[c5engineer]

Well, I've read many posts where you guys/gals are getting hosed by your dealerships (and to be fair some of you report excellent customer service), and now I may get a taste of that myself.

The other day the TPS light came on (new experience) and I thought I'd check the tire pressure. Well the caps wouldn't come off. Finally one snapped off. It turns out that the dealer I bought it from puts these aftermarket caps on (I thought all of you had these caps), that the dealer up here has never seen. Apparently they corroded due to the winter here and won't come off.

The dealership I bought it from is trying to justify whether they should pay for the repairs or not. As FXNGLAS always says do the work yourself or you'll be sorry, but they started asking who does my maintenance. I told them I do, but the tires have never been serviced. They're wearing great and the warning light for pressure has never come on. Sure I look at them, but if it ain't broke don't fix it. It looks as if the replacement of all 4 will cost a minimum of 1000 dollars. The vehicle has 12000 miles on it and the tires are in great shape, as is the entire vehicle. I keep all the receipts for what i do, but they seem to be poised to point the finger at me. I'm in shock that it isn't a simple deal.

I think it's a shame that they put an after market part on a vehicle and in this rare case it caused a problem and they may not make it right. As of right now the dealer in Texas is calling the manufacture of the cap or stem (don't know which) and they said they'll call back with their decision.

After that I guess I'll attempt customer service, but these guys seem to want me to pay for it regardless. I'll keep you posted. Anyone else have these caps on and had any problems? They have the tire pressure imprinted on them and have a plastic top with green coloring. The actually threading appears to be steel.

 

[The Phoenix]

You know me and my preaching

However, you shouldn't have to pay for that. 3 Year / 36,000 mile bumper to bumper warranty does still exist doesn't it?

The TPMS system is not considered wear and tear like brakes or tires either. It also does not require maintenance. So why are they asking who maintains the vehicle? TPMS is irrelevant to maintenance. They are covered by warranty. My friend had his Tundra brought in about 3 times for the TPMS light and sensors. They took care of it under warranty. Two factors: He did buy the truck from them, and he did give the service guy a hard time about it.

Maybe it had something to do with it, but I'd highly recommend speaking up to someone and not shelling out the money for it.

 

[c5engineer]

Yeah, they're now claiming that I haven't kept up the maintenance because I didn't check my tire pressures. This is the first vehicle I've owned that had a monitoring system. There are tire pressure monitors on aircraft and they work well. I made sure the tires never looked low and the light came on one time, but went out. I guess they think that if I'd taken the caps off a couple of times they wouldn't have siezed on the stems. However if they hadn't installed an aftermarket part instead of the plastic cap that most come with it I wouldn't be in this mess. I'm dealing with customer service and the dealership has 3 days to deal with it. I'm hoping for the best, but expecting the worst. I was shocked when the guy tried to equate lack of maintenance with the siezed caps. Anyhow I think it's really unfair, but who am I? Other than that the Tundra's been pretty good, but I can see why so many complain about their dealerships. It's a shame not to back a good product.

 

[The Phoenix]

So true about the dealerships. Regardless, I think if you argue with them some they should budge, otherwise just keep climbing the chain in customer service.

Seriously though, we pay $25,000+ for a truck, and they're gonna argue over some tire stem caps and blame you for it... rediculous.

 

[cookiemech]

Sorry to hear you're going through all this misery over something I would think could never happen. Just to be clear, what is the stock cap? My 05 came with simple steel caps that seem to match the TPMS sensors perfectly; my friend's 06 are the same. I didn't think any came with plastic caps (which would obviously prevent this problem).

Hope you are treated right.

 

[dcab03]

I want to know what they are charging $1000 for? The sensors only cost $75 a piece for Nissans and Chevys so why are they charging so much for them?

 

[tempetom]

When you get tired of trying to deal with those creeps why don't you file a complaint with the "Better Business Bureau" if there's one where you live. I know no businessman wants complaints on their record. My truck came with the simple metal caps. I guess in retrospect, you could have ground the caps off as close to the threads as possible then pick it off with a scriber or ice pick.

 

[xedge]

A grand? For new sensors & to reprogram them? They need to put the crack pipe down and take out the warranty manual they stick in every glove box. Thieves pure and simple. And trying to point the finger back at you is whacked too. I wish you the best in your challenge & dial that 1-800 toyota service number.

