Low Tire Light ON.. All tires OK !!!

kazin

Active member
Joined
Dec 26, 2012
Location
Baltimore, MD
TDI
Golf 2012 DSG
So, I figured I'd chip in my little story since I just now had my TPMS go off while driving out on 695 two days ago.

The fault light came on at a strange time, as I was trying to get myself out traffic's way while going across a bridge. I'm guessing the sensor gave fault right as I hit the gap part because I had been driving already on my commute for about 30 minutes.

Now, for a bit of back story; I had replaced my stock Contis at 23,000 with new Michelin Primacy MXM4's. Had a local place my father recommended me out in Frederick for a mount and balance. I remember specifically mentioning to the gentlemen setting up my new tires for 89 to 90 torque on the wheels and 38 psi on the tires.

Well, when I went to check the pressure on the tires they were all set to 49+ psi. I'm really surprised that the sensor didn't go off sooner, as I'm now at 26,500 on the odometer.

Tires are now set at 38 all around and reset the sensory from the glove box. If I do get another fault I'll probably head back to the dealership to double check the calibration.

So, the moral of this story is definitely check your tire pressure even after you just had your tires mounted and balanced!
 

qsabe

Active member
Joined
Nov 19, 2010
Location
Trenton, Mi
TDI
2011 Jetta Sportwagon
I had this problem with a 2011 sportswagon. In the glovebox high on the left top is a programming button. press and hold that for 30 seconds to reprogram the tire sensors.
 

Analogeezer

Veteran Member
Joined
Jan 3, 2013
Location
Northern Virginia
TDI
2013 Jetta Sportwagen 6MT
OK so I had a rather strange experience with TPMS the other day, 6 week old JSW, about 2000 miles on it. I was getting ready to go somewhere with my son (so he could get some more seat time - he drives manual just fine, that's what he has and all we have, he just needs more time in the JSW) and I thought "you know I never checked tire pressures after I bought the car.

This is a 2013 so no wheel sensors, the TPMS is ABS based.

All were fine (~36 or so) except the right front which was 28. So I pumped all of them up to 39, so the right front got another 11 pounds. Being that different was a bit of a concern so I decide to keep an eye on it.

Drive the car to work this morning about about 12 miles from home I hear a chime and the TPMS light comes on. I pull over to make sure it's not seriously flat and decide to go back home. It was cool and damp out so the tires were not real warm, checked them back at the house and all were at 39.5

So I reset the TPMS and so far it's fine, just checked the pressures here at work in the lot and they are at 38 or so.

The thing is between adding air to the tire and the light coming on was about 35 miles of driving, in two separate trips.

Did the TPMS just decided air was added to a tire and something was amiss or was this just a random TPMS light that seems to be rather common on these cars?

Analogeezer
 

jay_fyp

Veteran Member
Joined
Oct 29, 2004
Location
New Jersey
TDI
2015 Golf TDI 6MT 2004 Jetta TDI (PD) 5mt R.I.P - 2013 Golf TDI 6mt - 2004 Golf TDI (PD) 5MT
I had this problem with a 2011 sportswagon. In the glovebox high on the left top is a programming button. press and hold that for 30 seconds to reprogram the tire sensors.
I referred to this thread for the same problem. I have a 2013 Golf so it may be different than your sportwagon, but pressing the button in the glove box for only about 2 or 3 seconds did the trick, not 30 seconds.
 

ksing44

Veteran Member
Joined
Feb 13, 2010
Location
Southeast PA
TDI
2010 Golf TDI
Sure enough, in my car the setting had changed to 5.5 bar! Funny, or not so funny really, that the thing resets itself to such a high pressure. Hopefully it won't happen again for at least another 2-years. I guess I really do need my own VCDS for this VW.
It's been a little over a year since the last time, but it happened again! Well, kind of. The TPMS came on again and when I checked my tires they were all exactly what I set them to not too long ago. They were holding pressure great!

So, since now I finally have my own VCDS, I went in to check things for myself. I figured it reset to 55 again. Nope! They were all still at 22, just like they were when my wonderful friend set them lower for me last year. I also couldn't clear the fault and the measuirng blocks didn't seem to work. I was confused, but kept poking around.

I found that the controller coding had actually reset to all zeros! I went into the long coding helper and found that the 3 different bits could be changed from no coding 00, to the proper coding of 01, 87, and 05, to end up with 018705 as in my original scan. That still didn't clear the issue, not immediately, but after I drove and restarted the car the fault finally disappeared!

I'm just adding this in case someone else has a problem. It seems the controller can randomly rest to 5.5 bar or reset itself to all zeros too.

