TPMS legality in WA
 

So I'm in a Les Schwab getting tires put on some new wheels I bought. I had told them to mount the tires and then put the new wheels on the car and the stock wheels in the trunk. They wanted to charge me out the ass for new tpms sensors, saying they weren't legally allowed to install wheels without the sensors on a car that originally came with the sensors.

I was able to get around it by telling them to just put the new wheels in the trunk and I'd drive away on my stock wheels.

I'm wondering if anyone else has ran into anything like this. I've never heard of this law, and I'm not sure if it's just some sale tactic they use to charge $200 to install and relearn sensors.

I believe it's federally mandated that any car equipped with TPMS sensors from the manufacturer has to have them even with aftermarket wheels. They couldn't reuse the sensors from stock wheels?

I believe it's federally mandated that any car equipped with TPMS sensors from the manufacturer has to have them even with aftermarket wheels. They couldn't reuse the sensors from stock wheels?

Yeah, they can mount and balance and all that jazz, but cant put non-TMPS wheels on a car that is supposed to have TMPS.

Anyways, I used to just do what you did, and drive away on the stock wheels, and swap when I got home.

Yeah but then your light will come on without sensors. Just about any wheels should be able to accept tpms it's just the valve stem.

Why not just use the stock sensors?

TPMS legality in WA
 

They swapped my sensors for me at no charge

I'm keeping the stock wheels and the new wheels are only going to be on the car during the summer so I didn't see the point honestly.

Do as I have for many years due to this law. Change your tires out on your own. Just ignore the sensor light on the dash. On 2 of my other cars plus my frs I have not had sensors in my winter tires. If you park your car in the garage you can put you sensor wheels by them and trick the light off for 50 miles. I often will get a toyota to park close enough to me in my apartment to turn the light off.

^this

I haven't had them on wheels in 3 years. I don't even notice the light anymore. You can also do the "pipe bomb" (pressurized PVC pipe with all sensors mounted to that in trunk)

Ooo, that's a pretty clever hack. I like it.

Ahhhhh

Can you imagine having to explain that to law enforcement . Lol

How much are new (additional) sensors?
I plan on swapping wheels a lot as i will be drifting the car soon. Hard to plan what wheels will be on when and such when you just pile them in the car and hit the track. Too bad it doesnt use the honda system. No sensors at all it just calculates wheel rotation with the abs sensors.

Unfortunately, that won't work with these types of sensors. To conserve battery life, they only start sending data when they're being rotated over 5mph.

I like the way the law reads here. The manufacturer is required to instal them but the owner is not required to have them in the car. I don't run them on my snows and it only takes about 2 days to not notice the light anymore.

If thats true, how do my stocks that just sit in my garage turn my light off?

All sensors are different. Subaru sensors only work when rotating according to discount tire. Toyota sensors are static. Not sure what they put in the brz but I know that the Subaru legacy sensors won't work in the frs. I tried. The aftermarket ones according to discount tire can be programmed. Not sure how that works but that was what I was told.

Short version...
http://www.nhtsa.gov/cars/rules/ruli...nalrule.6.html

For what it's worth... I had to put some new TPMS on one of my other cars (due to age of OEM sensors -- almost 10 years old; batteries were suspect). I found compatible sensors on the Internet for about $28 each... and when I had new tires put on the car, Discount Tire installed the sensors and sync'd them to the car at no additional charge. I only paid the standard "balance and mount" fee (per wheel).

No idea, I had my stocks in the back of my car while I was driving home after installing the new wheels and my light had come on about 20 miles into my drive haha.