edspider

I had a blowout and ruined my tire. I think I would have been able to save the tire if I had a TPMS. I don't have the factory installed option and the dealer says no can do. Has anyone else found anything out there?

Searching the threads, I saw some mention that a COMAND program change can activate an option that uses EPS to detect a low pressure situation. Is that a real option for my E 2006?

Barry45RPM

Maybe these will help?
http://autoaccessconnect.stores.yaho...irprinvas.html

edspider

I've seen those. But I'm looking for something that will let me know while I'm driving that something is amiss. I don't want to check the caps at the start of each trip.

Diesel Benz

Not sure about a 2006 car but it could well be that the tyre pressure warning feature (RDW) could be activated with SDS. This one works with ABS wheel sensors and does not have specific sensors at each wheel plus the corresponding receivers etc. But it is only able to detect a significant tyre pressure change. Should work specifically if the tyre does not lose air very quickly.

konigstiger

Run Flat Indicator
Indicator monitors the tire inflation pressure by evaluating each wheel’s rotational speed. This allows the system to detect a significant loss of pressure in a tire. If a wheel’s rotational speed changes due to falling tire inflation pressure, you will see a corresponding warning message in the multifunction display.

Standard in MY06 CLS therefore as suggested see if the dealer can, will activate the system through SDS.

LRM1

I was told my 2008 had this, yet I can't find it anywhere (unless it only appears on the screen when there is a flat). My guess, judging by stuff it doesn't have so far, is that the car doesn't. Does anyone know if the 08s have it?

konigstiger

Simply check to see if your manual lists this feature. If not...

LRM1

That's what I was afraid of. I haven't gone through the whole thing, but I haven't seen it yet and would think I would have. Friggin Chevy's at $19,000 come with tire pressure monitors!

Diesel Benz

The manual, a good idea.

The on-line Euro manual explains this for a W211.

You have to activate the system after any change on tyres, including tyre pressure changes. Operated from the instrument cluster.

stephenb

See page 296 for US cars and 298 for Canadian, in the 08 E class manual. The canadian system is "advanced".

pinebaron

As far as I know, only Canadian versions come with a basic TPMS since 07. I spoke with Derek who received his 08 Blutech a few weeks after mine; mine (US) did not have it and his did). Mine did not come with TPMS sensors, so activating TPMS will serve no purpose unless I invest in new sensors for my wheels.

Diesel Benz

But I thought the original question was about RDW, not RDK (or TPMS). You do not need sensors for RDW while RDK works with sensors and is more advanced and capable.

edspider

I thought all 2008 US cars must have at least a passive TPMS per a federal mandate. My dealer said the same. Chevy wouldn't include such a feature if they didn't have to.

Diesel Benz

Would like to know the current status of this. Quite some time ago I read their requirements were too hard for the RDW system, instead a real RDK (TPMS) system would have been required. That was from Beru's documents, MB changed to Siemens after that, the regulations may have changed since then.

I guess those Ford tyres (was it a Ford SUV?) are not exploding any more, perhaps they have reconsidered the whole issue.

MARK CUMMINS

The Basic (Works with the ABS speed sensors)TPS can be version coded with the SDS aka Star on 06 and later cars.Or One can install the Complete TPS system with sensors in each wheel,Wire harness,control unit.

BudC

My '08 has a monitoring system. It's not as sophisticated as the Canadian system but it's better than the simple system using tire rotation. I recently began getting a message on the dash to check tire pressures. This occurred when I came to a stop.

I checked the pressures and had one tire that was only about a pound lower than the other side. I carefully inflated all the tires and then reset the monitoring system. The message went away.

Check your late cars to see if the stems have a plastic cap instead of a metal cap. If so, the stem probably has a sensor on the end to transmit the pressure. On US cars this will only give a warning. On Canadian cars, it will tell you actual pressures.

Diesel Benz

There is something confusing, if not incorrect here. I assume you refer to the full TPMS with the more sophisticated Canadian system.

There are only two options, as far as I am aware of, and I believe that is what Mark Cummings explained. If the car does not show tyre pressure readings at the instrument cluster, it would not have any wheel sensors. It would only have the tyre pressure warning system that works with ABS sensors.

Is your opinion different?

BudC

Yes, my opinion is different. I can't cite a source but I've read that the system in the US is similar to the one on Canada but doesn't show individual pressures. I also read somewhere that if the cap on the stem is plastic, the stem has a sensor on it.

I can't prove any of this but I doubt that a system tied to tire rotation would have caught the very small pressure difference I had when I was getting the warning (consistently). In fact, all I did was add one pound of pressure to one front tire and then checked the pressures with a good gauge. It appeared that the pressures were the same after the change so I reset the system and the warning went away. What was confusing was that the warning appeared when we would come to a stop and just as we were shutting the engine off (w/Keyless Go). The warning stayed there until I opened the door which shuts things down on my car.

Note that I had already tried resetting the system BEFORE changing the tire pressure and that didn't resolve the problem.

Bud

Diesel Benz

Hi, it is good to be persistent, I have learned one thing and it takes some time before being open for other views. I don't have any facts against what you say, perhaps they just switched off the instrument cluster tyre pressure view from US cars. Have you checked the option code list from your vehicle data card? Would be interesting to see which code is listed for the tyre pressure monitoring/warning.

Considering the malfunction indication, I don't have too much experience, lucky me but I believe the car informs about a malfunction that has happened during driving, at switch off, even if the issue was fixed meanwhile.

In any case, both systems would need to be initialised after tyres have been changed or tyre pressures have been changed. It may help to inflate tyres to the reading they had when RDW/RDK was previously initialised but it would be difficult to reach the exact same reading (although the system would allow some tolerances).

If you had one tyre with low pressure while trying to initiase the system, it may have detected a too large difference between wheels and did not adapt actually. Just a guess.

BudC

The Datacard says I have '470 Tire Pressure Monitor (TPM) Low Line'. I haven't a clue as to what that is.

Barry45RPM

I just ordered these because my '07 has no TPMS at all. They are Valve Caps that you install after properly inflating your tires. The pressure is memorized by the cap at that time, and when the pressure falls by 3.5 lbs the cap's LED blinks untill proper pressure is restored.

They seem to be small, light and unobtrusive. I hope so.

http://www.avanigroup.com/air-alert-valve-caps.html

Diesel Benz

Very interesting. This code is not used in Europe, as far as I can see from the option code lists of current models. The full RDK is option code 475. I can see this 470 being used by 12 different MB models. I assume it proves you were right, this would be the "low line" version of the full RDK, the same without the IC display for tyre pressure. A final check would be to see this from EPC, it should show the sensors at wheels, I don't think this check is necessary. Thanks for the info.

SteveBC16

The 2008 E350's are equipped with a TPMS system that will display a low tire pressure warning on the command system. Page 296 of your owner's manual will give you more info on the system.

BudC

Yup, the answers were there all the time. I had read that section before but had forgotten about it. It does explain that there is a difference between the US and Canada but in both cases, it's a true TPMS system.

jimm

What a shame that these expensive cars don’t give you individual
tire pressures. MB just doesn’t seem to want to add ANYTHING
electronically that they absolutely don’t have to!

By the way, are the tires on the 08 350 Sport “Run-flats?”

jimm

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‘08 E350 Sport, P2, Black/black, Parktronic,
Voice, Bluetooth, Burl Walnut, Split rear seat,
Wood/leather steering wheel