TPMS Quick Reference (common problems/solutions/cloning etc.)

[jtr990]

I recently purchased the Autel TS408 ($122.09 with free shipping) from JB Tools Inc.
I also purchased four Autel MX-Sensors ($29.95/each = $119.80 with shipping) from Amazon, because JB Tools was sold out of MX-Sensors. For whatever reason, buying individual sensors was cheaper than buying a set of 4 at the time on Amazon? Now, that I know they work, I can shop around for a better price in the future maybe?

Purchasing another pair of Mirage steel rims from Dirk recently sparked this purchase for me. By the way - I appreciate Dirk making that happen! I will now have two complete sets of wheels (summer/winter) for my 2017 Mirage. I also have two sets of wheels for my 2011 Forester. I was up to 8 wheels without working sensors. Thus, I thought I would give this a try. I only bought 4 sensors for now, but I can add to that any time now.

I am really impressed on how easy the Autel TS408 tool is to use. I love tools you can use without having to read the instruction manual! This tool is so simple to use.

I simply picked Mitsubishi Mirage (range 2014-17). Selected - scan all 4 wheels, & it took about 2 minutes to do. Just like that you have all four sensors copied on to the device. Then I programmed each of my new MX-Sensors to each wheel. It took longer for me to write down the codes on paper (for future reference). I have all 4 new sensors now programmed and ready to be installed in my second set of tires. Each sensor came in a tiny ziplock bag. I programmed it & put in a slip of paper in the bag indicating the wheel on my Mirage and the sensor code. For example, LF wheel was code # 98D7A88B. Once again it took me longer to write this on the slip paper than it took to program the new sensors. As you program one of the stored codes, it lets you know it's been copied on to a new sensors. If your spare tire had a sensor, it would store that one, too. Overall, it's pretty slick!

I like the fact that these sensors can be reprogrammed to another code in the future, too. You just need to let the air out of the tire to do so. If I should decide to mix sets of tires, I can do that. I just need to make sure that I am using the 4 TPMS codes stored in my Mirage.

If one of my factory sensors dies over time (battery life expires), I can simply replace it with a MX-Sensor by cloning that code on to it.

You can literally scan all four sensors in about 1-2 minutes. You can easily clone 4 new sensors in about 15 minutes total (scan existing 4 & clone 4 new ones). It's that simple!

When I purchased a pair of snow tires for my Mirage in December of 2017, none of the tire shops in town could clone me a pair of sensors for my Mirage. The tire shops in town used an auto parts store to clone sensors for them, but the auto parts store said a Mirage sensor couldn't be clone by their device. For a community of 5,000, it was a dead end search for me. Driving 65+ miles to Madison or 70+ miles to LaCrosse to deal with sensors isn't worth it to me.

I honestly think that I could sell this tool to my local mechanic & get my money back. Then again, he may have something by now, too?

Sidenote:

My Mirage sensors have an 8-digit code.

My Forester sensors use a 6-digit code. Both are 315 MHz.

These MX-Sensors will clone both 315MHz & 433 MHz.

Conclusion: Scanning & cloning these sensors was quite simple. I will purchase another 4 sensors for my Forester's winter tires. Some time this summer, I am going to have my local mechanic install new tires on the steel rims I bought from Dirk, install cloned sensors on all 8 wheels (Mirage & Forester), & rebalance them for me.

Whenever I change tires in the future, I should be set as far as the TPMS should go. The car's TPMS will recognize the cloned tires, and all should be good!

Don't forget about the ability to batch program up to 16 sensors at once. It's a real time saver.

[Eggman]

Don't forget about the ability to batch program up to 16 sensors at once. It's a real time saver.

Interesting. What is that useful for when most cars have four wheels?

[Mark]

Interesting. What is that useful for when most cars have four wheels?

I have 16 wheels for my two vehicles, but I didn't get the point he was making either?

The main reason I invested in a Autel TS408 (paid approximately $120 with free shipping) & extra sensors (approximately $30/sensor with free shipping) -

During the winter months, I like having a newer pair of tires on the front of my Mirage. It's all about climbing a winter ridge road to get home. My pair 165/65r14 Nokian Nordman 7 snow tires have been wearing extremely well (used 3 winters).

My Nokian snow tires will be going up front soon, & a brand new pair of 165/65r14 Nexen N'Priz AH5 tires will be on the rear. I bought the Nexen tires to replace my remaining pair of factory Dunlop tires some day. When that time comes, the Nexen tires will be paired up with my somewhat worn Federal SS657 tires for the summer months.

In the future, I may replace the factory Dunlop tires with a new snow tire. At that point, I would use the new snow tires up front & my older Nokian snow tires in the rear. My first goal revolves around keeping a fresh pair of snow tires up front (hill climbing) during the winter months. Staggering the purchase of tires in pairs allows me to accomplish this. My second goal is to use up older tires during the other part of the year.

