MBTex

Yep, they were set when the temps were in the upper 80's. It is a simple process to reset, I just don't want to have to check my tires and reset the system everytime we have a 40 degree change in tempurature from early morning until afternoon as that is pretty common around here during "winter".

It would be nice if we could set the TPMS to only alert following significant changes in pressure that would be caused by a cut or punctured tire. I check my tires often enough to keep them properly inflated on my own and I don't want alerts everytime they change 4-5 pounds due to weather conditions.

RLE

<<Hey guys, i heard somewhere that the TPMS system on the W204s dont use any RF sensor inside the wheel. Instead, it supposedly uses the cars ESP system to detect if any wheel is rolling with a smaller circumferential diameter; hence indicative of pressure loss. This then triggers the Check tyre pressure warning. If I am wrong and it does use a sensor, can someone take a post a picture of it as i'm curious to see what it looks like. Also, the guys at the tyre shop tells me that any car that uses the RF sensor system will generally have a metal valve stem protruding, so can someone also take a close up picture of their tyre's valve stem too.>>

You are incorrect. See all previous posts on this subject. I posted on some other thread (can't find it now) yesterday that the MB US dealer price (Caliber Motors) for each sensor is $252 which of course is just plain crazy.

So today I called Tire Rack for a price quote since they sell many different sensors on their website where pictures and descriptions of all them are found.

www.tirerack.com
Click on TPMS on the home page.

They sell the exact Schrader sensor (they buy them from MB) used in our W204s and their price is $74.50 each including the required valve stem.

So if you are contemplating mounting winter tires on a spare set of wheels and you want the TP system to be active, this is the way to go. Most likely I will be buying winter tires from them and will make the TP sensor decision at that time.

JimPap

RLE

Nice fine on those sensors.

Do you know if there is an area on this forum so that we can find deals on parts organized to make it easy to find?

walker29

RLE - Have you (or anyone else) actually mounted wheels without the sensors in them? Did it give you an error or anything on the dash. I just got new rims, and I'm debating whether to do the sensor switch from my old rims or not

jrct9454

Yeah, I'm curious, too.

I did exactly that on our '06 Prius, and the small yellow warning light was easy to cover with an equally small piece of black tape....no problem, end of story. [The sensors would have cost almost as much as the wheels I was installing - ridiculous.]

However, I have a sneaking suspicion that the MB is not going to let it go at that - red warning messages on the screen? Constant nagging? Anyone try to run without the sensors yet??

theraj2

anyone use nitrofil in their tires? I have it on one of my other cars.. and its a much smoother ride

sou98

there is no tires pressure sensors on my C300 Canadian spec car.
The car use Indirect Monitoring Systems.. see first thread.... and I change the snow tires with no problem and it started to monitor after i resetting the sensor.

Krytech

Smoother ride? I haven't heard that before. I thought nitrogen benefits were that is was less susceptible to changes temperature and didn't leak out of the tire as fast.

It has real advantages on the track, but IMO not much in the real world. Personally to me it seems like a marketing ploy. But what do I know, I've never tried it...

jrct9454

Yeah, well, unfortunately, in the US we get active sensors. I find the whole thing a big pain in the butt.

This is all because some idiots decided to kill themselves by running Ford Explorers with underinflated tires - now we have to put up with this expensive add-on so you don't have to actually think about tire pressures - unitl they're already too low, of course [the sensor doesn't trip unless it falls at least 20-25% below the reference / base pressure].

Anyway, I'll also repeat the question of the moment - has any USA [NOT Canadian] W204 owner run without the sensors altogether, and what shows up on the screen, and for how long, etc?

I could live with Toyota's little yellow light, but not with a message screaming at me from the dash every moment the engine's on.

walker29

Anyone?

Looking to install new rims without sensors, and I'm wondering if it will cause the system to light the error light.

TuneTime

if you have the Metal stems (sensors in the wheels) and you dont put them in your new wheels you will get a TPM Malf...... Without a doubt....

rgrpc

Yeah it will give you a fault, I picked up some oem sensors on ebay and am having em put on today hopefully it will work, tired of seeing to low tire indicator

StickyZ

you WILL get an error msg (sort of) the little yellow light will blink a few times upon start up and then stay lit when driving. every once in a while a "tire pressure monitoring sys unavailable" warning pops up. hit ok and it goes away until the next time. i have 3 diff sets of tires for road/track/quarter mile straights. i constantly change the wheels on a weekly basis. i have no intention of replacing the TPM's on any of the sets of rubber as it is the biggest waste of technology ever...does any one know where the actual sensor is located? something has to be receiving the signal. i'd love to trick it or simply pull the fuse so the irritating warning light is no longer a factor...anyone?

jrct9454

Great question, but I fear the receiver is so embedded in the onboard computer system that it simply can't be disabled by something as easy as a fuse.

I despise the TPMS with a quiet passion.....a completely unnecessary complication and expense.

StickyZ

right?! thank you!

RLE

It's Federal law. All 2008 cars for the US market have tire pressure sensors. Even the lowest form of automotive life, the Kia Rio.

Complain to your congressman, not MB. MB is to blame for everything else but not this.

jrct9454

Yes, we know it's a federal law - that doesn't make it any easier to live with, or any less of a pain in the backside. I don't "blame" MB, any more than I "blamed" Toyota.

I still routinely note obviously underinflated tires as I walk in every large parking lot. I wish I could believe that TPMS will, as it becomes universal, save all of these people from themselves....but I doubt it.

RLE

<<Unfortunately, indirect tire pressure monitoring systems have several shortcomings. Indirect systems won't tell the driver which tire is low on pressure,>>

Neither will the direct MB system. Others will, not MB C-Class.

rgrpc

433 is the frequency you need to make em work. The ones tha I got on ebay worked great no more indicator