 

[c5engineer]

Hey guys,

I contacted customer service today and they said before it gets to them (they opened a case number though) the dealership has 3 business days to answer my charges. It boils down to them claiming that because I never checked my tire pressure, I didn't meet the preventive maintenance requirements, which are not in the Toyota maintenance schedule to begin with. I have taken great care with my truck as I have with all of my trucks. I change the oil and do the service intervals like clockwork, but because this damn truck had a tire pressure sensor I only rotated the tires and checked them for wear (they're doing great by the way). As for what they're charging almost a thousand bucks for:

4 stems/sensors (the dealership up here is positive that they are welded on all of them) and the associated labor to physically change them and reset the system. The sensors are 107 plus tax.

I agree that they could grind enough of the cap down to peel it from around the stem (which is what I'm going to do if they refuse), but the dealership up here doesn't want to do it and then have to pay for it. It's a pretty lousy predicament. I envy the guys with good dealerships. In fairness, the guys in Warren, Ohio seem to be a knowledgable bunch of guys and pretty up front. If I bought the vehicle here I sense that they'd be all over it and it would be done.

As an engineer I can appreciate sticking two different metals together and then having a record snow season with plenty of moisture and salt to provide the catalyst for corrosion, but I'm amazed that it occurred on all the caps. My caps look like steel, but I think they're brass with plating. They are fancy. They have the tire pressures imprinted on them and they look impressive, but they suck !!#.

I hope to report back to you guys with some good news. I appreciate the support and the suggestions. You'd think a former aircraft mechanic with an awesome set of tools would think to get my dremel out and thin out these caps and peel them off. As long as the stem is untouched it's no big deal.

If I lose I'm paying for some serious tires with regular stems. No way I'm gonna pay that kind of money to put up with a system that I've read has it's problems.

 

[Diego]

A grand for all four sensors and reprograming sounds about right. Last year a tireshop destroyed both front tire pressure sensors on my 05 AC 4x4 when I was getting my Revo tires. I went back to the tireshop with a written quote from my dealer for two new sensors, labour, and reprograming, $560.00 and the tireshop did pay the bill. Regarding the valve stem caps, I'm not familar with the aftermarket cap you have but the factory ones are metal. If you live in an area where they use any road salt at all in winter take the metal caps off and throw them as far as you can, TROUBLE, avoid metal caps like the plague The pressure sensor valve stem and threads are aluminum and corrode something fierce in winter with any metal cap. Plastic is the only choice for these. Been there, done that. The first winter with my Tundra I had the pressure light come on and so I decide to check all the tires. Both rear valve caps were seized solid, I used pliers and then visegrips, I was putting so much pressure on the cap trying to unscrew it that the whole tire sensor was starting to spin inside the wheel Luckily the caps are fairly thin and finally they started to shred and I was able to PEEL them off the stem. Since then I have use plactic caps and just past the third winter with my truck and no problems ever since. Metal valve caps, NEVER AGAIN .

 

[Lit'l Buccaneer]

My 2006 came with plastic caps. But there is no way I would pay fot this. It is totally unacceptable and typical Toyota Dealership arrogance. They were setting you up when they asked you who did the maintanence. Tell them you did and log it in your records. They are just assuming that taking off the caps off once or twice would have helped. It might have made it worse but that's irrelevant because there is just no such thing as "Valve Stem Cap Maintanence".

 

[c5engineer]

It was my first winter in Ohio and I wasn't thinking about things like that, but I am now. I'm getting the dremel out and gently grinding the cap down. Mine are pretty heavy duty caps. They're not those thin aluminum ones (which would have been fine). It just ticks me off, because my truck is immaculate and I keep all my receipts and record everything I do. I've taken pictures of the vehicle and scanned all the reciepts and my log book. I'm going to fight them.

