TPM question again- sorry

[hb7779]

Sorry to bring this issue up again but I searched up and down for the solution to my particular TPM issue but couldn't find an answer. I hope someone can help me out. Here is my issue.
1. TPM light came on.
2. I check the tire pressure. Fronts 32, rear 36. All good
3. I tried to reset the error. Error went away but came back after 15 minutes or so.
4. Tried resetting it again but got the error "Inactive" and error remained solid yellow color.
5. Took it to the dealer. He checked and recommended replacing all 4 sensors but did not have parts in stock. Strange.
6. Took the car to 3 different tire shops. Each one tested my sensors with their hand held device and said sensors were working correctly.
I am totally stumped. What could be the issue and who to believe? Best of all, how to get this thing fixed. Any ideas will be welcomed. I have 2010, 328i with regular tires (no run flates).
Your help is greatly appreciated. I am in the Houston area.
Thanks

[ptarditi]

If all four sensors are responding properly them it is most likely the TPM unit that is located under the car by the rear of the motor. The shields have to come off to access it. The wires to the unit can chafe on the frame. I would check these wires first. The sensors do have batteries in them, but they usually last a lot longer then 5 years. You can also try deflating the tires down to about 20 psi each and then re-inflating them to proper spec.

[hb7779]

If all four sensors are responding properly them it is most likely the TPM unit that is located under the car by the rear of the motor. The shields have to come off to access it. The wires to the unit can chafe on the frame. I would check these wires first. The sensors do have batteries in them, but they usually last a lot longer then 5 years. You can also try deflating the tires down to about 20 psi each and then re-inflating them to proper spec.

Thanks for the reply ptarditi. I hope it's not the TPM unit. I wonder why dealer didn't catch that. He pointed to the sensors. Since car is over 5 year old, is it possible sensor may not be sending strong signal for TPM?
I will try your suggestions.
Thanks and best regards,

[modular93fox]

You should be asking the dealership why... They will be able to answe the questions instead of you getting worked up over someone else's opinion.

[hb7779]

You should be asking the dealership why... They will be able to answe the questions instead of you getting worked up over someone else's opinion.

I did ask. There reply was we can't comment on tire shop's analysis. We checked them with our system and all 4 sensors are bad. I asked them to be replaced but they told me they were out of stock.
My point is I don't want to replace something unless required. The point of this forum is "getting someone else's opinion" who might have seen the similar situation.

[montaillou]

We checked them with our system and all 4 sensors are bad.

I'm not a mechanic but, unless all 4 sensors are located in the same area, it seems odd to me that they would all go bad independently at the same time. Maybe get a second opinion from another BMW dealer or talk to an indy that works on BMW's.

[Wilson740]

The reason they recommend all four sensors is because their diagnosis plan recommends replacement of all old style sensors. After that they may have come back and recommended the TPS control unit. The diagnosis is limited on older systems and sometimes it is very time consuming. It's probably the control unit and must be programmed.

[hb7779]

The reason they recommend all four sensors is because their diagnosis plan recommends replacement of all old style sensors. After that they may have come back and recommended the TPS control unit. The diagnosis is limited on older systems and sometimes it is very time consuming. It's probably the control unit and must be programmed.

Excellent recommendations. Thanks guys. I think I have to find a local BMW guy in Houston who can give me his opinion and may be program it. May be it only needs reprogramming.

[bimmerabc]

I have the similar problem. I have a 2010 328ix. The tire pressure warning light was on for a year and very annoying. I took it to a local dealer and paid something over $100 for diagnosis. The guy told me the controller and a cable connecting to it have to be replaced at ~$900. I think it is too much. I asked them where the controller is and they were very reluctant to answer my questions. But finally they told me it was behind the rear wheel on the passenger side. You have to remove a piece of plastic shield to see it. I located it and noticed that the connector on the controller was rusted and one pin on the controller was broken. So I took it out and inspected it carefully. I found the controller is a well sealed unit.
Even a pin is broken, I still be able to solder a wire from the rest of the broken pin. So I soldered 4 wires for the four pins. Then directly connected each wire to its counterpart of the cable. I though it should work now, but it didn't. The dealer guy did mention even I replace the broken controller with a new one, I still need to program it. That means I can never completely stay away from them ( that's what I hate the most!). But I think I'm using the original controller which has been programmed before. I which someone can tell me what the programming do? Also, I found people sell different TPMS controllers (different model #) for the same 2010 328i and don't understand why. I think there should only one model # that is correct. Thanks.