Anyway, It's the first time I actually fixed something on my own car with my VCDS cable! I did diagnostics on my son's car twice and I recoded two other peoples' cars, but it's the first time I actually saved myself money with my own car. I hope it stays fixed, so I can keep this warn glow of self-satisfaction for a while.

Code with error, reset to 018705 fixed my issue!
Address 65: Tire Pressure (J502) Labels: 1K0-937-08x-65.clb
Part No SW: 1K0 937 087 G HW: 1K0 937 087 G
Component: RDK 103 0521
Coding: 000000
Shop #: WSC 131071 1023 2097151
VCID: 354FC35B9C8DCAB6775-8060

1 Fault Found:
01325 - Control Module for Tire Pressure Monitoring (J502)
005 - No or Incorrect Basic Setting / Adaptation
Freeze Frame:
Fault Status: 01100101
Fault Priority: 3
Fault Frequency: 1
Reset counter: 255
Mileage: 124497 km
Time Indication: 0
Date: 2041.14.30
Time: 18:55:30
 
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LarBear

Veteran Member
Joined
Jun 25, 2013
Location
Billings, MT
TDI
2013 Jetta TDI DSG
Hit something on the road shortly after we got our Jetta that put about a 1/4" hole in the left rear tire, no TPMS light at all. Got the tire replaced, things were fine until I parked the car with one side in the sun and the other (obviously?) not. The TPMS light was on when we returned to the car. The tires on the sunny side of the car were about 1 psi more than those on the other side. Sunday I put the snow tires on the car (steel VW/Audi wheels likely '98 or '99 Passat/A4 or A6 wheels), and took it out for a test drive. The TPMS light didn't come on over the ~5 minute drive. This morning my wife went someplace and commented that a warning light came on while she was driving (she is NOT a car person and "doesn't read pictures"), so I checked and sho nuff the TPMS light was on. Reset the TPMS, and it's all lovely now.

Not impressed with the system.
 

JohnnyChimpo

Member
Joined
Feb 5, 2013
Location
Colorado
TDI
2004 Golf GLS TDI (sold), 2013 Golf TDI
Just thought I'd post my own little TPMS adventure. Got some new snow tires the other day and sure enough, a mile down the road the TPMS light came on. Using the reset button worked but a mile later, same thing. Checked pressures at work the next day and one was 5 psi high. Set all pressures to 38 but the system would not reset. The battery in my laptop with VCDS on it was dead, so I couldn't read or clear the fault code. Drove it home and back to work, scanned it, and came up with a fault code for "implausible tire size" or something like that. Scrutinized the tires closely and found that one was a different size (!) Had the tire store clowns put on the correct tire and problem solved.
 

Daugen

Veteran Member
Joined
Nov 25, 2013
Location
Holland PA (North of Philadelphia)
TDI
2012 Golf TDI 2dr DSG
Hi. Brand new TDI owner, 2012 Golf, bought used 26K miles, and on the way home, the TPMS sensor went off. So clearly this issue will be with us, or these things are really sensitive. The tires seemed fine, they had 35-37 in each, but one was around 33.
So, the door sticker says 38 (the highest I've ever seen) so I put forty in the front, being fwd and it was definitely understeering, and 38 in the rear.

The light still stayed on. Ok, call the dealer. First, make sure the tires are truly at the right pressure and be sure of that. Check. Then, open the glove box, push the small SET button for several seconds, which is supposed to reset the system, and voila, the light goes off. Do earlier models not have that SET button in the glovebox?

I studied Tirerack carefully and put the new Continental Pure One eco somethings on, and they really handle well. But with these high tire pressures and 45 series tires, boy the ride is not so hot. But it sure doesn't understeer any more. These are remarkably big tires for this car, 225's on 3000 pound car is sports car stuff. I expected 205's so these tires should last a very long time.

very happy so far. Drove three days before the fuel gauge even moved. Not quite like my 11mpg Suburban 2500... Seemed just a little sooty in the back, particularly on a bone white car, so I put some Power Service clean additive in and what do you know, no more soot. That was easy.
 
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piotrsko

Veteran Member
Joined
Aug 11, 2013
Location
Reno Nv
TDI
2013 Golf, 2000 F-250 (7.3)
Not necessarily his soot. Could be just about anything dark because of crummy swirl patterns back there.

BTW my manual says I use the wheel VSS for tpms function. Definitely don't have sensors in rims.
 

