Hi,

I'm getting the run around, so I need the definitive answer from the knowledgeable and helpful forum members.

I've got a 2008 FFRR with the 4.4 petrol engine (not Supercharged).

I've been plagued for almost nine months with random, intermitent TPMS warnings (low pressure warning, not a system fault warning).

I've made sure all the tyres are up to pressure. Still get the warnings. I've had the tyres (except the spare) recently replaced and they 'rebuilt the TPMS valves.' Still get the warnings.

I've had them analyzed. When the warning is off (as of course it would be when the mechanic was looking) they all reported they were working correctly.

Previous posts on the site have noted the TPMS is temperamental and I'd be better off without it. I think I agree. I just asked my mechanic to turn them off. He said it couldn't be done. As forum members said it COULD, I called the Dealer. I got the same story-always on, cannot be defeated story.

So, much as I'm annoyed doing the mechanic's and dealer's research, can someone PRECISELY explain how to turn the TPMS off.

I'll add for good measure that I'm in Canada, where TPMS is NOT required and it's legal to turn them off.

Much thanks in advance!

Get your self a GAP products IID tool and turn it off your self in the CCF files
( you would also be supporting a Canadian industry ) 2008 MY Supercharged
Rimini Red / Jet
four zone climate
remote park heater
and no ugly kid windows.
magnus satis quod turpis satis

i have the same problem with intermittent 'check all pressures' warning...my vales look corroded and the batterys in the tpms are probably going flat causing the random errors..
i've also read that the tpms receiver located above the front interior light goes haywire and if replaced can solve the problem..
as suggested , an IIDTool will be able to switch off the tpms system and it also does many many more nice things.. ... - .- -.




Y. O. L. O.
.

Thanks. The mechanic has a computer tool (not sure if it's the IID), and the dealer certainly does. So...
How do you access these CCF files and what, exactly, needs to be changed? Thx.

here's the link to the GAP site,

http://www.gap-diagnostic.com/products/iidtool.html

and if you do a forum search for ''IIDTool'' there are a few threads that discuss what the tool can do.. ... - .- -.




Y. O. L. O.
.

The CCF is the Car Configuration File and it tells the various ECUs which options the car has fitted. The CCF can be accessed with a number of tools, such as IID and Faultmate to pick just 2.

The dealer's system is a cut down version of the one which the factory use and by enabling or disabling features it writes the CCF in the background. This is why dealers can't do the job but obviously the factory can. After all, every car starts out as an unpainted bodyshell and various bits are progressively added until the car is born. It's just that the factory don't want dealers to be able to retro-fit certain options, especially those which they charge more than is reasonable for as build options.

So, the easiest way by far is to get an IID tool. You plug it into the OBD port and use the cruise control buttons to navigate the menus until you see the TPMS feature. Then to turn it off just set it to "Not Fitted" and all will be well.

I asked the Main Dealer why not just remove the corroded TPMS valves and replace them with standard rubber valves and was told they would/could not do this as TPMS was manufacturer spec and to do that represented a potential safety issue. So they replaced all the TPMS. Maybe Main Dealers won't do it for fear of being pursued if there are any resultant 'issues' that they feel could 'come back and bite them'?

Potential safety issue is utter rubbish as not all vehicles had TMPS fitted!!

As above, the dealer diagnostic machines cannot edit the CCF to 'Not fitted' so replacing the TMPS valves with normal rubber ones would result in the car throwing the 'Tyre Pressure Monitoring System Error' 2007 Zermatt Silver TDV8 Vogue SE - now sold but was a great car!

I've used the IIDTool to turn off TPMS on both cars I've had.

The system generates far too many false warnings for it to be a "safety feature".

It's a good idea, badly implemented IMO Got - 2017 SDV8 Autobiography in Loire Blue
Had- 2008 TDV8 Vogue SE in Java black
Had - 2007 S/C in Stornoway Grey

Not disagreeing with you Graemec, just recounting what I was told ...

Each time I go to put air in the new zinc coated TPMS, I actually have difficulty getting the inflator off the valve as it tends to stick metal on metal and you keep waiting for the valve to break off! Horrible things.

IID Tool is your friend............I turned mine off  Stolen / Gone: 2006MY Supercharged LPG Autobiography - Zambezi Silver with Sand/Jet/Jet Oxford Leather.....

It sounds like I'm one of the very few that has had no problems with the TMPS (yet ??) and only had it do what it is designed to do, warn me one of the tyres is underinflated. I have had three flats and all three were detected by the TPMS before I drove of (and would have done more damage, potentially).

I am concerned that they will give up the ghost in the next 1 or 2 years as the batteries will be going and not sure if corrosion will claim them before then.

I definitely plan to get a brand new set when that happens as they have done their job for me.

My suggestion, if you feel they don't add anything for you, get a dealer or indy to turn the TPMS off. It can be done (I have a Faultmate so I can easily do it myself if I wanted to).

If you would like to have the functionality, first check for fault codes, and check the antennas/cables. If that all seems fine get a new set and hope that solves all the issues.

They will increase your safety if working properly, the question is, do you really need it. I bet if you look at statistics that very very few people actually get hurt when tyre issues are not detected in time where a TPMS could have made a difference. Most cars run without TPMS systems and have so for a century

I see them more as a convenience (provided the system works properly) and damage limitation gadget when you do have a flat  MY 2010 5.0 SC Galway green and sand interior!!
Have the Faultmate MSV2 Extreme to be tinkering with the settings etc. !!

Thanks to all for the replies.

Ok, so it seems the dealer was telling the truth - THEY can't turn it off, but it certainly CAN be turned off.

The system has already been checked, so the next solution would be changing the individual sensors or the module. I'm rather torn. In a perfect world, it's a neat idea and I'd love the have them working. However, it's a pretty minor feature and I don't think it's worth large amount of cash thrown at it to solve the problem.

The IID is also pricey. I can't think of anything else to do with it. I'd love to be handier than I am, but I can't see any other issue which I could read that wouldn't result in an immediate trip to the mechanic anyway. I found that buying a basic ORB2 scanner for my Disco (an old 1997) - I know what's wrong, but fixing it is another matter. (Considering the price of a basic code reader, and the habit of the Disco to put a check light on for no reason, it's been a handy bit of kit.)

So, are the Faultmate and the IID the only two options for this? Any others? Is one better than the other?

Much thanks.

Alamn_3 agreed, great idea, but too many errors.

Pld118 agreed. I've come across a mechanic before who didn't want to do it because of the safety liability. Silly, yes, but I don't blame him. Silly is definitely a word I associate with most product liability issues. He agreed to turn it off only after I sent him the Transport Canada website info. Unfortunately, he's not very conveniently located, or it would be done by now and I wouldn't have had asked in the first place.