TPMS for 2007 CLK 550, cabriolet
MBworld Guru
Joined: Dec 2009
Posts: 10,782
Likes: 1,011
NO LONGER ACTIVE
I feel you, Rodney. I hate when things do not perform as advertised and designed. But all the anti-TPMS comments remind me of the arguments against seat belt laws forty years ago. I am sure there are individuals in cemeteries that could count on one finger the number of times they had a flat tire...if they could still count.
TPMS has worked well for me on the two vehicles I have owned which were so-equipped. I am sure that years down the line the technology will improve (as seat belt function has) and people would not consider driving without them in place. In my lifetime people have embraced seat belts and largely quit smoking. I have every expectation that TPMS will follow seat belt acceptance.
Burt
TPMS has worked well for me on the two vehicles I have owned which were so-equipped. I am sure that years down the line the technology will improve (as seat belt function has) and people would not consider driving without them in place. In my lifetime people have embraced seat belts and largely quit smoking. I have every expectation that TPMS will follow seat belt acceptance.
Burt
Until manufacturers make TPMS system that do not require special rebuild kits just for the dismounting of a tire, and until they can make them stop giving false alarms, I will continue to not like them. It won't keep me from buying a vehicle without TPMS, but not having it does not make me want to go out and get it.
And I would definitely not compare its safety to seatbelts. Not wearing a seatbelt is stupid because you never know when you might need it and the situations where you do need it may occur completely without warning. The loss of tire pressure that TPMS could warn you about will occur slowly. If you run over debris and have a blowout, TPMS won't help - you'll know as soon as it alerts you that you have an emergency. Driving with good tires, regularly checking pressure, and knowing how your vehicle should handle can replace the functionality of TPMS.
Junior Member
Joined: Sep 2014
Posts: 23
Likes: 3
ML500
Thank you all for such great info! All should be commended! The one thing not here (that may go without saying but not for me) is that when the TPMS sensor is reset, the tires must be cold. My manual says not driven for 3 hours. I ran a test and found the tires about 3 pounds higher after running 30 minutes on the freeway.
To test the TPMS, I ran another experiment and found that my indicator came on intermittently at 3 pounds under the value at reset time, and came on solid at 5 pounds under the value at reset time. I hit the reset (cold) at 38 pounds front, and 42 pounds rear on my CLK550. So it came on solid at 33 pounds (front, didn't test the rear).
I did all this because I had the tires replaced at Costco, and they thought the front pressure was 30 pounds, and the rear was 33. The sticker on the door jam says 38 and 42 respectively. So they hit the reset at the lower value. I went back to them and had them adjust the tire pressure to the correct values using their nitrogen, then came home, let the car cool, adjusted the tire pressure (it was low) with air, and did the reset. So I think it's correct now.
Also Costco said the TPMS valves are very rare and they didn't carry them. They said I had to get them from Mercedes. I looked at the internet, and they seem plentiful. I wonder how you know if the aftermarket part is correct......
To test the TPMS, I ran another experiment and found that my indicator came on intermittently at 3 pounds under the value at reset time, and came on solid at 5 pounds under the value at reset time. I hit the reset (cold) at 38 pounds front, and 42 pounds rear on my CLK550. So it came on solid at 33 pounds (front, didn't test the rear).
I did all this because I had the tires replaced at Costco, and they thought the front pressure was 30 pounds, and the rear was 33. The sticker on the door jam says 38 and 42 respectively. So they hit the reset at the lower value. I went back to them and had them adjust the tire pressure to the correct values using their nitrogen, then came home, let the car cool, adjusted the tire pressure (it was low) with air, and did the reset. So I think it's correct now.
Also Costco said the TPMS valves are very rare and they didn't carry them. They said I had to get them from Mercedes. I looked at the internet, and they seem plentiful. I wonder how you know if the aftermarket part is correct......
MBWorld Fanatic!
Joined: Feb 2004
Posts: 3,122
Likes: 222
From: Milton/Westport, MA USA
me: 2015 SL400 & 2015 ML400; wife: 2022 GLC Coupe; daughter: 2017 GLC SUV
Here in New England our roads are so riddled with potholes, misaligned drain covers and poorly patched repairs I run my tires extra hard, especially in front: 40 PSI all around. I might try 42 in the rear now though, thanks.
My local tire guy keeps a number of sensors on hand, "programming" them as needed to work in many cars. MUCH cheaper than buying from MB.
Junior Member
Joined: Sep 2014
Posts: 23
Likes: 3
ML500
TPMS batteries
I wish the name weren't mine. Sigh.
There is one more issue with TPMS, which just bit me in the butt. I bought TPMS sensors on-line, and had 2 (front) installed. They worked for a few months, then failed. For $1600, MB dealer replaced all 4 TPMS sensors.
The problem is this: when you buy a battery, the date of manufacture is indicated either on the battery or on the battery packaging. When you buy a TPMS sensor with integrated battery you don't get the battery manufacturing date info. I bought my TPMS sensors on-line. They were MB parts, with MB packaging and PNs. They were probably NOS, and made in 2008 or so. Not so good for use in 2016. (NOS = New Old Stock). Without date-code marking systems on the modules, I don't care where you're buying the modules from you can't be guaranteed you're getting fresh batteries in your parts.
And as been pointed out in earlier posts, you can't just unscrew the battery holder and replace the batteries. The wheels must be unmounted tires deflated, TPMS o-ring replaced, TPMS installed in the wheel, tire re-mounted, tire re-inflated, and wheel re-installed. $400 per tire by MB of Pleasanton, CA.
This is crazy. Frankly, I blame our useless government officials who pass laws without regard of unforseen consequences. The fact that we have a technology does not mean that it's use should be required.
There is one more issue with TPMS, which just bit me in the butt. I bought TPMS sensors on-line, and had 2 (front) installed. They worked for a few months, then failed. For $1600, MB dealer replaced all 4 TPMS sensors.
The problem is this: when you buy a battery, the date of manufacture is indicated either on the battery or on the battery packaging. When you buy a TPMS sensor with integrated battery you don't get the battery manufacturing date info. I bought my TPMS sensors on-line. They were MB parts, with MB packaging and PNs. They were probably NOS, and made in 2008 or so. Not so good for use in 2016. (NOS = New Old Stock). Without date-code marking systems on the modules, I don't care where you're buying the modules from you can't be guaranteed you're getting fresh batteries in your parts.
And as been pointed out in earlier posts, you can't just unscrew the battery holder and replace the batteries. The wheels must be unmounted tires deflated, TPMS o-ring replaced, TPMS installed in the wheel, tire re-mounted, tire re-inflated, and wheel re-installed. $400 per tire by MB of Pleasanton, CA.
This is crazy. Frankly, I blame our useless government officials who pass laws without regard of unforseen consequences. The fact that we have a technology does not mean that it's use should be required.
MBWorld Fanatic!
Joined: Dec 2010
Posts: 2,109
Likes: 112
2008 CLK550 Cab
Hmm, I never thought about the sensors having batteries. If so, then mine are 8 years old. I need to look into that. But $400 per wheel? I have never had a battery replaced, but I have had seals on a sensor replaced two or three times, and once a cracked stem replaced. Had it done at Discount Tire where I get my tires - but the work was not done at the same time as tire purchases. Always free.
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