Evildad

Active member
Joined
Mar 15, 2014
Location
West Virginia
TDI
2011 Jetta Sportwagen
New owner of 2011 Jetta Sportwagen TDI. 31K miles when I bought it and I've had it two weeks and the dreaded TPMS light has come on. Does it ever come on when the tires are overinflated, because when I checked them (cold), they're all over 40PSI. I plan to pop out and buy a new gauge just to make sure, but if it's right, it's sure not LOW tire pressure. Tires are Hancook, is that likely to be OEM?

Thanks.
 

PressEnter[]

Veteran Member
Joined
Feb 5, 2013
Location
Saratoga Springs, NY
TDI
2013 Jetta 6M
I understand it's designed to come on only when low, but it's also supposed to be reset any time its put on a lift. I found this out after my first service and nearly had a heart attack when a light I didn't recognize came on. But after I checked the tires and figured out how to reset the TPMS, it's been fine.
 

Evildad

Active member
Joined
Mar 15, 2014
Location
West Virginia
TDI
2011 Jetta Sportwagen
Thanks. Bought a new gauge to get comparison readings in the morning, then I'll set the pressures right and go from there to reset the TPMS.
 

ksing44

Veteran Member
Joined
Feb 13, 2010
Location
Southeast PA
TDI
2010 Golf TDI
It happened to me again! TPMS light on and all tires OK. This is the third time for me in 4 years. This time the controller had reset to 55 as explained in previous posts. Thanks to VCDS I'm fault free again!
 

saucer

Veteran Member
Joined
Jun 4, 2010
Location
Fayetteville, AR
TDI
2015 Passat SE
Reporting in with my fourth TPMS issue in so many years. I've had it into the dealer three times before to be reprogrammed (along with other issues) but sure enough, as it warmed up this spring, I've now got the light flashing for a minute each time I start up.

I sold my VCDS cable a while back and really don't want to mess with another dealership - anyone know if disconnecting the battery will reset this? Or is it a deeper issue...?
 

ksing44

Veteran Member
Joined
Feb 13, 2010
Location
Southeast PA
TDI
2010 Golf TDI
Based on what happened to me three times so far and to many others too, I'd say you have to reset the numbers with VCDS or at the dealer and simply disconnecting the battery will not work.
 

jlctdi1

New member
Joined
Dec 19, 2009
Location
Norristown,Pa
TDI
jettasport wagon 09
After the fourth trip to dealer, they hope they found the problem on 2009 tdi jettasport wagon. Claimed they had problems with one of their computers in diagnosing the problem. Not sure I bought that.
Problem: TPI would flash then stead for a period of time, then go off. Seemed to occur on longer trips. Current solution as line items on bill as follows:
P/S front tire pressure sensor.
Wheel electronics remove + reinstall
D sensor
GFF/Guide functions.
One of the other trips they said they updated the software which did not help


Bob
 

MKT

Veteran Member
Joined
Apr 1, 2012
Location
Temecula, CA
TDI
Ford F250 6.0, wifey has 2012 Jetta TDI
This thread was a life saver for me. Last night coming home from work at 0300 the TPMS chimed and the light came on at 86,4500 mi and about 10K on my replacement tires. Pulled into the next available service station and checked the tires, all were within .5 PSI with no obvious leaks. This morning the light was coming on as soon as I started the car.

A little reading through this thread pointed me in the direction of the glove box. Took a look, found the reset button and two seconds later all is well in the world.

On a side note, I learned the VW alarm system does not like the car being started from the passenger seat! I guess the lack of weight in the driver's seat must be telling the computer the car is being stolen. Yes, my neighbers were looking at me funny.
 

jason_

Veteran Member
Joined
Jun 2, 2014
Location
michigan
TDI
2015 s wagon dsg
This thread was a life saver for me. Last night coming home from work at 0300 the TPMS chimed and the light came on at 86,4500 mi and about 10K on my replacement tires. Pulled into the next available service station and checked the tires, all were within .5 PSI with no obvious leaks. This morning the light was coming on as soon as I started the car.

A little reading through this thread pointed me in the direction of the glove box. Took a look, found the reset button and two seconds later all is well in the world.

On a side note, I learned the VW alarm system does not like the car being started from the passenger seat! I guess the lack of weight in the driver's seat must be telling the computer the car is being stolen. Yes, my neighbers were looking at me funny.
I see no button on my 09 Jetta wagon box...

Is it easy to overlook?

Sent from my rooted HTC Supersonic using Tapatalk 2 Pro
 

ksing44

Veteran Member
Joined
Feb 13, 2010
Location
Southeast PA
TDI
2010 Golf TDI
I see no button on my 09 Jetta wagon box...

