So i got an interesting message about 10min ago when i was pulling into my driveway. My idrive dinged and said flat tire, so i got out and looked and pushed on all my tires... nothing
I did just get new snow tires put on about a month ago or less is it possible one of the tire guys accidentally did something to the tpms, or is it just a tpms malfunction, or something else... i really dont know what to think of it any advice is much appreciated
thanks
Jason

 

Hi Jason

Are you sure you have TPMS and not FTM? If you look in iDrive it'll tell you. When you swapped snow tires on, did you reset the FTM in iDrive? If not, that's most likely your problem.

I'd check your tire pressure, fill air if needed, and reset the FTM. If it goes off again, you most likely have a leak in one of them.

Hope this helps.

Michael
Acute Performance

 

Heed the warning. I learned the hard way about ignoring the FTM. It is pretty sensitive and will notice a change of a couple pounds pressure. Check your tires with a pressure gauge.

 

thanks guys ill check in the morning, what range should my tire pressure be in? and just wondering, what happened because it doesnt sound good...

alright i cant wait ill try to reset the ftm before my car gets buried again

 

You have a 2004 so not in Warranty... It is pretty cold where you are so I wouldn't get too worked up over it until it warms up. If it continues to act up in warmer weather then decide what to do about it.

 

i really cant help but be worried lol, i just sat in my car for 10 min and the whole time all the ftm said was "initializing" after i hit set tire pressure am i supposed to drive around while its doing that even though it says to only hit the button when youre sitting still with the engine on? and all four wheels read 31 or 32 psi

 

+1. Air contracts when it gets colder so it could throw the sensor off. Putting more air in may be over filling the tire when it gets warmer. Until the weather starts getting warm, I would just fill it to a happy medium where the tires look properly inflated.

 

Or another option is to replace the air in the tires with nitrogen. I have nitrogen on my van for 1.5 years now. Drove to Colorado for the winter and then SoCal summer. The tires maintained the proper pressure the whole time.

 

1. Yes, you are supposed to drive off after clicking the reset button. The FTM system works by measuring tire rotation speed, thus the car must be moving for it to initialize.

2. 31-32 psi sounds too low. You need to check the placard on your door jam (or your owner's manual) for the recommended tire pressures for your wheel/tire size. As a last resort, each tire is marked with a Max Cold Pressure usually near the Max Load Rating. You won't go wrong by setting it just below (a couple pounds) this limit.

 

What I meant by learning the hard way was that the FTM gave me warning, I visually looked at the times and they seemed fine and kept driving and eventually ended up having to put my spare on on the side of the road. No big deal but now I pay attention when I get the warning. Could just be a slow leak, mine was a nail.