BMW Post (Garage stole my TPMS sensors!)

[nikotine30]

Here is my story about my suspicion that a garage stole my TPMS sensors.

Last Monday as I was parking my 2009 328i sedan I was surprised to see the “low pressure” tire warning on my dashboard. I got out of the car and sure thing, one rear tire was really flat. Since it’s already almost November and the winter season is fast approaching, I decided to simply swap my all season tires to my set of winters and deal with the punctured tire when spring arrives.

Today I drove the car to a small corner garage near my workplace that I never used before, limping on the run flat tires. I was thinking that the $60 they charge to swap with winters tires would be a good savings compared to the $150 that I was quoted at the BMW dealer. The garage found out that two wheels had problems: a puncture in one tire, and a faulty valve that was leaking on another wheel. I was proposed to fix the valve. The manager told me over the phone “it’s only 20 dollars and I can seal it with glue – BMW charges a lot new valves since these are special valves”.

I picked up the car after work and was happy to see the winter tires mounted on the wheels. However, as I was driving out from the garage I noticed that the “low pressure” warning was still on. I performed a reset function, but the warning refused to go away. So later on in the evening, I went back to the garage and told the manager that there was something wrong with the sensor. He told me with a surprised look “your wheels are not equipped with TPMS sensors – when I was changing the tires I didn’t see any sensors”. He proceeded to show me what a sensor looks like with a spare he had in stock, and explained that TPMS valve stems are bare metal and mine were rubber. He suggested that I may have aftermarket rims which are not TPMS-equipped. I wasn’t buying it and told him that (1) I bought my car brand new, with original wheels and tires, and all BMW 328 come with TPMS; (2) the warning light came on a few days ago when I got the flat, proving that TPMS was present and functional; (3) the warning light only came on once during my 1 year of ownership which means that I have TPMS sensors. We continued arguing a few minutes and finally I told him “I want to believe you but this just doesn’t make sense”.

“Are you suspecting me? Why don’t you go to your BMW dealership on Monday to find out if your car is equipped?” was his reply.

I left the garage, determined to get to the bottom of this. I was really dumbfounded and pissed, but not sure who to be angry at. After dinner, I drove around the neighbourhood looking for other BMW 328. Luckily, being a BMW fanatic I remembered where all the BMWs are located in my area and I found 4 or 5 of them parked on the street. I closely examined the valve stems for comparison to mine: (1) the stems are rubber just like mine (not bare metal as the manager had said); (2) the valve is different but in a very subtle way: the threaded area on valve is a little longer on mine.

On Monday, I’m going to drive to the BMW dealership and have them unmount my tires to check if the TPMS sensors are missing, and I plan on confronting the garage manager if they are.

What would you guys do in a situation like this? Is there any possibility that the garage manager was telling me the truth and that somehow, my wheels are not TPMS equipped (or that another garage I used previously has stolen the sensors)? I’m thinking that the only possibility is that the garage stole them. Either that, or that manager was clueless enough to not recognize a TPMS sensor present when he saw one (which is suspicious, since he recognized that the wheel was equipped with “special valves”).

Also, I don’t think this makes a difference, but this 328 was originally equipped with an upgraded 17” package but when I took delivery of the car the dealership offered it to me with the 16” wheels instead (original with 205/55R16 Continental ContiProContact SSR run-flats).

Before confronting the garage manager I need to be sure that I’m right or risk looking really stupid. Please help with suggestions.

[mryakan]

Canadian e9x 3 series does not come with TPMS. They use the passive FTM which is based on the ABS sensors and wheel rotation. No one stole your sensors becuase they were never there. You are probably not reseting the system properly.

By the way, he is right, TPMS equipped cars come with metal stems, but except if someone has aftermarket wheels that so happen to have metal stems (like my CSL reps) then you will not find those on any Canadian e9x.

Before confronting the garage manager I need to be sure that I’m right or risk looking really stupid. Please help with suggestions.

Sorry, but you are way past that point. Again, sorry, but if I were you, I'd go appologize to that guy and maybe take him some donuts for his troubles.

[Jetblack2000Ci]

I can understand your frustration but suspecting a shop of stealing the TPMS sensors from your car is kind of ridiculous. You should have researched first before confronting him and calling him out the way you did. If mryakan is correct, I think an apology is an order. It doesn't have to be a big deal but it's the right thing to do in my opinion.

[Broox]

[e36rok]

Wow

[gregmm6]

Haha.

[SimonSingh]

Canadian e9x 3 series does not come with TPMS. They use the passive FTM which is based on the ABS sensors and wheel rotation. No one stole your sensors becuase they were never there. You are probably not reseting the system properly.

By the way, he is right, TPMS equipped cars come with metal stems, but except if someone has aftermarket wheels that so happen to have metal stems (like my CSL reps) then you will not find those on any Canadian e9x.


Sorry, but you are way past that point. Again, sorry, but if I were you, I'd go appologize to that guy and maybe take him some donuts for his troubles.

Confirmed. I work at a BMW Indy.

[robmpulse]

The first give away is that it did not tell you what tire was low.... Only that you had a low tire. The tpm (tire pressure monitor) tells you which tire is low. The ftm (flat tire monitor) only tells you one of them is low, not which one.

All statements above are correct. If you do not want to take him donuts.... Take him for a ride and do some.

[Critter7r]

Donuts and an apology takes you from Zero to Hero in the minds of the falsely accused.

[phissith]

Donuts and an apology takes you from Zero to Hero in the minds of the falsely accused.

Thank god for this forum, I was going to call a police on the spot and arrested his ass!! Boy was I wrong!

[richinvan]

Two options:

1. Your car didn't come with TPMS.
2. Some car shop unmounted all four of your tires, stole all your sensors, and then REmounted all four tires. In order to steal 4 sensors that shops can buy relatively cheaply in the aftermarket. (I just looked on WorldPac - the guy can get the OEM Huf sensors for about $60 each - and likely cheaper if he found another/aftermarket source) Not to mention, he's stealing USED sensors of unknown condition... for what purpose?

Occam's Razor applies.

You owe the guy a big fat apology. And forget the donuts; if I know your typical indy shop, a bottle of booze would be much more appropriate.

Hell, who knows - maybe he'll laugh at you and the two of you will start a decent mechanic-customer relationship.

[SpeedsterBek]

4 year old thread. I'm pretty sure OP had this issue sorted out by now.

Anyway, it's been confirmed. No one checks the date anymore before typing their replies

[richinvan]

4 year old thread. I'm pretty sure OP had this issue sorted out by now.

Anyway, it's been confirmed. No one checks the date anymore before typing their replies

Yeah, serves me right for just clicking a link a pal sent me. I'm such a moran.

[montaillou]

I'm such a moran.

Did you mean, maroon?

[richinvan]

Did you mean, maroon?

Bugs would agree.


But I prefer to equate my moronity with this fine chap:

[darknezz7]

lol, I was going to comment on the last "maroon" did he mean to say that or still did not know how to spell "moron"
but decided not worth it

your post is lmfa though thanks
looks right

this thread
/fail

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lol
http://www.urbandictionary.com/defin...m=moran&page=2
"The preferred method of spelling "moron" by morons, particularly that of a Missouri redneck at a rally supporting the US led war in Iraq. Get a brain, moran! GO USA! "