Yellow and red. I can't tell if there's a puncture or not... Could it be a malfunction? I eyeballed and kicked them and can't find the problem. I'm not familiar with RFs, so some advice from this group would be appreciated.

1. did you recently change your tires or have them rotated? If so, the sensor just needs to be reset. Key in second position, hold the button until it turns off.

2. run flats don't look flat, hence why you can drive on them flat. The sidewall stays stiff.

3. how hard is it to go down to the gas station and check your tires? While you are out, go to a pep boys and spend 20 bucks on a GOOD tire pressure guage. Not a digital one, and not a pen one, but a good guage. Keep it in the car.

Well, it was nearly 1:00 am this morning when I discoverd the problem, so Pep Boys wasn't open...

I haven't touched the tires. I only have 3,000 miles on the car.

I do need a Good tire gauge.

if it is red, it is most probably a flat or a slight probability your pressure got low due to temp drop. If it lights up yellow, then it is a faulty sensor or monitoring system. Best way is to use a gauge tomorrow morning. Mine is always in the car and honestly I didn't use it till my warning light came on and I had a flat. Now I try to check the pressure once or twice a month. BMW recommends at least once every 2 months, but it is wise to check when temps drop 20F or more.

tony,
was it, by any chance, your left front tire? happened to me -and it had nothing to do with tires being rotated (you're not supposed to rotate them, anyway, just balance) ... but it's happened now to THREE people, including me.
all 328's, all at about 6,000 mileage.
you can reset the TPM by going to the setting screen, going to tires, and hitting reset.
of course, you should check to see if there's a leak or puncture or change in pressure, but i'd be curious to find out if it's a faulty sensor.
maybe there's a glitch?

I eyeballed and kicked them and can't find the problem.

You actually kicked your tires? lol. I love that. Let me continue having fun (at your expense ;) ) but what did you learn by kicking?


On the serious side, there are lots of discussions on TPMS, FTM, RFT, and tire pressures in the archive. Suggest you read it ASAP. Talk about acronym soup. First thing you should always do is check tire pressures before you post because 11 or 12 guys will ask you that.

The one thing I impart to my kids that ANY significant change in ambient temperature change causes a change in tire pressure. Assuming you didn't just take ownership of your car, tire pressure checking should be a monthly event. That way, the worst you will see are 1 and 2 psi changes that way.

This is my first set of RFs - kicking the tire is an old habit... it isfunny when I think about it.

I'm checking the air pressure this morning. If the panel light is correct, I think it's a right front tire that has the problem (assuming that the yellow light in the upper right of the display is accurate).

Yellow can also mean all 4 tires are low, due to a large temperature drop.

What a nitwit question. You shouldn't even own a car if you needed to post this.

Have you ever heard of a tire pressure gauge stupido?

Have you been taking your meds lately? You need to up the dose!

Seriously, while I admit that many of the "my TPMS/FTM light came on" questions can be answered in the owner's manual, there isn't any reason for this type of comment.

if it is red, it is most probably a flat or a slight probability your pressure got low due to temp drop. If it lights up yellow, then it is a faulty sensor or monitoring system. Best way is to use a gauge tomorrow morning. Mine is always in the car and honestly I didn't use it till my warning light came on and I had a flat. Now I try to check the pressure once or twice a month. BMW recommends at least once every 2 months, but it is wise to check when temps drop 20F or more.

Not necessarily true. I have had my yellow light up a couple of times due to just low pressure in one tire and it has beed red when the temp has dropped. Both times required air to be added or car to be driven to heat up molecules and all was fine. Just carry a tire gauge and measure psi when your tires are properly warmed.

What a nitwit question. You shouldn't even own a car if you needed to post this.

Have you ever heard of a tire pressure gauge stupido?


