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W204 C63 Coupe, W166 ML350 BlueTEC, 928GT, C5 Z06 & IS300 race cars, EQE 4Matic+ on order
P.S. And there's something else that makes no sense... regardless of whether the coding is in the cluster or another module (usually the ECU in the front passenger footwell), by replacing the cluster alone you're not going to get *squat* unless you also have the receivers (antennas) for the TPMS sensors, which are definitely not in the cluster - they are at the top of each wheel well under the fender liner. I can't see MB wasting money installing those on all cars and then selectively disabling most of them on purpose afterwards for no apparent reason.
The discrete TPMS sensors are designed to wake up and start transmitting via centrifugal force once the wheels rotate at a certain speed, and then go back to sleep (become inactive) when the wheels are not rotating. Furthermore, the Mercedes sensor transmission range and corresponding receivers in the car are positioned in such a way that only the nearest receiver will pick up the signal from the sensor in the nearest wheel - otherwise you would have no way of knowing what sensor is located at which corner of the car and thus what tire pressure corresponds to what wheel. This makes it easy to swap or even rotate wheels - unlike on Porsches for example, where the sensor numbers have to be programmed into the system so that the car knows what sensor is at what corner.
And yes, even vehicles of the same make and model sometimes use different coding, so they do need to be matched to the VIN. Working TPMS sensors from a US PFL C63 did not work in my Canadian FL car, but the sensors themselves were definitely OK as I gave them to someone else and they work with his car (also US PFL C63).
Brand new sensors always take a longer time to be initially identified by the car, so I suspect that is what happened when the OP put in the new sensors in the wheels, not that the car was picking up signals from the old ones.
Canadian W204 C63 cars with the APX / 507 package (forged engine internals) have the discrete TPMS sensors. The regular Canadian C63s use the ABS sensors to detect when a wheel is deflated and turning faster than the rest.
This is pretty interesting! So, if you do NOT have the forged engine internals package, you can, fo example, put on snow tire wheels for the winter without having to buy another set of tire psi sensors, but if you have the forged internals package, you need to buy a set of tire sensors for the winter wheels? And also somehow tell the car's computer that you have changed sensors?
W204 C63 Coupe, W166 ML350 BlueTEC, 928GT, C5 Z06 & IS300 race cars, EQE 4Matic+ on order
I am not 100% certain whether the discrete TPMS sensors were available in Canada on the W204 C63 as part of another package or a stand-alone option, but yes, that is correct regarding whether you'd need TPMS sensors for your winters. If you don't see the four individual tire pressures in the cluster when you select the Tire Pressure menu (see pic below), your car uses the ABS sensors and you don't need TPMS sensors. If you do see them, then you'll need a set of sensors for your winter wheels.
The car will pick up new sensors automatically, but for new sensors it initially takes about 45 minutes until every sensor is properly identified. Alternatively, you can manually code them in with Xentry DAS (which would save about 30 of the 45 minutes it takes the car to learn them on its own), but there's absolutely no point unless you really want to give the money to your mechanic.
Cluster pic below is from a US car, but that's what you would see on the center display if you have TPMS:
I ran winters with no TPMS this season and I had no problem. I have Canadian APX with the 19s with TPMS. They synced back up no problem only msg you notice is when you scroll through the menus to go check air pressures other wise it's not some annoying message where you can't go to another screen.
W204 C63 Coupe, W166 ML350 BlueTEC, 928GT, C5 Z06 & IS300 race cars, EQE 4Matic+ on order
Originally Posted by Patel
I ran winters with no TPMS this season and I had no problem. I have Canadian APX with the 19s with TPMS. They synced back up no problem only msg you notice is when you scroll through the menus to go check air pressures other wise it's not some annoying message where you can't go to another screen.
-Patel
While you can acknowledge and clear the warning message that will come up every time you drive the car, some would argue that the yellow warning light in the bottom of the tach - which will stay on the the entire time - is just as annoying... but you are otherwise correct. You can drive without them. Hell, you can even drive without doors or a windshield!
