I'm going to replace my tires pretty soon and the TPMS sensors are the original ones that are almost 6 years old. Should I replace the sensors when I replace the tires? How long do the sensors typically last?

 

FWIW: I replaced my tires at four years, bubbles in the sidewalls, and did not replace the TPS.

They work fine. My car is now 5 years old, 41,000 miles and the TPS work like day one.

Hope this helps.

 

Only if they don’t work.

 

So you would just replace the tires and replace the sensors when they stop working? Would it be premature to replace the sensors while the tires are off the rims instead of removing the tires, replacing the sensors, remounting the tires and rebalancing them?

 

I have not seen any sensor statistics but now that you are installing new tyres, I would definitely install new sensors. 6 years must be at the edge if the car has some average mileage. These sensors "sleep well" and last longer if the car is not driven a lot, mileage is an important factor in addition to age. High quality sensors from a tyre shop are not expensive.

 

Sensors are supposed to last 10 years or so.

@ 10 year mark and if getting new tires then I would replace.

 

That's good to know.

 

Do last or are supposed to last? That would be new tyres for the OP after 4 years if the previous ones were 6 years old.

Those new sensors may indeed work much longer than the old ones from 2003 or so. We had flat batteries on a 2003 car after 5 years and the car had winter tyres almost half a year every year. The old style sensors were active all the time, ready when ignition was switched on before the car moved unlike the current ones. Much more battery drain.

 

I would replace the sensors at the same time as the tires to avoid having to mess with it later. I don't know how the cost of the sensors compare with the extra labor costs of removing the tires again to replace the sensors later.

When I replaced my tires, I bought non-runflats at Costco, and they recommended replacing the sensors, which I did.

Outside of Mercedes experience, the sensors on my truck went bad after ten years and very low milage (less than 20k miles). The sensors on my motorcycle went bad at about eight years with similar milage.

 

https://www.tpmsdirect.com/TPMS_Sens...ries_a/850.htm
"The estimated life expectancy of an OE TPMS sensor is 5 to 12 years, with the average lifespan being 7 years. TPMS life expectancy is directly related to the number of radio frequency transmissions the sensors make. Driving habits greatly influence the number of RF transmissions a sensor makes in its lifetime. For example: sensors usually transmit when the vehicle is stopped and transmit more often when in motion. Maintaining a constant speed, such as when you're on a highway, reduces the demand on TPMS sensors and allow the sensors to transmit less often. Drivers who often find themselves driving in start-and-stop type traffic will have a greater impact on the vehicles tire pressure monitoring sensors. Weather can also have an impact on tire pressure sensor battery life. Cold conditions allow batteries to last longer. Warmer conditions take more of a toll on TPMS battery life."

https://www.tirereview.com/changing-...sor-batteries/
“10,000 city miles will result in lower battery life compared to 10,000 highway miles.”

"When a customer visits a tire dealer, a technician can test each TPMS sensor’s battery life, but only if his or her scan tool can display battery life and the pressure sensor is equipped to output that data. Rigney cautions that it’s difficult to interpret the scanned data, because the readout could be a battery life percentage or a one-word description. “A displayed ‘10 %’ or ‘low’ could mean six months to a year of battery life remaining,” he says. The lack of accurate information opens the door for a conversation to discover a customer’s expectations and explain the needs. He adds that if a vehicle owner is buying new tires and one sensor battery is dead or low, the technician should explain it’s the best time to replace the sensors because the tires already are off the wheels, so buying now means avoiding a future visit to the dealer and additional charges for a second service."

 

The sensors are $40 each at Tire Rack. Dismounting/mounting and balancing is around $28-30 each. So, I think I'll replace the sensors when I replace the tires. The new sensors should last me for as long as I have car and replacing them with the tires will avoid future unexpected dash warnings. I now have 5/32" of treadwear left on all the tires and Tire Rack told me I should replace them when they're at 4/32" of tread depth, but they would say how many miles that might be. I'm going to take in the car next week for annual NYS inspection and oil change. I'll ask the shop to tell me how much life I have left on the tires and brake pads (which I expect are also nearly gone at 34k miles). I might just have them replace the tires, sensors and brake pads all at once.

 

Everyone should have one of these:

see:

FWIW: My car has 41,000 miles: Rear brakes and rotors, badly scored, replaced at 31,000 miles: Shop said wear to rotors was caused by electronic rear brakes. Second shop confirmed. Front pads are still good and rotors are smooth.

 

I agree. That's what I used.

 

Let me dispel a myth here - you don't need to dismount the tires to replace TPMS. The tech can just break the bead seal and compress the sidewall where the sensor is located to remove it. No need to dismount/remount/rebalance anything. I just had this done and watched them do it.

Wait for them to fail is my advice unless you really cannot deal with another service. Mine went 11 years.

 

Good info, but by not rebalancing the tire with the new sensor, you're assuming that the new sensor weighs exactly the same as the old sensor.

 

If you are concerned about it, I suggest replacing them. They are generally inexpensive and may be worth it for the peace of mind without worry.

I've never had one fail myself, but if I did, I would replace all of them at that time. It's not a concern of mine, but I get it if it is to you.

Another note: If you have a model that reports tire pressure and tire temperature, make sure the replacements have temperature sensors also.

 

 

2018 E Class from new with 251000 miles driven 40 + hours a week and the nsr sensor has just given up time to replace them all £100 from Star Motors the independent MB service centre

 

The upshot was that I got new Michelin Primacy tires last May when then car had 36,500 miles on it and it was nearly 6-1/2 years old. At that point, I also replaced the tire pressure sensors as well, figuring it will save me the trouble of taking the car back in to have the sensors replaced and the tires rebalanced.

 

Do what makes you feel comfortable. I certainly can see why you might want to replace them with the tires since you already have the tire disassembled. I got rid of run-flats at 3 years and did NOT replace the sensors. They work perfectly. Had I done the run-flat swap after 6 years, I would have given greater consideration to swapping the sensors as well.

 

The sensors on my truck and motorcycle both went bad after about ten years. They contain standard little batteries that go dead after a period of time. I have heard of people just replacing the batteries, but it involves some soldering work.

I replaced the sensors on my Mercedes when I bought new tires, and I think that was easier. I guess it depends on how often you replace the tires and how long you plan to keep the car.