 

[Lit'l Buccaneer]

You are being way to hard on yourself. Knowbody should have to think about stuff like that. It's not a maintanance item. Don't grind anything. Make the dealer warranty it like he's supposed to. Something does'nt add up here. I wonder if it's because you did'nt buy the truck from him. We had a similar problem here with a dealer who enjoyed selling Toyotas at full sticker price until people started getting competitive pricing from internet dealers. The local dealer caught an attitude when people started bringing their trucks in to him for warranty service. A few calls to the GM of the internet dealer resulted in him calling Toyota who then called the local dealer. I don't know what Toyota told the local dealer, but he treats me better now than when I used to buy his overpriced vehicles from him. Dealers don't warranty these vehicles. TOYOTA does. And at least in this case they were very interested in a local dealer with his own agenda. It probaby did'nt hurt that that the internet dealer sold more cars in a month than the local dealer sold in a year. Good Luck!

 

[HOGWILD]

Well, I've read many posts where you guys/gals are getting hosed by your dealerships (and to be fair some of you report excellent customer service), and now I may get a taste of that myself.

The other day the TPS light came on (new experience) and I thought I'd check the tire pressure. Well the caps wouldn't come off. Finally one snapped off. It turns out that the dealer I bought it from puts these aftermarket caps on (I thought all of you had these caps), that the dealer up here has never seen. Apparently they corroded due to the winter here and won't come off.

The dealership I bought it from is trying to justify whether they should pay for the repairs or not. As FXNGLAS always says do the work yourself or you'll be sorry, but they started asking who does my maintenance. I told them I do, but the tires have never been serviced. They're wearing great and the warning light for pressure has never come on. Sure I look at them, but if it ain't broke don't fix it. It looks as if the replacement of all 4 will cost a minimum of 1000 dollars. The vehicle has 12000 miles on it and the tires are in great shape, as is the entire vehicle. I keep all the receipts for what i do, but they seem to be poised to point the finger at me. I'm in shock that it isn't a simple deal.

I think it's a shame that they put an after market part on a vehicle and in this rare case it caused a problem and they may not make it right. As of right now the dealer in Texas is calling the manufacture of the cap or stem (don't know which) and they said they'll call back with their decision.

After that I guess I'll attempt customer service, but these guys seem to want me to pay for it regardless. I'll keep you posted. Anyone else have these caps on and had any problems? They have the tire pressure imprinted on them and have a plastic top with green coloring. The actually threading appears to be steel.

Now you know what the crew chiefs were doing ever 48 hours kickin tires and checking Tire PSI's !! Good luck!

 

[JustBNme]

Like many others above, I agree that this problem was set up by the original dealer when they replaced the OEM caps, and should be handled by that dealer at no cost to you, regardless whose warranty applies.

Nonetheless, I've been unable to resolve how you've described doing scheduled maintenance including tire rotation, but not needed to check or adjust inflation pressure, unless the original dealer also failed to follow the recommended pressures. Doesn't your Owner's Manual or sticker on your driver's door sill indicate different pressures front/rear? If not, skip the rest of this post, but otherwise, if those dealer-supplied caps have the pressure stamped on them, wouldn't you need to compensate for the two different pressures at rotation time by adjusting pressure and cap placements accordingly?

I realize there's plenty here (myself included) who at different times and for various reasons set pressures different from the recommendations--including all tires the same pressure--but I wouldn't think a dealership would deliberately send one off the lot that way since it's part of the pre-delivery checks. Sure, they can check off stuff without actually doing the step, but deliberately replacing the original caps with ones stamped with a pressure value raises the likelihood that pressure got checked. If all 4 tires were set the same, their deliberate variance from the manufacturer's recommendations only makes them more liable in my view.

Granted, the caps could seize up between checks, but posting that you've never needed to remove them or check the pressures is the aspect that leaves me curious. As an engineer, especially once I'd seen the TPMS light come on (even briefly), I'd be at least curious enough to check pressures even if only to see how "out of spec" the pressure must become to trigger the light. Perhaps that's just me. Not trying to put the fault at your feet, but thought you might want to clarify this for us (and be prepared for the dealer, if they ask).

 

[HOGWILD]

Seems to me that if the light is not illuminated the air psi is OK?? So when the light came on he checked the PSI?? SO why have a sysytem if ya gotta check air PSI twice a day?? or pay 1K bucks to repair it?? i would just do with out fixin it if it were me. Feel it's a stupid sysytem just for Toyota to make money off of!! What do ya do when the battery runs down inside the assy?