[MauiM3Mania]

Moved from General BMW sub-forum.

[bmwdirtracer]

https://www.getbmwparts.com/parts/in...&siteid=214672

The Module is $140 to $175, depending on from whom you buy it. The broken connector / wiring, I do not know.....and I don't know how long the wires are. If they're long and travel in hard-to-get places, the labor will indeed be very expensive. Yes, the new module has to be programmed and encoded by ISTA, BMW's computer system. Well-equipped BMW specialist shops also have ISTA, not just the dealerships.

Neither I not the dealership nor any pro I know would be soldering wires onto the pins of a $140 computer that's been wet (corroded pins). You just replace the bad wire, replace the bad module, and code it.

Alldata shows 2.7 hours to replace the module; I'll have to assume that includes coding. I have no idea how long it takes to replace the wiring.

[dworthy]

So just out of curiosity, can you disable the TPMS?

[bmwdirtracer]

I'd think you could just unplug it to disable it, but you'd certainly have warnings in the cluster....unless you got someone like Abel to remove it from central coding.

[dworthy]

That is along the line I was thinking, just turning off the system. Here if the light is on, you won't pass the inspection silly if you ask me.

[iXdoctor]

It is likely that the dealer is recommending all 4 sensors because the batteries may be approaching the end of their life span. They are only good for 5-7 years from the date of manufacture. They could show ok with a handheld scanner but they may begin to fail with an intermittent no communication.

[bimmerabc]

https://www.getbmwparts.com/parts/in...&siteid=214672

The Module is $140 to $175, depending on from whom you buy it. The broken connector / wiring, I do not know.....and I don't know how long the wires are. If they're long and travel in hard-to-get places, the labor will indeed be very expensive. Yes, the new module has to be programmed and encoded by ISTA, BMW's computer system. Well-equipped BMW specialist shops also have ISTA, not just the dealerships.

Neither I not the dealership nor any pro I know would be soldering wires onto the pins of a $140 computer that's been wet (corroded pins). You just replace the bad wire, replace the bad module, and code it.

Alldata shows 2.7 hours to replace the module; I'll have to assume that includes coding. I have no idea how long it takes to replace the wiring.

Thanks a lot for your input. It really help. BTW, I called different dealer to get this module for my car. The model # quoted by different dealer were different and they all different from my existing module which is BERU 6795846-01. Don't know why.

[bimmerabc]

https://www.getbmwparts.com/parts/in...&siteid=214672

The Module is $140 to $175, depending on from whom you buy it. The broken connector / wiring, I do not know.....and I don't know how long the wires are. If they're long and travel in hard-to-get places, the labor will indeed be very expensive. Yes, the new module has to be programmed and encoded by ISTA, BMW's computer system. Well-equipped BMW specialist shops also have ISTA, not just the dealerships.

Neither I not the dealership nor any pro I know would be soldering wires onto the pins of a $140 computer that's been wet (corroded pins). You just replace the bad wire, replace the bad module, and code it.

Alldata shows 2.7 hours to replace the module; I'll have to assume that includes coding. I have no idea how long it takes to replace the wiring.

Here is what I learn today and want to share it with whoever has the same problem. I brought my car to a garage that claimed to have BMW facility and be able to solve my problem. After checking, they told me that the controller or RDC was broken. It has to be replaced. The price of that module is $300+. And definitely the connector needs to be replaced. They said the connector does not come with any wire on it. The repair person has to attach it to the existing wires. It was something that surprised me. Because when one cut off the old bad connector, the wires get shorter. And there is no much extra length of wires there. And to attach the connector to the wires, which is in the car, one has to do these type of delicate job next to the car. It is doable for sure, but I don't think the car workshop is the place to do this type of the job. It sounds odd to me though, especially for the big name BMW! I think this is just a design flaw or poor engineering. The connector cost $20 at dealer. but the guy want to charge me $30. This is fine. The good thing is he agree that I do the connector job by myself to save some money. After I install the new controller, he will help me with programming it. So, I'm waiting for the connector now. Stay tuned to see if I can succeed.