I am not 100% certain whether the discrete TPMS sensors were available in Canada on the W204 C63 as part of another package or a stand-alone option, but yes, that is correct regarding whether you'd need TPMS sensors for your winters. If you don't see the four individual tire pressures in the cluster when you select the Tire Pressure menu (see pic below), your car uses the ABS sensors and you don't need TPMS sensors. If you do see them, then you'll need a set of sensors for your winter wheels.
The car will pick up new sensors automatically, but for new sensors it initially takes about 45 minutes until every sensor is properly identified. Alternatively, you can manually code them in with Xentry DAS (which would save about 30 of the 45 minutes it takes the car to learn them on its own), but there's absolutely no point unless you really want to give the money to your mechanic.
Cluster pic below is from a US car, but that's what you would see on the center display if you have TPMS:
I do have that display that shows the 4 individual tires on my Canadian car with the forged internals package. In fact, when I went to test drive the car during the buying process, the salesman had to add air to the tires as the dash was displaying an alert and was showing the 4 low tire pressure readings.
I am not 100% certain whether the discrete TPMS sensors were available in Canada on the W204 C63 as part of another package or a stand-alone option, but yes, that is correct regarding whether you'd need TPMS sensors for your winters. If you don't see the four individual tire pressures in the cluster when you select the Tire Pressure menu (see pic below), your car uses the ABS sensors and you don't need TPMS sensors. If you do see them, then you'll need a set of sensors for your winter wheels.
The car will pick up new sensors automatically, but for new sensors it initially takes about 45 minutes until every sensor is properly identified. Alternatively, you can manually code them in with Xentry DAS (which would save about 30 of the 45 minutes it takes the car to learn them on its own), but there's absolutely no point unless you really want to give the money to your mechanic.
Cluster pic below is from a US car, but that's what you would see on the center display if you have TPMS:
That is what I have. I can take a pic if you wish. My car came out of MBC Vancouver, I have the documentation for it being cleared into Canada in Vancouver and has been confirmed to be a Canadian car by MBC in Toronto. I checked all this before I bought it because is spent its life in SoCal insured by ICBC at huge cost. The data card lists TPMS as option 475 so it must have either been ordered that way or came as part of Canadian Specification 460 but that I suspect has to do with DRLs and all that other stuf fTC requires and the TPMS is a stand alone option.
Last edited by Alex.currie44; 05-17-2017 at 01:18 AM.
Just installed Schrader international TPMS in my second set of wheels. They are quality units and the system picked them up after driving for roughly 10 minutes.
I have a 2010 with TPMS Mid/high option that displays the individual pressures in the dashboard.
Two of these died. Maybe old stock and batteries went? I was able using Xentry to determine that the front ones went. Also, there is a procedure to kinda resurect them, but it's anoying and they quit after working again for 5 minutes. I'm thinking battery.
I almost want to break open the next sensors and replace the batteries myself and then reseal them, just so I know what I have.. I don't think that battery wise you can even trust a sensor with a recent date label. They could have installed cheap or old batteries from the get go.
The point is that the brand new two-years-ago-bought sensors have already died, they only lasted 2 years.
The expectation is that when you buy a brand new sensor, it will at least last as long as your tire will, so that you don't have to spend the money to replace it before you have to remove the tire, because the tire requires replacement.
If the sensor lasts as long as the tire, there is no additional labor cost to replace it, provided you install new sensors with every tire replacement.
Honestly, I find even the above logic a bit unfair financially. I think you should have to replace the sensors more like once every 7 or even 10 years.
So two years for the sensors that I bought brand new?? maybe the guy selling the sensors should have advertised more like "Brand new old stock sensors", so as to know what you're getting into.
And the conclusion for me is that I may buy even cheaper sensors than I already did, but spend the time to research and understand how to properly replace the battery in these with a good unit that I know is fresh, like a dated Duracell button size battery.
05-16-2017, 09:49 PM
