knowledge base

Direct TPMS uses direct tire pressure sensors on each wheel to measure tire pressure while indirect TPMS does not use sensors. Indirect TPMS frequently use the anti-lock brake system (ABS) speed sensors to calculate pressure.

Consult your Autel tool. Select the vehicle Make, Model and Year. The tool will note if the vehicle’s tire pressure monitoring system is an Indirect (no TPMS sensors) system. Direct TPMS sensors are fitted with either rubber or metal valve stems.

Compared to the Indirect system, Direct TPMS provides a more accurate and immediate pressure, temperature and battery status.

A TPMS warning light might display if:

1. The tire pressure on one or more tires is too high or too low. A variation of 25% from the recommended air pressure will cause a malfunction light.

2. One or more of the TPMS sensors may be broken or sensor batteries may be dead

3. TPMS receivers may not be able to receive sensor signals

4. The TPMS module may not be functioning

Autel sensors are designed to be used on passenger vehicles, pickups and light commercial vehicles. At this time, MX-Sensors are not compatible with heavy-duty trucks.

Autel MX-Sensors can replace direct TPMS sensors fitted on wheels, including original equipment (OE) and programmable universal sensors. Our MX-Sensors can be programmed to replaced 98 percent of the sensors on vehicles today.

Simply put, if your shop doesn’t do TPMS servicing, you are missing out on a significant revenue stream. Since 2007 all passenger vehicles in the United States have been required to have TPMS systems. Some higher-end vehicles adopted TPMS much earlier, Porsche, for example, in 1986. Most of these systems use battery-powered sensors and those original sensors batteries have an average life of seven years and cannot be replaced. As these sensors die and trip the TPMS light on dashes of vehicles throughout the country, customers will be bringing their vehicles into their local repair shops to have these sensors replaced.

TPMS tools can be used to:

• Check if sensors are still functioning by attempting to activate them, read a tire’s air pressure and temperature and display the sensor’s battery life and ID.
• Display manufacturer-specific Relearns for all TPMS-enabled vehicles.
• TPMS tools with OBDII-connection capability can perform sensor IDs/position Relearns. Nearly 30% of the vehicles on the road today, require such a tool for relearning TPMS sensor IDs to the TPMS module.
• Autel’s TS508 and TS608 can not only perform OBDII relearns but also can diagnose the tire pressure monitoring systems to determine faults and prompts the user what the next step is towards repair.
• All of Autel’s TPMS tools can program MX-Sensors to replace existing sensors on 98 percent of domestic, Asian and European TPMS-equipped vehicles.

All Autel’s TPMS tools can activate and read information from all current TPMS sensor frequencies: 315MHz, 433MHz and 434MHz TPMS sensors. If the sensor on the vehicle is labeled as 434 MHz, select the 433MHz listing on the TPMS tool.

Autel’s 1-Sensor can be programmed to replace 433MHz, 434MHz or 315MHz sensors. Previous MX-Sensors were available in either 315MHz or 433MHz.

Activating a sensor forces it to transmit tire pressure and temperature and sensor ID and battery status to the vehicle. Autel’s TPMS tools can activate sensors and display tire and sensor information.

OEM sensors can be activated by

1. An Autel TPMS tool; or often with

2. Rapid inflation/deflation of the tire (5 PSI or 20 kPa in 10 seconds)

3. OEM sensors on 2003 and older vehicles, may be activated when a magnet is placed over the sensor valve stem.

All Autel MX-Sensors support these methods of activation.