[bimmerabc]

Hi,
I'm back. Hope my story can help someone. I have a 2010 328ix. The TPMS warning is on. What I found are as follows.
1) cause: the connector on RDC (controller + antenna) was corroded/rusted because over time some salty water got in. the RDC is located behind the rear wheel. By removing a piece of plastic shield under the trunk. You can see it. So, this is basically a design flaw, which exposes such a delicate connector in a harsh invironment.
2) fix by DIY. see next

[328 Power 04]

Yes, it's possible to remove the TPM option from the car, but the procedure depends on year/model. But pretty much a recode is needed, and pulling the rdc module.

[bimmerabc]

Ok, Continue my story.
2) fix it by DIY. I bought a new RDC and a set of parts to assemble a new connector. It cost about $350 including tax. now the major job is to assemble a new connector (weird, they don't pre-assemble it). The connector parts included a plastic plug body and 4 wires with metal connecting part already crimped on each one. So I had to use a small jeweler screw drive to disassemble the plastic plug, then inserted the 4 wires in it. This job was kind of delicate. Once the wires were inserted in the plug, I soldered the each wire to its counterpart on the car. Here is the pin/wire assignment: pin 1, green w/ black stripe; pin 2, red w/blue stripe; pin 3, yellow w/green stripe; pin 4, brown. The pin number is marked next to each pin in RDC. Then protect each solder section with a heat shrink tube.
3) re-coding or "programming", Once a new RDC installed, it has to be re-coding. This part can only be done by dealer or some independent auto service shop. The price is around $120. That's it. Totally $470! Dealer quoted me $962+tax for labor and parts. I saved half by assembling the connector and soldering wires.
4) few words: I bought RDC from dealer to make sure it fits my car. They asked for the VIN to find right RDC. Dealer's p/n does not match any numbers marked on the RDC body. And this part circuits on the Bentley service manual (stock #, B311, published in 2014) is not accurate. The circuit on the manual only have 3 wires, actually there are 4 wires (much like a USB, two wire for +5v power (pin1 and pin4) and the other two is for signal in and out)

[bimmerabc]

Dear bmwdirtracer, I looked at the link you recommended. The part # of the controller is 36106793122. But the dealer told me the part # is 36106868194. This is what confuses me. Why they are different? Since the controller needs to be programmed, I'm afraid that if I get it from getbmwparts.com, I not sure if I can find someone who can program it. So, I spend double the price to make sure, at least, the dealer can program it. Thanks.

[bimmerabc]

I got it. The RDC for 2010 328ix has a number of revisions, from old to new, the part #s are: 36106793122, 36106795768, 36106795846, and the latest one is 36106868194. Not sure if the codings are different.

[bmwdirtracer]

http://www.realoem.com/bmw/enUS/partxref?q=36106868194

"Exchangeable retrospectively."

[bimmerabc]

Thanks a lot. Great piece of information. But, I still don't know how to link the BMW part # to the real parts. The BMW part # does not show anywhere on the real part.

http://www.realoem.com/bmw/enUS/partxref?q=36106868194

"Exchangeable retrospectively."

- - - Updated - - -

Thanks a lot. Great piece of information. But, I still don't know how to link the BMW part # to the real parts. The BMW part # does not show anywhere on the real part.

http://www.realoem.com/bmw/enUS/partxref?q=36106868194

"Exchangeable retrospectively."

[dworthy]

When there is such a big list, it can be confusing, just stick with the newest one available.

So the key here is that you can use all of the ones listed except for 846, that is non exchangeable. I am sure you are wonder why so many different P/N? Well as BMW figures out that one doesn't work or there is a design flaw, they make a newer version. Well it seems with this RDC module, it took 10 times to get it right!