow out or wear out prematurely.
TPMS sensors have batteries and these have an approximate life of seven years. With this Porsche currently at 6 years old the other sensors may not have too much longer to live.
For more about the fabulous Porsche 911 please click here http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Porsche_911
