TPMS Sender location 201?4 TDI SEL?

I was driving down the road and started to have a strange vibration and nois. Got worse. Pulled over when I found a safe place and the right rear tire was FLAT. Not a safe spot to change it so I drove till I found a place. Well, tire is destroyed. DID NOT GET A TPMS LIGHT! Not good!

Where in the wheel is the sender? What do the senders look like? What would show if there was not sender in a wheel?
How do senders tend to fail fail?

Al Fischer said:

I was driving down the road and started to have a strange vibration and nois. Got worse. Pulled over when I found a safe place and the right rear tire was FLAT. Not a safe spot to change it so I drove till I found a place. Well, tire is destroyed. DID NOT GET A TPMS LIGHT! Not good!

Where in the wheel is the sender? What do the senders look like? What would show if there was not sender in a wheel?
How do senders tend to fail fail?

Click to expand...

Lol! No wheel sender units. VW uses algorithms based on wheel speed to determine if the tires are rotation at different speeds. If a tire goes flat the smaller dimension means more revolutions, and a different speed.

If it happened fast the TPMS would not have noted it. Some tires do go flat suddenly....

The TPMS system uses the ABS wheel sensors. It compares speed of each wheel and if they vary too much it will set an alarm, but it won't tell you which wheel it is. Problem with this system is it needs some driving distance to compare each wheel and make a decision that there is an issue.

Wow. and I thought the TPMS on my 2014 Ram was a POS! (it is)

Using the ABS etc. for TPMS is a better idea than the charming valve stems to quote the dealer the stems are a bit problematic, ya think? Hey I think its great, got new tires reset pressure so I could run them a bit higher and off and running. Guess having the tire shop that the owner has a 911 Turbo and loves VW may have something to do with it.

TPMS systems, whether sensor or algorithm based, are not designed to detect a tire deflating rapidly. The purpose is to avoid running the car with a significantly under inflated tire and the associated handling problems that creates.

Yours
Vern

I suspect the tire went low overnight. Thanks to the lousy 'algorithm' TMPS I ran probably 5 mile until it was totally flat. AND NO WARNING! A sensor would have warned me.

This is the last straw VW can buy it back. I will buy a GOOD RELIABLE TOYOTA! With a TPMS that WORKS.

Ya know, not too long ago the TPMS was a walk around the car before you drove it, and being sensitive to how it handled. Don't blame VW for your laziness.

Al Fischer said:

I suspect the tire went low overnight. Thanks to the lousy 'algorithm' TMPS I ran probably 5 mile until it was totally flat. AND NO WARNING! A sensor would have warned me.

This is the last straw VW can buy it back. I will buy a GOOD RELIABLE TOYOTA! With a TPMS that WORKS.

Click to expand...

Both kinds of TPMS systems (direct and indirect) have both advantages and disadvantages. For the indirect (ABS based) systems the biggest disadvantage is that it take a while for it to decide that there is a problem. Therefore, they are very good at detecting slow leaks in one tire (a common situation). However, they are not so good if/when a tire goes flat quickly or, as in your case, overnight. You have to drive around for a while before is senses a problem. Obviously, you sensed the problem before the ABS controller did. Indirect ABS is also not very good at detecting all 4 tires slowly losing air at about the same rate (also a common situation). However, to be fair the direct (sensor based) systems also have had their fair share of problems and weaknesses.

There is no such thing as a perfect TPMS system that will always give you enough warning. Enjoy your Toyota.

Have Fun!

Don

I think my daughter's Routan has the direct sensors, and when I checked her tires a couple of weeks ago I found all four 10 PSI low. So even the directs are not foolproof.

fredthe said:

Ya know, not too long ago the TPMS was a walk around the car before you drove it, and being sensitive to how it handled. Don't blame VW for your laziness.

Click to expand...

While I totally agree with the first statement, I have to say I'm mildly offended by the second.

Vehicle technology has been pushed as being foolproof. We have all succumbed to the "dumbing down" of operator involvement.

It has nothing to do with being "lazy", but we are certainly naive, that we all trust the various systems to do our thinking for us.

As mentioned, these wheel speed systems won't detect a sudden blow-out or a very rapid air leak. Fortunately, as a driver, both of those situations are generally easily recognizable. They are very good at noticing slow or moderate leaks when the vehicle is in motion, which is generally good enough to alert the driver that a tire needs attention before it gets damaged.

It's a trade-off. Pressure sensors are expensive, require periodic replacement and can sometimes be problematic. Wheel speed algorithms are a lot less expensive, but the trade off is less precision and the requirement that you be moving in order for them to detect a problem.

tdiatlast said:

While I totally agree with the first statement, I have to say I'm mildly offended by the second.
Vehicle technology has been pushed as being foolproof. We have all succumbed to the "dumbing down" of operator involvement.
It has nothing to do with being "lazy", but we are certainly naive, that we all trust the various systems to do our thinking for us.

Click to expand...

Thank you for stating the problem better than I did

fredthe: I figured that when I read your post. We're all victims of "convenience."
I have very fond memories of my 1987 4000s 5-speed...190k miles, solid, reliable. Then I remember: no keyless entry, only 5 speeds, interior light (a single fixture above the rearview mirror), cassette radio, noisy AC blower, etc. etc. Only 110hp, IIRC, but it was quick, maneuverable, great brakes: totally linear/predictable with all driver input...but...primitive in amenities...and a sticker of $18k.