TPMS and Flat Tires

[Darren]

Last night I got a flat tire from a nail and then drove the car 100 feet off the road. Tried the Nissan air compressor and accompanying fix-a-flat but it appeared the nail went all the way in and the tire would still not hold air.

So I called Nissan Roadside Assistance who told me they would only tow it to the Mossy Nissan dealership in Oceanside, CA (which already frustrated me a bit and seemed strange).

This morning I get a call that the nail hole is irreparable. They also told me that they want $146 for a 205/55 R16 Bridgestone Ecopia tire, $155 for a replacement TPMS sensor and $35 to mount and balance for a total of $345+tax!

Now I can understand that maybe that the tire might be irreparable but neither Costco nor Discount Tire can understand why it would need a new sensor other than the fact that it probably needs to be cleaned of fix-a-flat. To add insult to injury Costco and Discount Tire sell the tires for $113 + $15 M&B and say they can order TPMS sensors for about $50.

Before I go running around town trying to get a new tire put on and fight with dealership, I would love to determine under what scenarios a TPMS sensor typically needs to be replaced. Does this happen often or is the dealership just trying to pad the bill? Does using Nissan's recommended way to fix a flat (the compressor and can) destroy sensors? This whole thing just seems pretty expensive for a nail hole.

Thanks!

 

[ksnogas2112]

Darren,
My understanding from reading previous posts is that the goop in the fix a flat causes/destroys/mucks up the TPS which requires replacement. The rest, unfortunately it sounds like what I would expect from a dealer. I would expect dealer pricing to be higher than other locations. As far as the tow goes, my understanding is the tow goes to your house or the nearest dealer when it's paid for by Nissan.

Best of luck to you.

 

[derkraut]

Well Daren, since you used the "Goop", the damage has been done to your TPMS. I will never use that crap on my tires. So, I've installed an Altima spare tire neatly under the trunk, like Tony W did. I can remove and mount it in about 5-10 minutes, and it's not visible from the outside of the car unless you crawl underneath. Cost for the emergency spare, jack, lug wrench was less than $50, and I did the install myself in less than an hour.

Regarding the price of a new TPMS and tire, a TOTAL ripoff, imho. Go to Discount tire or Costco. :evil:

 

[planet4ever]

As far as the tow goes, my understanding is the tow goes to your house or the nearest dealer when it's paid for by Nissan.

Apparently people have been able to convince the tow truck to take them home, but the warranty booklet says nothing about that. It says only, "Roadside Assistance will arrange to transport the vehicle to the nearest Nissan LEAF certified dealer." So don't count on being towed home.

Incidentally, the booklet also says that Roadside Assistance is not a warranty, but is a free benefit provided for 36 months.

Ray

 

[thankyouOB]

better off calling AAA and going where you want.

 

[Darren]

Thank you everyone for your insights. It was very helpful.

I took the rim, tire and sensor and got a second opinion. It looks like my driving it the short distance to get it off the road did damage the sidewall which made it so that it did need a new tire.

Also, the TPMS came off the rim either through the driving it off the road or when the tire was dismounted from the rim. The design of this sensor is that it cannot be reattached with a remount kit (like other sensors) but instead has to be replaced. You knows if the "goo" damaged it or not.

Long story short, Costco told me had the tire but could not get the sensor. Discount Tire did not have either but said they could order both and have it in a day or two. Discount's price for the tire, with a replacement sensor and mounting was $180 including tax, about half of the dealership! I am sure it is an aftermarket sensor but since the OEM factory one isn't made by Nissan either, I doubt it will make much difference.

Throughout me wasting my Saturday, I learned several things. Even though Nissan provides the "goo", don't ever use it! Upon closer inspection, the manual even says it may damage your sensor. Oops. Seems like a poor design to me to give you a product that they know will cause damage to your car but oh well.

And finally...call AAA instead of Nissan if you don't want to pay double to have it fixed at the dealership!

Thanks again!

 

[neal77]

I had a flat also and had my car towed to Nissan. They said the tire couldn't be fixed. They didn't have a tire in stock and it took them 2 days to get it in. Cost was around $190.00. Thanks to reading the posts on MNL I knew not to use the fix-a-flat stuff and ruin the sensor.

 

[cwerdna]

Well Daren, since you used the "Goop", the damage has been done to your TPMS. I will never use that crap on my tires. So, I've installed an Altima spare tire neatly under the trunk, like Tony W did. I can remove and mount it in about 5-10 minutes, and it's not visible from the outside of the car unless you crawl underneath. Cost for the emergency spare, jack, lug wrench was less than $50, and I did the install myself in less than an hour.

Yep, I've always heard that slime damages TPMS sensors.

It's puzzling why Australian Leafs come w/a spare tire underneath (http://www.mynissanleaf.com/viewtopic.php?f=27&t=9768" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false but US ones don't, not even as an option. If only Nissan would at least offer it as something dealer or port installed... C'mon Nissan! Make it available here!