Is it easy to overlook?

Sent from my rooted HTC Supersonic using Tapatalk 2 Pro
No button on 09, or 10 for that matter. It started in 11. In 09 and 10, there are metal valve stems with TPMS in the wheels. Later they got the ABS method with the button and regular rubber valve stems.
 

jason_

Veteran Member
Joined
Jun 2, 2014
Location
michigan
TDI
2015 s wagon dsg
anybody know what the recommended pressure in psi for front and back tires on the dreaded Nokian' is???
Every tire I've handled has had the pressure modeled into the sidewall for convenience.

99% of the time sidewall supersedes cab label.

Sent from my rooted HTC Supersonic using Tapatalk 2 Pro
 

Corsair

Veteran Member
Joined
Aug 17, 2003
Location
Weedsport, New York
TDI
2002 Jetta GLS TDI 5M
Every tire I've handled has had the pressure modeled into the sidewall for convenience.

99% of the time sidewall supersedes cab label.

Sent from my rooted HTC Supersonic using Tapatalk 2 Pro
Respectfully disagree. The pressure molded into tire sidewall is the max inflation pressure. A particular tire may be used on a wide variety of cars, different makes & models- the tire manufacturer has no way of knowing where the tire will end up. The proper inflation pressure should be gotten from the information for the particular car on which the tire is installed. (These days, often a sticker in the door jamb area). Part of the vehicle R&D involves coming up with correct tire pressure for safety, as it plays a role in how the suspension and ABS works.
 

jason_

Veteran Member
Joined
Jun 2, 2014
Location
michigan
TDI
2015 s wagon dsg
Respectfully disagree. The pressure molded into tire sidewall is the max inflation pressure. A particular tire may be used on a wide variety of cars, different makes & models- the tire manufacturer has no way of knowing where the tire will end up. The proper inflation pressure should be gotten from the information for the particular car on which the tire is installed. (These days, often a sticker in the door jamb area). Part of the vehicle R&D involves coming up with correct tire pressure for safety, as it plays a role in how the suspension and ABS works.
Oh, so if I buy a tire that calls for 44, and cab says 30, and I ruin the tire from under inflation, I'll get free rubber from tire manufacturer, because I followed inflation in regard of the tire that originally came with the vehicle?

No.

I don't care what's printed on the car, I inflate to the point the tire plants the ground correctly in relation to tire/rim.
 

Corsair

Veteran Member
Joined
Aug 17, 2003
Location
Weedsport, New York
TDI
2002 Jetta GLS TDI 5M
Oh, so if I buy a tire that calls for 30psiax, and my cab says 44, and it pops, tire manufacturer will give me free rubber, because I didn't following the recommended max pressure of the tire they made?
No... They'd tell you that you bought a tire that was inappropriate / insufficient for your application. My information and position remains the same: The tires should be inflated to the pressure given by the vehicle manufacturer, not what might be molded into the sidewall of the tire. For the reason I stated.
 

ksing44

Veteran Member
Joined
Feb 13, 2010
Location
Southeast PA
TDI
2010 Golf TDI
I also respectfully have to say that the pressure on the tire is max psi, not the recommended pressure for your car. Don't run max psi. Well, I guess you can if you want to, but I certainly wouldn't.
 
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jason_

Veteran Member
Joined
Jun 2, 2014
Location
michigan
TDI
2015 s wagon dsg
No... They'd tell you that you bought a tire that was inappropriate / insufficient for your application. My information and position remains the same: The tires should be inflated to the pressure given by the vehicle manufacturer, not what might be molded into the sidewall of the tire. For the reason I stated.
Well, my 1ton srw the tires I bought were half flat following the cab sticker. So I inflated max what the side wall said, 85psi. Exactly what it needed with 6000# in the box.

What's really wrong is over pumping a tire that's overloaded so it'll plant right.
 

ksing44

Veteran Member
Joined
Feb 13, 2010
Location
Southeast PA
TDI
2010 Golf TDI
Facts from Tirerack
"The maximum load and maximum inflation pressure are required to be branded on the sidewall of tires sold in North America."

"It is important to note that the maximum load is rated at an industry specified tire inflation pressure that is often lower then the tire's absolute maximum tire pressure. The tire pressures used to determine the maximum load the tire is rated to carry is based on the sizing system industry standards applied to the tire."

"It is important that owners consult their vehicle's tire information placard (usually found on the driver's door or doorjamb) or their owner's manual for the recommended tire pressures for their vehicle's driving conditions."

Link to Tirerack tiretech
 
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