Two Sets of TPMS Sensors

[Cobrajet]

Soooo. I took the snow wheels off my Mirage, and put the alloys/summer tires back on. I wanted to see if I could clear the flashing TPMS light and the error code by showing the ETACS the sensors that were already programmed.

I took it for a short drive (really only 2-3 blocks) and IT WORKED. The light went out. So I thought I had a second chance to get this procedure right without visiting the dealership for an MUT-III reset.

After getting the code cleared I put the snow wheels/tires back on...again...and tried the procedure once more. NO LUCK. I tried variations of the procedure. No luck. I even tried deflating a tire 'old school' to get the sensor to trigger instead of using the trigger tool, thinking maybe that is what the ETACS wanted to see. No luck. I tried praying to the Mitsubishi and ATEQ gods, seeking mercy. No luck. All this thing EVER did was sit there and stupidly blink a green light at me. It never did anything else. Not once. Just...fcuking...blinked.

The manufacturer says this thing will work with the Mirage. But is there any evidence that anyone has ever successfully GOTTEN IT TO WORK? The only people who have confirmed success with this thing seem to own Outlanders or Lancers.

The unit flashes the green light as soon as it's plugged in. When you push the ON button...yes, the ON button...the green light goes out and a red one comes on for a couple seconds. Then it goes dead. Yep. Dead. Push the ON or OFF buttons repeatedly, and the same thing happens. Red light, nothing, red light, nothing, red light, nothing. The only way to get the flashing green light to come on again is to unplug the unit from the OBD-II port and plug it in again. The the on/off button literally does nothing to turn the unit on.

I am fully willing to admit that I can be kinda stoopid sometimes. And maybe...just maybe...I am doing something wrong. Although I am pretty sure I can decipher this postcard-sized pictogram. We're not talking Egyptian hieroglyphics here. But I now believe in my heart of hearts that this tool simply does not work with the Mirage. Maybe it was supposed to, maybe they thought it would or should. But I don't think it does.


And that sucks...

[Eggman]

All TPS reports are to be submitted with the new cover sheet. Did you get that memo? If you could put the new cover sheet on your report that'd be great.



You are talking about the Mitsureset tool, right?

[Cani Lupine]

Maybe the car should be turned on before the tool is plugged in?

[Cobrajet]

Maybe the car should be turned on before the tool is plugged in?

Thanks for the suggestion, but I tried it. No dice. I even tried it with the engine actually running. I tried it with the ignition set to 'ACC'. I tried it with the ignition OFF. All it ever did was blink, and it started blinking the moment it was plugged in.

When you trigger the sensors, the tool is supposed to flash a red light a certain number of times to let you know the sensor code has been registered. No matter what I tried, THAT NEVER HAPPENED.

[Cobrajet]

3.Decrease the tire pressure to 189 kPa (27.4 psi) or less by changing 20 kPa (2.9 psi) or more, and register the tire pressure sensor ID code of each wheel to ETACS-ECU <vehicles without Keyless Operation System> or KOS&OSS-ECU <vehicles with Keyless Operation System>.

Is THIS my problem? The fact that I have the pushbutton ignition system (ES) and not a standard key (DE)?

Does the MitsuReset work with one system and not the other?

[wmo168]

Now I am having the same issue, it flashes, does this cover under factory warranty if I bring it back to the dealer?

I took it to the dealer and they said one of my TPS is not regonized so they reprogram all four.. If it comes up again they will need to replace the sensor under warranty.

It seems like they can do this in 30 mins... and bring the car back to me...


You really need the MUT-3 tool?

[Top_Fuel]

...No luck.

...The unit flashes the green light as soon as it's plugged in.

...I now believe in my heart of hearts that this tool simply does not work with the Mirage

Your experience was exactly the same as mine (frustrating and non-productive). This tool either doesn't work with the Mirage, or the instructions are so bad you won't be able to figure it out. There's no way they tested this thing on a Mirage. I thought my bad experience was because I had an error code stuck in my TPMS system...but after seeing your experience, I'm convinced this thing isn't ready for prime time.

Here's a review I posted of this thing on Amazon after I returned it to the manufacturer...

If you don’t know this yet, understand that Mitsubishi TPMS systems are among the most proprietary and touchy systems out there. Usually nothing short of a Mitsubishi dealer scan tool ever seems to work 100% of the time with these systems. Unlike some other vehicles where you can register TPMS sensors with your keyless entry fob and a $2 magnet, that’s not happening with your Mitsubishi! Even expensive aftermarket scan tools that are supposed to work with Mitsubishi TPMS systems often do not.

So a tool like this is a welcome sight..almost.

The Mitsureset tool has no user manual, troubleshooting guide, or even a “helpful hints” sheet. That’s not a good sign knowing how quirky these systems can be. This device ships with a single-sided 4”x6” instruction card with 9 tiny illustrations demonstrating how to use it. There are no detailed explanations, and the manufacturer has no other information about the device on their website. As of today there’s not even a video to watch demonstrating the exact use of the tool.

If you start with an ideal scenario and everything works perfectly, you will be OK with this tool. But if your car doesn’t behave exactly like the instruction card shows, you will quickly be frustrated.

When I hooked this tool up to my 2015 Mitsubishi Mirage, it didn’t behave at all like the illustration card showed. The green LED began blinking the second I attached the connector to my OBDII port (yes…my ignition was OFF). That’s not what the instruction card showed. I wasn’t sure what to do at that point. Is the tool ON, or do I still need to press the ON button? When I press the ON button the LED turns red briefly. Hmm…what does that mean? There’s nothing on the instruction card about a red LED. Why does the tool have an OFF button? There’s no mention anywhere on the instruction card that the OFF button ever has to be used. You get the idea. When I called customer support, they told me that not all Mitsubishi models would behave exactly like the instruction card shows. Ummm...say what?!?!?