Back to my main point here - I will be mixing & switching tire pairs for years to come to make this all happen. Thus, I have to make a choice concerning TPMS. There would be years where I may never have the 4 factory sensors on the car at the same time, or I can buy 4 clone-able sensors & always have my TPMS working. The selling point for me is - letting the air out of your tire will allow you to reprogram the sensor to whatever code you need. I can switch tires around whenever I want & still make sure I have the 4 correct sensor codes on the car at all times. Thus, it came down to having a working TPMS or not for the future. A tool to reprogram tires seems simpler/cheaper than a tool to reprogram the car each time you change tires, & this has been an issue with Mirage owners, too.

Other selling point for me - For another $120 (four identical sensors) my Forester winter tires now have sensors. The original factory sensors on my 2011 Forester's factory rims will surely need to be replaced some day. Those sensors will be 10 years old when I put those tires back on the Forester next spring. I can easily test them ahead of time. I could have a dead one replaced before the tires are even mounted on the car.

When I put my snow tires on my Forester a couple weeks ago, I didn't have to do anything to keep the TPMS working. The new cloned sensors match the four factory sensors. As far as the Forester knows, nothing changed on the car.

I am not a big fan of TPMS, but I can accept the purchase of a $120 tool (that also comes with lifetime updates). I don't think TPMS is going to disappear in my lifetime. If you use one set of tires & just replace all four when they are worn out, buying a TPMS tool isn't probably worth it.

[Eggman]

?????

[Mark]

?????

If your question is directed at me, it comes down to having 8 wheels for my Mirage. When I start switching pairs of tires around, my four factory sensors may never be on the car at the same time for years to come.

[jtr990]

Interesting. What is that useful for when most cars have four wheels?

Generally, if you have a fleet of the same vehicle (i.e.: Ford Explorer Police Interceptor Utility, Mitsubishi Outlander, etc.), you can program up to 16 Autel MX TPMS sensors at the same time. In most cases, especially selling a set of winter tires & steel rims, I only program four new sensors at the same time on different vehicles. But it is better than programming one sensor at a time (i.e.: Schrader EZ-Sensor 33500 & Bartec Tech 400SD).

[Mark]

Generally, if you have a fleet of the same vehicle (i.e.: Ford Explorer Police Interceptor Utility, Mitsubishi Outlander, etc.), you can program up to 16 Autel MX TPMS sensors at the same time. In most cases, especially selling a set of winter tires & steel rims, I only program four new sensors at the same time on different vehicles. But it is better than programming one sensor at a time (i.e.: Schrader EZ-Sensor 33500 & Bartec Tech 400SD).

The Autel device is pretty slick. It takes less than 5 minutes to read all four tires codes. Adding a recorded tire code to a blank sensor takes only a minute or so afterwards. After you have done it once, cloning 4 sensors for your car takes about 15 minutes. I spent almost more time opening the packaging of the sensors than cloning them. It's a very simple process with the right tool!

[jtr990]

I can't believe I saw this, but according to Autel's Twitter feed, you need TWO TPMS activation tools to complete the US-market Mirage TPMS relearn (one plugged in the OBD-II port, the other to reactivate the sensors, whether you own a TS501, TS601, or TS508). Here's the photo:
And a link to the Twitter feed where I sourced the picture from right here.

[Top_Fuel]

...you need TWO TPMS activation tools to complete the US-market Mirage TPMS relearn (one plugged in the OBD-II port, the other to reactivate the sensors, whether you own a TS501, TS601, or TS508).

If you are replacing TPMS sensors in a Mirage, that is usually the way it works. The official term for that process is "Assisted OBD Relearn." It's a fancy way of saying You need 2 TPMS tools.

Sometimes you can read each TPMS sensor and then store the 4 sensor IDs directly into ETACS through the OBDII port using ONE tool, but I have yet to see one actually work that way on a Mirage. There are tools that seem to work fine on other Mitsubishi models...but plug one into a Mirage and all bets are off.

If you don't have access to a shop that has a TPMS tool to do this relearn process, you should clone any TPMS sensors that you have to replace. When you clone a sensor, you don't do a relearn process so you don't have to worry about any of this.

[Eggman]

I can't believe I saw this, but according to Autel's Twitter feed, you need TWO TPMS activation tools to complete the US-market Mirage TPMS relearn (one plugged in the OBD-II port, the other to reactivate the sensors, whether you own a TS501, TS601, or TS508).

Isn’t it normal and typical to activate the sensors for registration? And can sensor activation be done by simply depressurizing the sensors? So maybe the second activation tool isn’t needed?