Did a foolish thing I guess by putting some metal valve extenders on my Base 2010 Fit's wheels because of new wheel covers. Broke one of these at a high curb, and the *&&%+ thing also broke the TPMS valve stem! (-Needless to say, those metal valve extenders are gonna go!)
But the local tire mechanic who replaced the stem didn't have any Honda TPMS stems, so he simply used a regular rubber valve stem. (The job only cost me $10, so I ain't really complaining 'bout it!)

But then naturally the TPMS light stays on alla time now. And the cheapest I've seen for a Fit TPMS stem replacement is $50 for an aftermarket one, and that's w/o a Honda re-installation and resetting of the EU computer's TPMS system! -So geez, who knows how much the whole replacement setup might eventually cost?

So now I'm considering putting some black tape over the stoopid TPMS dash light and just forgetting about it. I mean, I never had any problems keeping air in all my other cars' tires for some 50 years or so, w/o any TPMS system y'knowt?

Anyone else run into this kind of crap with their Fit's TPMS system?

 

Look it it as your government stepping in and making TPMS mandatory because some people can't check their tire pressures regularly. That's the new American freedom.

Here in Canada we don't have TPMS and it makes the seasonal changeover to winter tires and back way less of a hassle. The cost savings alone are well worth checking my pressures once a month.

 

Try http://www.bernardiparts.com/searchoptions.aspx and see if you can buy just the valve stem (assuming it is separate from the main TPMS assembly).

Maybe you need the whole assembly if the light is on.

 

Know what's funny? The two Detroit autos I've owned both had stick shifts... and dummy lights just in case you forgot that a manual transmission needs to be upshifted.

 

Actually, I think a couple of European cars have the upshift light too from what I could tell of the two UK car shows I watch (Top Gear and Fifth Gear). I wouldn't be surprised if it were the same cars that could hit 60 mph in first gear.

 

Actually, for many cars, this was done to get better mileage ratings. In the old EPA system (possibly still), the testers had to upshift when the light told them to. Usually, this was pretty early in the range, way earlier than a normal person driving would shift, but also tended to give better effective mileage because of the lower over-all RPMs.

 

Nah, the valve stem is broken clean in half and it's directly molded into the plastic assembly that contains the sender chip and sits inside the tire...
I would have to replace the whole magilla!

Some auto makers other than Honda make their valve stems removable from the inner chip assembly, but I guess Honda wants to get you for the whole replacement part! .

Anyway the tire guy told me he gets quite a few of these type repairs, and he also suggested I'd be far better off never using valve extenders on any car equipped with TPMS!

 

These vehicles both had grunty pushrod engines that didn't like to be wound out anyway... They had that Harley feel, where you almost feel like you get a power boost when you upshift.

 

I dislike TPMS.
I suppose it is defined as a "safety feature" and it's hard to argue against it. But I think the PIA dealing with the cost of replacement or any problems you might have outweigh the potential benefit.

I think most people are able to keep at least a cursory eye on their tire pressure. You don't need a TPMS to alert you of a sudden loss of pressure....so I don't really see any benefit.

Advancement that IMO is just a bigger PIA.

 

"Able to" and "actually doing" so are two VERY different things. I agree that most people are able to check their tire pressure but daily, especially as the weather gets colder, do I see people with one or more tires with low pressure. These are the vehicles that are now more susceptible to their tires blowing out on the highway. Here, I see a lot of people this time of year with under-inflated tires.

The most common tire damage I've had is a Nail or screw in the tire. One of these with a slow leak will set off the TPMS sensor before the tire gets so low to cause safety issues.

~SB

 

what do people do when they get new wheels and tires? isn't there a way to disable that feature on the fit so the light doesn't show up?

 

Black tape over the light I believe... or transfer the TPMS sensors over. I'll be running with the light on or black tape this winter and will be a little more proactive on checking tire pressure. I don't believe there's a way to disable it... if there was, I'm sure there'd be a "Hack" to add a switch in to enable/disable but it's doubtful since it is integrated into the odo/tach/dash display.

Also not having TPMS on VSA equipped vehicles enables VSA ALL of the time. Not an issue for '10 or earlier non-Navi but from this point on, owners will have to buy another set of sensors and a reset tool or go to the dealer every time they swap summer/winter wheels.

~SB

 

Besides myself, there are 20 or 30 Fit owners here running black tape or simply ignoring TPMS light when then went to aftermarket tires and wheels.
If you didn't vote you elected these turkeys.

 

this makes me not want to get new wheels now.

 

???

Just transfer the TPMS sensors over to the new wheels. for me, I'll be running 3-4 months a year with the TPMS Light on. I'll leave the TPMS in the OEM wheels as i'll be using them most of the time 8-9 months/year. We'll see if it's annoying or too bright at night. Probably both but i'm not willing to spend the extra on a 2nd set of TPMS sensors, a reset tool, or a trip to the dealer every time I swap out tires.

