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Tire Pressure Sensor Saga Posted by MI-Roger [Email]  (#882) [Profile/Gallery]
(more from MI-Roger) on Wed, 21 Nov 2012 11:47:42
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Moral of the story: Don't expect to save money using aftermarket TPMS Sensors.
Back in August I bought four used 16-inch Saab alloys mounted with Gislaved snow tires. The deal was too good to pass up. Because my '08 Aero is equipped with TPMS, and I didn't want to look at a warning light all winter, I priced out new TPMS sensors to be mounted in these wheels. The lowest cost Saab branded sensors I could find were ~$85 IIRC, w/o shipping. I was able to source four new sensors specifically for use with '08 Saab 9-5 vehicles, operating on the 433MHz Saab frequency, for less than $60 each from a local tire store chain, not have to pay shipping, and have them over night. I jumped on the savings.
Last weekend I installed the snow tire clad wheels on my car and was relieved to not have any TPMS alarm. I expected to have an initial alarm which disappeared after 30 miles or so of driving as the system self-learned the new sensors. Instead, I received a TPMS System Fault alarm AFTER approximately 30 miles of driving. An alarm which did not go away even after nearly 200 miles of driving.
I read up on this alarm on my WIS to discover it meant that one to four of the sensors were not working. I also learned that these sensors can be "awakened" by hitting them with a specific low frequency signal from a service tool. I figured there is no way the problem could be anything more than one bad sensor, or a vehicle mounted detector that is not communicating. I scheduled a service appointment with the Dealer to diagnose the problem and wake-up the sleeping sensor or replace the troublesome module.
The Dealer could not get any sign of life from any of the four sensors! They could however install new Saab brand sensors from the Stock Room for $750! I said "No thanks, a local business sold me these and they owe me four working sensors for my cash". This diagnosis still cost me one hour of Tech time plus taxes.
I went back to the Tire Store where their Techs duplicated the Dealership's test results. Instead of wanting $750 to install four new sensors they volunteered to obtain four new Saab sensors today and install them at no cost to me.
The total cost of my original sensors, plus the cost of the Dealership Tech Time, equates to almost what I would have paid if I bought the discounted OEM Saab sensors initially.
I briefly considered pushing for reimbursement of the Dealership invoice too, but realized I now have four OEM Saab sensors mounted for less total cost than what I would have paid with shipping had I bought these sensors only in August. I am a few dollars ahead, a couple hours of my time behind, and slightly wiser too.
->Posting last edited on Wed, 21 Nov 2012 11:51:33.
_______________________________________ Saabs owned: 2008 9-5 Aero Sedan, sold at 227K miles 2006 9-3SC 2.0T - Wife's daily driver 2000 Viggen Convertible - Sold May, 2022 1964 Quantum IV Formula Car - Retirement project 2000 9-5lpt Sedan, sold at 318K miles
, Wed, 21 Nov 2012 11:47:42 <-- Viewing This Message
, Wed, 21 Nov 2012 17:57:34, Thu, 22 Nov 2012 08:04:03, Thu, 22 Nov 2012 08:59:26, Mon, 26 Nov 2012 04:11:20
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