TPMS programming for Toyota/Lexus without serial numbers

[ROBOCOP]

So I'm looking to get some TPM sensors from my new wheels programmed into my Lexus, but the sensors are already mounted inside and tires are on the rims. I called Lexus and they said they need to have the serial numbers in order to have them programmed to my car. I don't really feel like paying them take off my tire and possibly scratching my rims, I'd rather find somewhere that can scan my sensors and program them that way. Does anyone know of or experienced any tire shop that can scan and program my TPMS without removing the tires? Would Toyota be better to call?

[vtec]

toyota/lexus has a scanner to read to codes without
dismounting the tires

[HO2S]

How new is you car and what it it? On new toyotas, like 2010+ you have to get the serial number off the sensor and program it into the tpms modual with the scanner. And it has to be a toyota sensor, the modual will not accept aftermaket sensors. Ive tryed. On older ones you can use a tool like the bartech to program it. Really almost any tire shop can do this.

[BokCh0y]

The dicks at Harpers Tires in Douglasglen did it for my IS with a reader. They just put it close to the sensor on the outside of the tire and grabbed the serial numbers for me there, then programmed it into the car.

[ROBOCOP]

My car is a 2010 Lexus IS 250. I don't think they are Toyota TPMS's, just generic ones and I assume these guys sold me Toyota/Lexus compatible ones, will there be a problem for being non OEM?

[Sentry]

You can read the codes physically off the sensors or use the TPMS reader tool to get the codes. Then they punch the codes in using the Techstream.

0.5 of an hour's labour to program the TPMS is typical. Might be able to sucker a dealership into doing it for free if you give them the impression they want your business in the future. (EDIT: Say something like "I went to X dealership and had these wheels and tires put on but they screwed up the sensors, so now I'm coming to you to give your store a try. Will you program them for me?")

Where did you get these wheels? You said they're not Toyota/Lexus sensors?

[ROBOCOP]

I bought these wheels online from a website called streetdrams.org. I do not think they are OEM sensors. I called Lexus of Calgary and asked them and they said they require the serial numbers.

[BokCh0y]

doesn't matter if it's oem.

my winter set has 3 oem lex/toyota and 1 aftermarket - because the dicks at harpers tires in douglasglen fucking wrecked the one sensor when fixing a nail in the tire. How....i dunno. Anyways another story for another thread.

Anyways, they replaced my oem sensor with an aftermarket one. then they had to re-program the tpms sensor id's in the car, but didn't know which sensor they removed. so they used the code reader thing, put it up against the outside side wall where the sensor is, scanned all 4 codes and programmed into my car manually.

my summers are oem lex/toyota.

dicks at lexus will charge you $70 bucks to remove the rubber and grab the serial number. then you're looking at another $120 to mount and rebalance the tires. and prolly 0.5 hours labour to program into your car. they may show some courtesy and include this in the $120 to mount and balance, but i fucking highly doubt it.

The price above is what they were gonna charge me to pull the serial on the one after market code - they needed all four.

Anyways, just go to wherever and have them scan and program for you rather than pay lex to do it.....trust me. i've done this ok.

listen to me and stop asking questions. i hate the dicks are harpers tires, but they did it for me, so i know they can do it for you ok.

now go!!!!!!!!!!

[J@Tuner]

What year/model?

We can do it for you here as well! Shoot us an email or phone call and we can get you in

[HO2S]

If its the older type that you can program with a tpms tool they can be aftermarket. If it is the new type were the serial numbers have to be entered manualy with a actual scan tool, after market ones will not work. Aftermarket serial numbers have letters in them. the toyota ones do not. so when you go to enter the number in the car will tell you the serial number is invalid.

[ROBOCOP]

Excellent information, thanks guys.

[HO2S]

I just looked it up. You have to registor the serial number with a scan tool. You are going to need toyota sensors or a sensor with no letters in the number.

[tomt64]

Originally posted by BokCh0y


dicks at lexus will charge you $70 bucks to remove the rubber and grab the serial number. then you're looking at another $120 to mount and rebalance the tires. and prolly 0.5 hours labour to program into your car. they may show some courtesy and include this in the $120 to mount and balance, but i fucking highly doubt it.

Not true. Lexus of Calgary has a tpms scanner where we can read the 7 digit serial number without taking the wheels off the car, nevermind dismounting.
Second, we make sure the codes were input correctly and that the tpms ecu is reading all the codes. I have worked on plenty of cars that customers come in complaining of a tire light after they went to an aftermarket shop to have their new wheel/tire combo fitted or just swapping over tires.
If we mount and balance wheel combination, we do not charge 'extra' money to program the sensors.
Third, .5hr charge to do this is very reasonable. A business is here to offer a service, but also to earn money. What kind of money do you expect to pay for this job to be performed on your vehicle? $20? We are in Calgary, not Mexico.
Lastly I have seen so many aftermarket shops (not all) do bewildering hack jobs on tire repairs that still leak and they dont tell the customer. Shops do tire changes and dont clean the rim beads/seats leading to slow bead leaks. They balance tires with more weights than needed in different places that creates a shimmy at higher speeds in most cases. Instead of cleaning the rim they use tire sealant which is not needed in most cases (ie tire sealant use = corroded chrome wheels). They reef on the lug nuts til their impact gun starts chattering, stretching studs. I have seen broken tpms sensors glued back together, taped to the rim or even rolling around freely inside the tire.

You act like a keyboard warrior in this thread calling every company a 'dick'. Maybe you should attempt to do the work yourself for $70 or maybe even just actually call before pointing fingers and saying shit about specific companies.

