Tire Pressure Monitoring Systems are in place today in large part due to law suites, brought forth by the Ford Explorer roll overs in the past blamed partially on low tire inflation. Now vehicles equipped with TPMS (Tire Pressure Monitoring Systems) are able to warn the driver of an under-inflated tire. The vehicle’s computer can tell us when the tire pressure is low, some can indicate the exact tire pressure reading. But what about when the low tire pressure warning light stays on after a tire has been repaired or replaced? Tire and auto repair shops today need to have the right auto specialty tool to deal with this. I was recently asked “Which Tire Pressure Monitor Reset tool is best for my shop?” Well, choosing a TPMS (Tire Pressure Monitoring System) tool that can reset the warning light on most makes of vehicles is needed, since most shops work on more than one type of car. Read on for information.

Direct or Indirect TPM systems are used on cars today. Direct tire pressure monitoring systems have sensors that can measure the exact tire pressure in each tire (including the spare on some models). The tire pressure sensors are either mounted by a steel band or built into the valve stem. These type sensors have a battery that can fail over time like any other battery. The sensors are not serviceable, so when the battery fails the unit is replaced. Caution must be taken when changing tires with the direct type TPM sensors, they can be damaged inadvertently when breaking the bead of the tire down while using the tire machine. Consumers should also be aware that ”fix a flat” or any similar tire sealer can damage the sensors. Indirect TPM systems do not have tire pressure sensors on each wheel, they use the vehicle’s ABS (Anti Lock Brake) wheel speed sensors to calculate the speed of each tire. The idea is that equally inflated tires will travel at the same speed. The computer detects the slight difference in speed of the under inflated tire and turns the warning on. It is also important to match tread depth and brand since variations in wheel speed can cause the warning light to come on with this type of system.

OTC is the primary OE (original equipment)  tool manufacturer, therefore OTC makes most of the car dealer manufacturer specific essential (required by the manufacturer) TPM diagnostic/reset tools. GM’s OTC TPM reset tool number is J-46079 (Kent Moore), Ford’s auto specialty tool number for resetting the TPM warning light is Rotunda 204-363 ( Rotunda TKIT-20006V4-FLM). OTC owns both Kent Moore and Rotunda among other companies. The problem for the average auto repair shop is that it’s not feasible to own each of the manufacturer specific TPM tools for each vehicle manufacturer. And, each manufacturer specific tool is only capable of resetting their specific brand. For instance if you have the Ford Rotunda TPMS tool it will work only on Ford and not Chevrolet, Nissan etc. The OTC 3833 TPMS is a very popular choice when it comes to TPMS auto specialty tools. The reason is that it is made by OTC and has software that allows it to have a wide range of coverage, not just one vehicle manufacturer. This is why the OTC 3833 TPM tool is a favorite for repair shops that need an auto specialty tool that can be used for a wide variety of vehicle manufacturers.