Can You Service Vehicles With TPMS?

There are over 40 million vehicles currently equipped with Tire Pressure Monitoring Systems (TPMS), and today all new vehicles sold in the US are required to have this system. TPMS equipped vehicles require special tools to perform routine tire rotation/replacement and related services. Specifically, a tool kit that provides the capability to test wheel sensors and “reset” the TPMS are required.
The OTC TPMS Kit is the Total Solution
The OTC Tire Pressure Monitor Tool Kit is a complete universal kit providing the tools and information necessary to test wheel sensors and reset TPMS. The Tire Pressure Monitor tool features easy menus, graphics, and directions that help to guide you. The software has the options to Auto Scan or Diagnostics to analyze the wheel sensors. A complete Reset Procedure is also included in the software to walk the user through the complete process. The manual contains the critical reset procedure references along with all the system information including torque specifications. Using the TPM tool in conjunction with the reset manual provides the essential combination for servicing TPMS. The TPM Tool’s main function is to activate the tire sensors in a Direct TPMS. There are a couple different situations that sensors require activation, and in most cases, reading the transmitted data.
Auto Scan
The Auto Scan features provides the capability to walk up to any TPM equipped vehicle and activate the sensor with the push of a button. This function searches through all the communication protocols until the sensor is activated. After activation, the sensor transmits information which is displayed on the screen.
Diagnostics
The Diagnostic feature allows for quick check of sensor via the Make-Year-Model entry system. Selection of the specific vehicle eliminates the search time of proper protocol. Transmitted sensor information is displayed when available. Like the Auto Scan feature, this is a powerful feature that allows the technician to validate that all the sensors are functional before any work is started on the wheels/tires.
Reset Procedure
The Reset Procedure is the key function that “resets” or “relearns” the tire locations and will turn off the dash light. This function is accessed via the vehicle entry and graphically walks the user through all the necessary steps to complete the reset procedure. This software feature contains references to the reset manuals supplied with the tool.

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