Diagnosing and resetting TPMS issues

Tyre fitting bays and garages increasingly being convinced to do TPMS sensor work by the argument that they are giving away business to main dealers by not offering this service. The reason tyre depots haven’t done so much of this work in the past is because they are either ill-equipped or are worried about working with tyre sensors, says tyresensors.com.

When a garage does not have the equipment to work with tyre sensors they send the customer to their local car dealership. However, every time this happens the garage is missing out on a commercial opportunity and increasing the likelihood of losing that customer. On average, a garage or tyre fitting bay will charge £30 to £40 a time to trigger tyre sensors, a main dealer reset will be around £60.

Ever heard of ATEQ?

When a sensor is replaced it needs to be triggered and in many cases the data downloaded to the vehicle ECU. Therefore garages can potentially make back the cost of a trigger/reset unit surprisingly quickly.

ATEQ is the world number one supplier of automatic leak testing machines and leak test systems for assembly lines and laboratories. Since establishing this reputation the company has moved onto developing TPMS trigger tools, a market in which the firm is purportedly a leader. But not only does the company supply aftermarket trigger tools for tyre sensors, they also supply a whole range of tyre sensor activation tools for over 270 car maker OEM assembly lines across the world.

Spotlight on the ATEQ VT55 OBD II

Tyresensors.com’s headline solution is the ATEQ VT55 OBD II. The VT55 OBDII is a universal TPMS activation or trigger tool. This tool will trigger sensors and stores the sensor data, which can then be downloaded into the vehicles ECU via the provided OBDII connector or alternatively can be stored on the tool and later downloaded onto a PC and/or printed out. The ATEQ VT55 OBDII can also be upgraded through the Internet as new TPMS sensor protocols become available.

The system is based on a rechargeable battery and can trigger, reset, activate and decode all TPMS sensors on the market and reprogram the vehicle ECU using its built-in universal OBD II connector.
The VT55 has a uniquely simple user interface, only the vehicle manufacturer is chosen, the tool does the rest. The tool modulates the signal sent to the sensor and drills down to find the sensor fitted to the vehicle.

The ATEQ VT55 OBD II retails at £895.00, but as the equipment’s supplier points out, turning away four sensor triggers a month at £40 a trigger – it will take five and a half months to pay for the unit. Turning away five sensors triggers a week – it will take around 90 days months to pay for the unit.   

In addition to the ATEQ VT55 OBD II, the company also offers the VT15 universal TPMS activation or trigger tool. According to the company, this is able to activate all known sensors currently on the market. It is designed to be used alongside diagnostic tools with TPMS reset capability and is said to be fully updateable via the web as new sensors are introduced.

Then there is the VT30, another universal TPMS activation or trigger tool. This tool will trigger sensors and store sensor data. The data stored on the tool can then be downloaded onto a PC and printed out. This tool is also fully updateable by via the web. It is designed to be used alongside diagnostic tools with TPMS reset capability.

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