[tomt64]

Originally posted by HO2S
I just looked it up. You have to registor the serial number with a scan tool. You are going to need toyota sensors or a sensor with no letters in the number.

Toyota sensors use numbers 0-9 and letters A-F. All sensors are 7 digits long.

[BokCh0y]

Originally posted by tomt64


Not true. Lexus of Calgary has a tpms scanner where we can read the 7 digit serial number without taking the wheels off the car, nevermind dismounting.
Second, we make sure the codes were input correctly and that the tpms ecu is reading all the codes. I have worked on plenty of cars that customers come in complaining of a tire light after they went to an aftermarket shop to have their new wheel/tire combo fitted or just swapping over tires.
If we mount and balance wheel combination, we do not charge 'extra' money to program the sensors.
Third, .5hr charge to do this is very reasonable. A business is here to offer a service, but also to earn money. What kind of money do you expect to pay for this job to be performed on your vehicle? $20? We are in Calgary, not Mexico.
Lastly I have seen so many aftermarket shops (not all) do bewildering hack jobs on tire repairs that still leak and they dont tell the customer. Shops do tire changes and dont clean the rim beads/seats leading to slow bead leaks. They balance tires with more weights than needed in different places that creates a shimmy at higher speeds in most cases. Instead of cleaning the rim they use tire sealant which is not needed in most cases (ie tire sealant use = corroded chrome wheels). They reef on the lug nuts til their impact gun starts chattering, stretching studs. I have seen broken tpms sensors glued back together, taped to the rim or even rolling around freely inside the tire.

You act like a keyboard warrior in this thread calling every company a 'dick'. Maybe you should attempt to do the work yourself for $70 or maybe even just actually call before pointing fingers and saying shit about specific companies.

Get over yourself white knight.

I know how much you guys charged me to mount, balance and program my tpms sensors and it sure as shit isn't 0.5 hours labour.

And if you guys have a tpms scanner, so why is LOC quoting me to remove my tires to grab the codes and then quoting me to mount and balance them again? This is what your service advisors are telling me...and you're saying otherwise? That you can in fact just scan the codes and instead of charging to remove the tires, and mount and balance the tires again? Maybe it's time to call up Al and ask him why and what's going on.

I'd be more than happy to pay 0.5 hrs labour to scan and program the codes rather than $200+ to dismount, mount and balance again plus programming.

PM me your name pal, I want to talk to Al about this and find out why quote $200 to do the work when you're really just scanning for the codes.

And by the sounds of it, the OP was told the same thing.

You should speak with the advisors up front to see what they're telling the customers and charging, compared to what you're actually doing in the back. Get YOUR facts straight from your fine establishment...dick.

[Proyecto2000]

I went thru this awhile ago when I bought new rims and tires (Thanks Bob ). I called Lexus and they quoted me $125 to program the sensors even though I had the codes and their locations written down on a sheet of paper and my tires were already mounted, balanced and installed.

So I went to Stampede Toyota to get my oil changed and I asked the service advisor how much it would cost for them to program the sensors and they did it FREE OF CHARGE. Maybe it's becuase I have been servicing my Lexus there for awhile or they just felt like being super nice that day.

Anyways, if any of you Lexus owners want to save 30%-50% on service then take your Lexus to any Toyota dealership. I go to Stampede Toyota becuase its 10 minutes away from my work and they change my oil, wash my car and give me a free gift in under 45 minutes.

Much better than driving 30 min to Lexus, waiting a minimum of 2hrs and paying double for the exact same Toyota filter and oil.

[tomt64]

How long ago was this when you asked anout programming tpms sensors?
Most of the time when you call you go through to appointment writers, not the service advisors. Which person did you speak to?

Im just stating facts, stop being a keyboard warrior and calm down, you type like you are ready for a fight.

[BokCh0y]

October 2011. And i know for a fact it was a service advisor, i know them all and it was in person as i was at the dealership. So it wasn't the writers.

i'll be calling Al tomorrow and asking him why his technicians are stating one thing and yet his service advisors are stating another and charging me full price for what sounds to be a < 30 minute job. The info you have in your post about an actual scanning tool just pisses me off more....knowing they have the ability to scan.....

And to correct myself, they didn't quote me $120 to mount and balance my tires, i was wrong. It was actually $173.xx with tax to mount and balance the wheels, not including programming. I know this because the codes were never programmed into my car, i didn't have the car with me that day, so i was told to go back when i have them on the car and they would program the codes for me at 0.5 hrs labour. They even wrote down the tpms sensor codes for me on my invoice.

This is for my summer set of rims, not the winters that harpers tires wrecked.

[tomt64]

Loc charges 150 to mount and balance and 15 for shop supplies. Sounds about right w/ tax. Were these tires mounted on existing rims from the car?

[HO2S]

Originally posted by tomt64

Toyota sensors use numbers 0-9 and letters A-F. All sensors are 7 digits long.

The last one I did was a highlander, we were putting DILL sensors in it and I was registering the numbers with a verus. I entered the number and the scanner told me the serial number cannot contain letters. Meh, every make and model is different.

BokCh0y, after reading some of your other posts in other threads I totaly understand why your so pissed off at shops. Not every shop is out there to screw with you, its just really hard to find a good one. Not just that it also boils down to what tech you get in each shop.

I find tpms isnt something you can quote. If everything goes ok it will take like ten minuits. If somthing goes wrong it can take two hours. At the end of the day some one is going to get the shit end of the stick. Ive had one were a guy came in for a rest, we told him it will be $50. I ended spending two hours and diagnosing a bad junction box because the tpms receiver was dead. Customer got a good deal this time. So shops will quote or charge more to cover there ass. And there isnt any published book time for alot of tpms so its a billing freeforall.