I couldn’t get this tool to work on my 2015. As it turns out (after calling the manufacturer again), if you have a TPMS malfunction detected in your system (if your TPMS light flashes for the first 1 minute after the car is started, you have a TPMS malfunction), this tool will not help you, even if you have 4 new TPMS sensors. Why? Because Mitsubishi vehicles will not allow you to register sensor IDs until any TPMS error codes are cleared from the system. Even if you have a real Mitsubishi scan tool, you still need to clear any TPMS error codes before registering sensor IDs.

The only problem with having to clear the codes first is that is that only a dealership scan tool (or very expensive equivalent if you’re lucky) can do this. If you can’t clear the existing TPMS trouble codes, you can’t use this tool! By the way, did I mention that there’s absolutely NO mention of this limitation anywhere on the instruction card, website, etc? Uhhh…this should be in a huge bold warning across the top of the instruction card!

If you have an ideal scenario and your TPMS light is not flashing, the tool should work. If you have an issue during the reset process or you don't quite understand all the flashing LEDs, there’s no user manual to help you troubleshoot potential problems or confirm that you are doing things correctly.

Ultimately a trip to the dealership (and $100 out of my wallet) and my TPMS codes are gone and my sensors have been registered. I wish this tool could have worked for me. Maybe I’ll pick one up the next time I have a new set of sensors and NO flashing TPMS light. Until then, the manufacturer may want to test this thing on some different Mitsubishi models and assemble some more comprehensive, supportive instructions.

[Cobrajet]

Your experience was exactly the same as mine (frustrating and non-productive). This tool either doesn't work with the Mirage, or the instructions are so bad you won't be able to figure it out. There's no way they tested this thing on a Mirage. I thought my bad experience was because I had an error code stuck in my TPMS system...but after seeing your experience, I'm convinced this thing isn't ready for prime time.

Here's a review I posted of this thing on Amazon after I returned it to the manufacturer...

I thought that review might be yours, and I consulted it many times while trying to get mine to work. Many thanks.

I fear you are right...the ATEQ MitsuReset is just not Mirage compatible. I believe that is the reason I was able to clear the error code I got when I swapped on my winter tires, and do it so quickly, when I put the summer tires back on.

The MitsuReset tool had simply DONE NOTHING. I don't think it communicated with my car at all, in any way. Since nothing was actually changed other than the programmed sensors being removed from the car, putting them back on cleared the error code immediately. Simple as that.

I literally couldn't get this tool to do anything at all. It just sat there and blinked at me like the world's most expensive green Christmas light.

I tried every variation of the instructions I could think of, and got absolutely no result whatsoever. I am afraid that sensor cloning might well be our only option. And who knows if THAT will even work with Mitsubishi's uppity system. I will now be looking into it.

On the up side, I really do like these Pirelli snow tires. They are grippy, ride nicely, and aren't nearly as loud as most snow tires I have used in the past. Since they are the right size and are low rolling resistance, my mpgs haven't suffered at all.

[Cobrajet]

With no viable way to make our cars 'relearn' TPMS sensor ID numbers, it appears that having the numbers of the sensors already in our cars 'cloned' onto a second set of programmable sensors is the only way to go here. Each TPMS sensor has a unique ID number, including the ones that came with our cars. It is these numbers that are programmed into the ETACS, and any tire shop can pull those numbers for you. So, if those same numbers can be programmed into a new sensor, the ETACS won't know the difference between each set of wheels and won't throw an error code.

Okay...after HOURS of research, cross-referencing, etc, I came up with this. I think the Dorman TPMS cloning kit 974-515 should work with our cars. It is about $275. Comes with the cloning tool and four sensors.

Schrader lists the Mirage and the 2014 Lancer using the same OEM sensors (and other models, but I used the '14 Lancer as a reference point). However, their EZ-Sensor system requires an expensive tool, like a Bartec, to clone their sensors. The cheapest Bartec is about $1,200. So the Schrader system is a no-go. It is for tire shops.

Standard Motor Products (SMP) also offers it's "Tech Smart" T55000 cloning tool and "Qwik-Sensors" as well. I think the sensors we'd need here are the QS101R. It's the cloning tool demonstrated in the video earlier in this thread. This is another option, and seems to be about the same cost as the Dorman system...around $110 for the T55000 and around $40 per sensor (x4).

Either of these systems SHOULD provide us with the ability to clone sensors that should work with our Mirages. Not sure which I want to go with, but I think I will try the Dorman one first since it comes as a complete kit.

The upside to 'cloning' is that the wheels can simply be switched out every season...it is not necessary to do any bi-yearly reprogramming or relearning procedures as with other methods. Do it once and you are done until a sensor craps out.

Man, this is SUCH a hassle. Damn Ford and Firestone for foisting all of this on us!

[Top_Fuel]

the ATEQ MitsuReset is just not Mirage compatible.

With 2 of us having the same experience, that is the only reasonable conclusion. I'm thinking that the manufacturer got this tool to work with the Lancer, and then assumed it would work with the Mirage. I talked to their tech support twice, and I wasn't convinced that they had ever tested this on a Mirage.

...The MitsuReset tool had simply DONE NOTHING. I don't think it communicated with my car at all, in any way.
...It just sat there and blinked at me like the world's most expensive green Christmas light.

Lol...that's what I remember. From the moment I connected that thing to the OBDII port, it just f'ng blinked at me no matter what I tried. And that instruction card was almost useless.

I am afraid that sensor cloning might well be our only option.

Since that doesn't involve programming the ETACS module at all, that sounds like it should work...but I've said that before. With the TPMS in these cars, I'll believe it when one of us actually does it.