~SB

 

Not too long ago, before The Government decided for us, that we needed TPMS my previous vehicle's owners manual recommended doing a visual check of your tires before driving...

Yeh, I didn't always do it...but when approaching my vehicle, I always am in the habbit of taking a quick look...

It is hard to argue against TPMS. Sure it could do exactly what it is designed to do, which is warn you if your tire pressure drops. Is this a good thing? Sure. I can't mount too much of an arguement against it.

But maybe I'm just getting old. I certainly remember the majority of us driving for decades without this feature. And it really does become a PITA when you want to make any changes...or do have a problem.

So better? Safer?...begrudginly I admit yes...do I want it? Do I think I really need it? No. If I had the option...and I NEVER had the option of it NOT being an option...I'd rather not have it...

Also, not only here in Fit Freak but in numerous other automotive forums, I see a large number of posts where people are asking what the "Strange Symbol" that appeared on their dashboard "means"...often they have been driving for weeks...

So people can ignore a symbol on their dashboard almost as easily as they can ignore a their tires. I'm still siding with personal responsibilty, and just keeping an eye on your tires using your personal empiracle senses...and a tire guage....

 

I always check the tire pressure on my vehicles. But the TPMS on my department vehicle saved me from a complete flat in a snow storm last winter. I was heading out for a 300 mile trip and got 100 miles down the road when the light came on. I personally like them.

 

Human idiocy, ignorance, & apathy is the primary reason for accidents but unless the core of driver training/certification changes, there is no way that we will realistically see an improvement in driver quality. With Millions more drivers on the road than back when "we" were younger, and with millions more cars on the road, for longer periods of time, driving faster, tpms seemed to become more than a luxury but a necessity.

I agree on every one of your points. but unfortunately, the reality of the situation is that licensed Drivers don't (& won't) read the manual, follow the recommended walk-around procedures for the vehicle. Should they? YES... Reality has to set in though.

Our vehicles have a rudimentary TPMS sensor setup as they only monitor and alert if pressure goes below a certain number. The more advanced systems have it integrated into their VSA systems allowing the VSA system to adjust for a specific tire with less than optimal tire pressure. Those systems provide more value to the safety of the occupants & the vehicle itself.

I'd love nothing more than to see everyone check their oil, tire pressure, etc... before heading out on a short or long trip. (I grew up with a Pre-vacation checklist of what needed to be done to the Westfailia VW Bus prior to departing) but with "Kids these days" (and their parents who don't think about the safety of others or their own vehicles, let alone themselves) it is more important than ever to have some of these fail-safe "extras" on Cars.

No Features are "Features" for everyone. They are for the masses. VSA will become standard on vehicles soon. There are some that could drive better without it but the majority of those people have their own drift cars, are professional drivers, etc... TPMS is one of those. Most everyone benefits but there are a few that it is wasted on. (I can't for the life of me figure out who might fall into this category but I'm sure they are out there). I however, am NOT one of those. TPMS has allowed me to slow down and get off the road with a screw/bolt in my tire before a potential blowout, damage to the wheel, or tire. (I think everyone falls into this classification as these types of things are not driver controllable). I had a patch job done and I was on my way.

I can see the annoyances it can (and will) create for some. with VSA coming, TPMS will likely be required for VSA to run properly. That means sets of winter tires/wheels will become more difficult/expensive to own/install/manage. I'm sure the aftermarket pricing on Reset tools and tpms sensors will come down but it is an added cost & expense... It's also another thing that could (and in the OP's Case, did) break.

<soapbox>
Is it the government's fault? well... Imposing the regulations is on them. Are the regulations necessary? Very Likely. Whose fault is it ultimately? Ours... for not demanding higher standards of driver education and general personal responsibility but we don't live in times where people take responsibility for their own actions. We live in the Era of Entitlement, the Wal-Mart will take anything back (even if I didn't buy it there) era.
</soapbox>

There are pros & cons for everything.

~SB

 

On a less "soapbox" note...

I had to pump some air into my tires last night. It seemed a little "soft" (I guess that's the best way for me to describe it) and my headlights seemed to point up more than normal.

My TPMS light didn't come on. I assume it didn't hit the low threshold, I think my tires were at about 30 psi when I added some air. Which is strange, I had expected it to be much lower considering the effect.

 

I am split in the road when it come to TPMS's. I saw a 2000ish Accord driving down the freeway the other day. Right rear tire was really low. The women driving didn't seem to know or care. She was weaving in and out of traffic like a mad women going about 10 over the speed limit. I could just see it becoming bad real quick if she had a blow out. I kept as far away from her as I could. For this instance...I think it would definitly benefit if her car had tpms.

On the other hand..I do find it annoying when it seems like every other week I am putting air in my tire or my wifes TSX because the tire pressure is 31 psi. I have found my tpms is set to 32psi. If I go even just one psi below that the light goes off. I try to keep my tires at 35-36 psi so I have a little cushion. I guess its a small price to pay for safety.