Hey everyone on this forum. Look at the posts that biteme writes to every one, just look at them, then tell us all who the real nitwit/stupido is.

if it is red, it is most probably a flat or a slight probability your pressure got low due to temp drop. If it lights up yellow, then it is a faulty sensor or monitoring system. .
Not necessarily true. I have had my yellow light up a couple of times due to just low pressure in one tire and it has beed red when the temp has dropped. Both times required air to be added or car to be driven to heat up molecules and all was fine. Just carry a tire gauge and measure psi when your tires are properly warmed.
I was just stating what the manual says. That's why it is good to come here and ask anyway because manuals are not always 100% accurate. Thanks for clarifying SocratesBMW.

This is my first set of RFs - kicking the tire is an old habit... it isfunny when I think about it.


Don't feel bad, I used to do that. It works on most regular tires if they are severely under inflated, but even on non-RFT sports tires it is useless since the sidewalls are hard enough to not be able to tell the diff that way. Even the non RFT 50-series Z-rated tires on my old e36 were almost impossible to tell when underinflated (mind you the recommended pressure by BMW on th efronts was 26 psi! and I kept it that way). Needless to say I kicked that habit long time ago (pun intended) :D

Yellow can also mean all 4 tires are low, due to a large temperature drop.


This was exactly the problem. I took it to Big Ten tires - all four were 1-2 lbs. low. After refilling, I reset the tire monitor system, drove it down the block and what do you know... fixed! :redspot

Good job my friend. You car works and you are back on the road.

Now what's the deal of kicking tires? Now you have tire dressing all over your shoes.:D

I love cars... I'm just not mechanically inclined. I admit I panicked when I saw the warning lights come on... Now that I know what the deal is, I purchased a decent tire gauge and will be armed and ready next time. Thanks to all of you, except BiteMeHard for obvious reasons...

You are welcome. I usually check my tires once every 2 weeks, usually on a Sat or Sunday morning.

The problem with tires now is that they all bolge outwards a little bit and you really have to have good eyes to be able to tell whether it's flat or not. You can sort of see it if you stand directly behind the tire and look at it at tire level but then your neighbors might think you have back pain. Usually when you notice it, it's already very flat (i.e. set point = 33 psi, actual = 20 psi) and you know you have a flat. By that time, your schedule is interrupted and everyone is unahppy.

Checking it frequently also saves you gas $ and your car can run crappy with incorrect tire pressure.

Keeping that in mind, I check tires every 2 weeks to make sure I get the best out of every second I drive my car.

ahhh, one day, bitemehard will turn 16, and get a license. until then, i think he's just acting out.

You are welcome. I usually check my tires once every 2 weeks, usually on a Sat or Sunday morning.

The problem with tires now is that they all bolge outwards a little bit and you really have to have good eyes to be able to tell whether it's flat or not. You can sort of see it if you stand directly behind the tire and look at it at tire level but then your neighbors might think you have back pain. Usually when you notice it, it's already very flat (i.e. set point = 33 psi, actual = 20 psi) and you know you have a flat. By that time, your schedule is interrupted and everyone is unahppy.

Checking it frequently also saves you gas $ and your car can run crappy with incorrect tire pressure.

Keeping that in mind, I check tires every 2 weeks to make sure I get the best out of every second I drive my car.
My tire had a puncture and had close to 20psi but still you could not visibly see anything to indicate that. RFT are changing our perceptions and the way we figure out flats, thus the fancy electronic monitors.

My tire had a puncture and had close to 20psi but still you could not visibly see anything to indicate that. RFT are changing our perceptions and the way we figure out flats, thus the fancy electronic monitors.

Sorry for jacking the thread. How long did you have your car when you have your first flat on your RFT and how long did it took BMW to fix / replace it?

Sorry for jacking the thread. How long did you have your car when you have your first flat on your RFT and how long did it took BMW to fix / replace it?
had it for 5 months. I got an appointment to go in the same day (Fri) but they didn't have the tire in stock, so they had to order it (they don't fix an RFT puncture). They got it on Tues. and I went it to get it replaced Wed. morning. Since I had the tire warranty, all I did was sign a couple of papers wait an hour or so (actually went to a test drive) and then walk out with a washed car and 0 $ out of pocket. All in all very satisfied except for the tire not being in stock and I reflected this in my response to the survey sent by BMW.