Vector02

I searched for about 15 minutes trying to find some info specific to the W204, but I didn't have any luck.

So, as I'm driving away from the dealership, I notice the tire pressure icon on the right side of the dash begins to flash and then stays on. A minute or two later, I get the message, "Tire Pressure Monitor Inactive." I've reactivated and reset the tire pressure data via the command center with no change in warning message. I've also performed a "factory reset" via the command center and nothing changed.

The car didn't have the 18" AMG wheels on it from the factory, and the dealer put the new wheels on for me. I'm thinking that the TPMS monitors on the new wheels didn't sync correctly when the old wheels were replaced. Is there a way to do a hard reset/re-initialization on the W204 that may fix this problem? Any other ideas??

Ron Jr

Go back to the dealer maybe they didn't put the sensors in

RickP330

Yeah, it sounds like they didn't put the sensors back in the new rims....
RickP

Vector02

What a pain in my ***...

michaeljdunn

Drive it for at least 15 miles.. If it doesnt go away then they didnt put the tpms in... When the tires are replaced with new ones u need to drive the car for at least 15 miles in order for the tpms to reactivated and sync with ur new wheels... Or u can check the tire valves and c if you see the tpms. If theres no metal surronding the valve stem and its just the valve then they didnt replace the tpms

Vector02

I've driven 50-60 miles with multiple resets, but it does look like there is metal around the stems. I wonder what's going on.

alexyanglaw

Check your tire pressure at the gas station, make sure the tire pressure are all correct for your tires, then reset the tpms again to test drive.

to find the correct psi for your tires, open the driver door, and look for the sticker on the side.

RLE

This will occur if one of the sensors is damaged or defective. The receiver must receive four signals and if it doesn't the system goes offline, illuminating the lamp.

When my dealer installed the 18" wheels before delivery, their tire machine sheered of one of the sensors which was then clunking around inside the wheel. When the damaged sensor was removed but temporarily not replaced, the warning light came on.

Glyn M Ruck

+1

aprince2die4

Are broken sensors covered in the tire and rim protection package?

Vector02

I wouldn't think so. Shouldn't your normal warranty cover the TMPS?

I have an appointment at the dealer tomorrow to get this taken care of. I'll keep you posted on diagnostic, remedy, etc.

Vector02

Well, the "tire pressure monitor inoperative" notification has gone away. No amber tire warning on the tachometer either. I wonder if I should still take it in?

All I did was reset my garage door opening system and reprogram it... Next time the car was on, it went away...

beachbenz63

I feel your pain, I have an '08 clk63 cab. and had it back to the dealer for that same issue 5 times. They eventually traced it back to an interference issue with the MB Bluetooth unit. According to the dealer, there was a service bulletin on the issue.

JimPap

I still would. It took too long for the message to go away. Its possible that you get that message for only so long until it decides that you don't have the TPMS sensors in your tires.

I've recently been reading up on how these TPMS sensors work. Apparantly, you not only have to torque the attaching nut to a certain specification, but also have to torque the very small valve thingy inside the valve stem. Two places where you can screw up causing damage.

jrct9454

No, I think the clue is the garage door opener....sounds like there was some continuous interference that went away when he did the re-programming. Very interesting, if true...

And this whole episode [and the story on the Bluetooth interference] reinforces how much I really despise this approach to TPMS - burying active sensors in the wheels / valves is just a recipe for problems. The passive system that MB uses in all other worldwide markets makes much more sense to me - not as precise, but a WHOLE lot easier to live with. Canadians, consider yourselves lucky on this one....

Saks_C350_Sport

My TPMS system is AFU as well............. I'll be in for my first service appt in the next 2 weeks so I hope to have it fixed then.

tunafish

"Tire Press. Monitor Inoperative" warning began appearing sporadically on my 2008 C-350 (after more than 40K miles with no problems). Dealer claimed there was a MB bulletin instructing them to replace a rear wiring harness. They did so, but the problem came back. Tomorrow they are going to replace the receiving unit, which I think is somewhere behind the dash. We'll see...

FrankW

i just had the two front tires replaced and i'm pretty sure the sensor was working before hand since it gave me a low psi warning from a nail on the side. i'm pretty sure the sensor wasn't touched during the tire install. now the monitor inoperative is staying on. haven't got a chance to take it to the dealership yet, but i'm pretty sure one of the sensor became a dud.

the one tire that got the nail in it was left off the car until i got the tires for like 4-5 days. btw.

bolcio

Had the same problem, all tires and sensors were fine. Dealer had to check computer sensor box and figure out that they had to move it couple of inches because interference with something else. After this I have never seen the message again.

tunafish

My TPM problem was caused by RF interference from a backup camera I had installed.

Darkstar19

I have this issue as well on my rear right tire but the dealer wants $200+ to replace it. The dealer told me I should get it fixed right away since it's moving around in there and could damage some parts. I think I heard some rattling from that area last night and I'm worried it's going to break something.

What do you guys think? Is there a cheaper way to get this fixed up? Can't believe this isn't covered under warranty...

acr2001

It is most certainly covered under the factory warranty. How could you be so easily misled? The dealer lies - it's rule #1 in this game. Unless you modified your wheels / tires.....

Darkstar19

Wait, really? I have talked to others about this and they also said it was not covered. Do you have some documentation or something that I can use to prove that it's covered?

RLE

You say you hear rattling. Do you mean a bump-bump sound when driving very slowly? Has that tire been dismounted lately?

If so, the tire mounter broke the sensor off and it's loose inside the tire. This very thing happened to one of my wheels when I had the original tires changed before delivery. The dealer replaced it with no argument since they did it.

Darkstar19

Yeah, I'm pretty sure that's what has happened to me. It's something loose and rattling around inside the tire. My local dealer is not the dealer I bought the car from and they are saying that it is not covered under warranty. The dealer I bought from (about 3 hours away) is not replying to my emails/calls.

Can anyone verify that this SHOULD be covered under warranty?