TPMS Tools

A TPMS Tool is a device used by a tyre technician to diagnose and repair vehicles that have a faulty Tyre Pressure Monitoring System [TPMS]. The TPMS Tool can activate and detect TPMS Sensors, communicate with the vehicle’s onboard computer system and direct the actions of the necessary service.

If the warning light is on then your first action should be to inflate your tyres. Once that possibility has been eliminated then a TPMS tool should be used to diagnose the fault. This is done by connecting the tool to vehicle OBD using a cable or BT connector. The tool should interrogate the vehicle ECU and report the applicable Diagnostic Trouble Code.

Following replacement of a broken or otherwise faulty sensor the vehicle is relearned using the TPMS tool and part of this process is to turn out the Warning light.

The make model and year of the vehicle are selected on the tool and this identifies the OE sensor which should be fitted to the vehicle. The TPMS tool can then transmit the correct Low Frequency (LF) wake up signal to the sensor and this wakes up the sensor which then acknowledges by transmitting a Radio Frequency (RF) signal.

The TPMS tool contains an RF antenna which receives the signal transmitted by the TPMS sensor. This data is normally transmitted at either 315MHz or 433MHz.The antenna and associated software and electronics should be able to differentiate between the sensor in front of the tool and other sensors in the vicinity. The tool software is used to decode the signal and extract data corresponding to the sensor ID, the pressure and temperature, battery condition and other data and display to the user as appropriate.

The tool needs to be able to communicate with the vehicle to diagnose a fault and also to relearn the new sensor ID and wheel position to the vehicle ECU and turn out the warning light. This is normally achieved by the tool communicating through an OBD cable between the tool and the vehicle. Recent designs of tools also communicate with Bluetooth enabled OBD devices.

When a broken or faulty sensor is replaced as part of a repair then either an OE sensor or a universal programmable replacement sensor should be used. The tool needs to then write the ID and wheel position of the new sensor to the vehicle ECU which it does via the OBD.

• Wireless tool and OBD connector mean fewer broken cables
• Rugged design capable of withstanding tyre shop environment
• Activates and reads all OE TPMS sensors
• Programs all major universal replacement TPMS sensors
• Capable of software and coverage updates over WiFi
• Gets regular software updates throughout the year
• Easy to use for beginners, but with expert features available
• Wireless charging ensures your tool is always ready to use
• Has BLE ready for the next generation of TPMS sensor (like Tesla)
• Capable of downloading data to a PC or the Cloud for traceability
• Has detailed relearn procedures including indirect vehicle resetting
• Manufactured in the UK with UK customer support

No you should source a TPMS tool which works with all vehicles and OE sensors and also which works with all major universal programmable sensors.

It may be that your tool does not have the required coverage for the vehicle you wish to work on. Against a background where new sensors are being continually being released, this may be because the tool has not been updated with the latest vehicles or TPMS sensors, so updating the tool is your first action.

If you are programming a universal replacement sensor it may be that the sensor does not cover the make, model and year of the sensor you are replacing. You should be able to establish this by searching on the tool.