 

[JustBNme]

. . .The other day the TPS light came on (new experience) and I thought I'd check the tire pressure. Well the caps wouldn't come off. Finally one snapped off. It turns out that the dealer I bought it from puts these aftermarket caps on (I thought all of you had these caps), that the dealer up here has never seen. Apparently they corroded due to the winter here and won't come off.

The dealership I bought it from is trying to justify whether they should pay for the repairs or not. As FXNGLAS always says do the work yourself or you'll be sorry, but they started asking who does my maintenance. I told them I do, but the tires have never been serviced. They're wearing great and the warning light for pressure has never come on. Sure I look at them, but if it ain't broke don't fix it.

. . . So when the light came on he checked the PSI?? . . .

In the OP he was going to check but couldn't. The part I bolded is what leads to the confusion re: whether there was a previous alert that might've led to discovering the problem in time to handle it. Based on this later post:

. . .There are tire pressure monitors on aircraft and they work well. I made sure the tires never looked low and the light came on one time, but went out. I guess they think that if I'd taken the caps off a couple of times they wouldn't have siezed on the stems . . .

it seems that the OP is actually describing the 2nd time the warning was observed.

That might be the original dealer's way of trying to blame the owner, but no one can say whether a pressure check after that 1st occurrence would've revealed anything in time to prevent what c5engineer eventually discovered after that 2nd time.

 

[MEvang]

Seems to me that if the light is not illuminated the air psi is OK?? So when the light came on he checked the PSI?? SO why have a sysytem if ya gotta check air PSI twice a day?? or pay 1K bucks to repair it?? i would just do with out fixin it if it were me. Feel it's a stupid sysytem just for Toyota to make money off of!! What do ya do when the battery runs down inside the assy?

Most factory tire pressure monitor system have 10 life span on the battery.... then you must replace them.
I don't have them on my Tundra but my Tucson has them and in a Hyundai service bulletin they definitely warn to never use any cap except the one that is made for the sensor.
I suggest you look up any service bulletins or shop manual information Toyota has one their sensors. I bet they have the same warning some where.
Any thing in print is good ammunition again what the dealer did.
Mike

 

[c5engineer]

Yes the light came on (blinked actually) and was out. It happened to catch my eye. So I got out of the vehicle and looked at all the tires and they looked good, but these caps are also indicators. They're set at 32 psi and have graduated indicators inside the clear plastic tip. When they're fully green, I know they're at 32. As an engineer I trust simple systems like these because they don't rely on any hardcore technology. The caps are meant to show green at 32. Anything less and the indicator slides down and shows yellow, then red. When I rotated the tires I never had thought to check them because they are all green. I took pictures this morning of the tire treads and indicators. I'm going to use my wife's spanky digital to get a better shot of the actual caps.

So to recap, I have a dual redundant system that has caps which let me know my tires have the correct pressure and a warning system to let me know if they change dramatically. The funny thing is, if I had checked the pressures even once, the dealership would accuse me of tightening the damn caps and they still wouldn't cover it.

The dealership here called me on the way to work and asked what the other dealership was doing. I let him know that customer service is giving them 3 business days to address it. Then I mention to him that I want a tire stem now because I'm out a spare and it's been 4 days. I don't want to chance having a tire failure without a spare as that would be a disaster. So he says, "I could have one here in the next day". He had told me he was ordering four just in case the others wouldn't come off. Now he's telling me he'll order one and it will be here by Thursday. Crazy.

As an engineer I have likes and dislikes about my Tundra when compared to my 97 Ram. Overall I have really grown to love it even though it isn't as big and roomy as i'm used to. However, for many on this forum I believe they can't accept that Toyota as a company has given free reign to deny warrenty work for legitimate items (abs controller burns a guys truck and the wiring isn't included in the repair to the tune of 3 grand?). They may have surpassed GM, but they'll tank fast if they keep up this wonderful customer service. For those of you who've actually called the 800 number will know what I'm talking about.

I'll keep you posted. As soon as I'm back to having a spare, I'm going to get the ol' Dremel out and gently persuade the other caps to come off. That way I don't have to pay out the nose.

 

[The Phoenix]

Since you sound like you maintain your vehicle fairly well from being an engineer (sorry just had to bust your chops ) then just disable the TPMS system and run regular stems.

I believe you ground the pink wire on the TPMS computer in the dash, behind the radio and next to the passenger airbag. No more light.