There’s a lot of praises to sing about a Porsche 911 Turbo. However, the TPMS system is not one of them. Randy decided to change the tires on his trusty steed and simultaneously replace some of the age-tired TPMS sensors. Sure, I’ve cured TPMS ailments on lots of cars. However, this was probably one of the more challenging situations for a few reasons.
First, Porsche’s TPMS learning system at the time of this car’s manufacture is not exactly the most cooperative. Secondly, Randy’s custom-modified HRE wheels had the sensors mounted in hard-to-reach locations.
TPMS sensors are typically positioned at the valve stem. That makes it easy for the programming tools to wirelessly reach them for setup. That’s great, because these tools have a short wireless range, probably less than 5 inches. When the sensors are placed far from the face of the wheel, aka the place that WOULD be easily accessible, you’re in for a not-so-jolly-good time.
In Randy’s case, his HRE wheels had the sensors mounted to the middle of the barrels. This meant that the programmer would have difficulty reaching the sensors. These days, there are much smoother ways to mount TPMS sensors onto 3-piece wheels, such as my current favorite method which uses adapters on the original valve stem.
After many attempts, I was finally able to get the system scanned and working, but it was nothing short of a nightmare. My fingers are crossed that these sensors last another 10+ years, because I’m not looking forward to doing this again, LOL. But if the need arises, it shall be done!
