A TPMS sensor watches the air pressure in a tyre and warns you when it drops. When the warning light stays on with all tyres correctly inflated, a sensor may have a flat battery, a broken valve or may not be paired with the car after a tyre or wheel change. A tyre shop with a TPMS tool can read each sensor, replace the faulty one and get the car to recognise it. Tell us the vehicle and what the dashboard shows, and we pass your request to independent tyre shops near you, who quote directly, free.
Direct and indirect TPMS
Direct TPMS uses a sensor inside each wheel, usually built into the valve, that sends the pressure and often the temperature to the car by radio. Indirect TPMS has no sensors in the wheels: it uses the ABS wheel speed sensors to notice that a softer tyre turns slightly faster. With indirect systems a warning usually needs only correct pressures and a reset from the car's menu. With direct systems the sensor itself may need attention.
Why the light comes on
- A tyre is genuinely low, often from a slow puncture (see tyre repair)
- A sensor battery has run down; batteries usually last years and the whole sensor is replaced when it dies
- A sensor was damaged when a tyre was changed, or its valve corroded
- Wheels were swapped or new wheels fitted and the car has not learned the sensor IDs
- A cold morning dropped the pressure just under the warning level
A flashing light, then a steady one, often means a system fault rather than low pressure. A tool reading each sensor tells the shop which one.
Replacing, programming and relearning
A replacement sensor is either the original type or a programmable one that the shop sets up for your car with a TPMS tool. Then the car must relearn it: some cars do it on their own after a short drive, others need the tool, a menu procedure or a set sequence. Every time a tyre comes off, ask for a service kit (seal, nut and valve core) so the valve does not leak, and ask the fitter to take care with the sensor during tyre fitment.
Sensors and new or refinished wheels
When you buy new mag wheels, the sensors can be moved from the old wheels or new ones fitted and programmed. Before a rim refurbishment or powder coating, the sensors must come out, because stripping chemicals and oven heat can ruin them. Tell the shop your wheels have sensors when you book. On cars with direct TPMS, a winter wheel set or a spare full-size wheel without a sensor will set off the warning, so decide whether to fit sensors to those too. A sensor that reads the wrong corner after a tyre rotation just needs a relearn, not a new sensor.
What to put in your request
- Vehicle make year and model type
- Whether the light is steady or flashing
- How many sensors may be faulty
- Any recent tyre or wheel change
- If you are fitting new or refinished wheels
TPMS Sensors for drivers, fleets and workshops
- Private car owners: a pressure warning that will not clear after the tyres were pumped at a garage
- Enthusiasts, 4x4 and performance drivers: sensors moved into new aftermarket wheels and paired with the car
- Company and rental fleets: company cars with sensor faults sorted at each tyre change to keep warnings working
- Dealers, panel shops and insurers: warning lights cleared on used cars before they are sold
- Tyre shops and wheel workshops: mechanics referring sensor faults to a tyre shop with a programming tool
- Truck, bus and taxi operators: newer light commercial vans with direct sensors on every wheel
- Farms: double cabs with sensors damaged by thorns, mud and gravel roads
- Mines and construction sites: site vehicles whose sensors suffer from rough roads and frequent tyre changes
Frequently asked questions
Can I just ignore the TPMS light?
Do I need to replace all four sensors at once?
Will my sensors work in new wheels?
Do you supply and fit sensors yourselves?
TPMS Sensors by province and city
- Johannesburg
- Pretoria
- Centurion
- Midrand
- Sandton
- Randburg
- Roodepoort
- Krugersdorp
- Randfontein
- Germiston
- Boksburg
- Benoni
- Kempton Park
- Alberton
- Vanderbijlpark
- Vereeniging
- Durban
- Pinetown
- Pietermaritzburg
- Richards Bay
- Newcastle
- Ladysmith
- Gqeberha (Port Elizabeth)
- East London
- Kariega (Uitenhage)
- Mthatha
- Cape Town
- Bellville
- Paarl
- Stellenbosch
- George
- Worcester
- eMalahleni (Witbank)
- Middelburg
- Secunda
- Mbombela (Nelspruit)
- Rustenburg
- Brits
- Klerksdorp
- Potchefstroom
- Mahikeng
- Polokwane
- Tzaneen
- Kimberley
- Upington
- Bloemfontein
- Welkom
- Sasolburg