 

[RegGuheert]

So, I've installed an Altima spare tire neatly under the trunk, like Tony W did. I can remove and mount it in about 5-10 minutes, and it's not visible from the outside of the car unless you crawl underneath. Cost for the emergency spare, jack, lug wrench was less than $50, and I did the install myself in less than an hour.

+1 except we didn't mount the spare and jack. Instead we keep them at home. Since we only use the LEAF for local trips we can either drive the spare out to the side of the road or have the LEAF towed to a dealer or home and remove the tire and take it in for a replacement.

Regarding the price of a new TPMS and tire, a TOTAL ripoff, imho. Go to Discount tire or Costco. :evil:

I will probably forgo replacing the TMPS altogether if any fail.

 

[Viktor]

Should I buy tire warranty from Nissan given the fact that repairs are so expensive? I remember turning it down during lease signing - it was around 200$ or so

 

[Metalman]

I bought a nice used wheel from someone on this site for about $125 shipped. Had a new tire without the sensor mounted and use it in my regular rotation. I always have a spare at home with the lug wrench right beside it. I only need someone to grab the tire, wrench and a jack and I'm good.
I do have the light on the dash lit, but I'm good with that.

 

[Kataphn]

We got a spare and keep in the garage. It goes in the car for long trips. If we get caught with a flat without the spare, we will be towed home by AAA and fix it there.

 

[RonDawg]

[It's puzzling why Australian Leafs come w/a spare tire underneath (http://www.mynissanleaf.com/viewtopic.php?f=27&t=9768" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false but US ones don't, not even as an option. If only Nissan would at least offer it as something dealer or port installed... C'mon Nissan! Make it available here!

My guess is that Australian law requires some sort of dedicated spare tire. I would imagine that law is due to Australia having many miles of unpaved roads, with a good chunk of them outside cell phone range. Although Leafs are generally urban-bound, Nissan perhaps felt it was not worth the effort to get an exemption. Or perhaps they (or someone else) tried to get an exemption but were refused.

As far as why it's left off the Leaf in the US and perhaps many other parts of the world, it's due to two reasons: cost and weight. Many new cars have a tire well in the trunk but just give you an inflator and a can of fix-a-flat just like with the Leaf.

 

[Stanton]

I threw the can of "goo" out awhile ago based on posts in this forum.
However, the important question I have now is: can the (undamaged) TPMS sensor be transferred to a NEW tire or not?? My understanding was that when I put new tires on my Leaf (and that day is fast approaching), they will be able to re-mount the TPMS sensor. If not, I'm in for a big $$ surprise

 

[PatricioEV]

The TPMS can be transferred to another wheel and work just fine. When I put Nissan Juke wheels on my Leaf, I had Discount Tire reuse my OEM TPMS and blue-logo center caps.

 

[GerryAZ]

TPMS sensors can be damaged by driving on a flat (not likely, but possible), improper tire dismounting/mounting procedures, and, of course, tire sealer. If not damaged, the sensors should last 8 to 12 years, depending on mileage and time until the internal batteries go dead. Similar sensors in my 2004 Jeep are still working fine. I have had numerous flat tires on office and personal vehicles (including the LEAF) equipped with TPMS on the highway and off road and never damaged a sensor. In all cases, the systems gave adequate low pressure warnings to allow safely stopping without destroying the tires. I just wish the LEAF would display the four pressures rather than just lighting a low pressure light.

Gerry

 

[FairwoodRed]

Be happy you have such a “reasonable” dealer. I recently had a flat and while waiting for a tow I called Younker Nissan. $40 to fix a flat and $300 to replace a tire. My next closest dealer, Nissan of the Eastside, had free flat repairs if you bought the car from them, $30 otherwise and $190 to replace the tire. Your $146 is positively cheap at dealer pricing…

And yes, Nissan roadside assistance did tow me the 3 miles to my house.

 

[Darren]

I threw the can of "goo" out awhile ago based on posts in this forum.
However, the important question I have now is: can the (undamaged) TPMS sensor be transferred to a NEW tire or not?? My understanding was that when I put new tires on my Leaf (and that day is fast approaching), they will be able to re-mount the TPMS sensor. If not, I'm in for a big $$ surprise

The sensors should be able to be reused provided they don't come off the rim in the dismount process. Apparently, most sensors have a $2-3 remount kit if it does but Nissan makes you replace it.

 

[Darren]

Be happy you have such a “reasonable” dealer. I recently had a flat and while waiting for a tow I called Younker Nissan. $40 to fix a flat and $300 to replace a tire. My next closest dealer, Nissan of the Eastside, had free flat repairs if you bought the car from them, $30 otherwise and $190 to replace the tire. Your $146 is positively cheap at dealer pricing…

And yes, Nissan roadside assistance did tow me the 3 miles to my house.

Wow! I thought I was getting ripped off! That is horrible.

What was really strange is that the dealer wouldn't negotiate at all even when I told them they knew the were at lot more.

 

[TomT]

If you are just mounting new tires on the existing wheels it is a non-issue.

However, the important question I have now is: can the (undamaged) TPMS sensor be transferred to a NEW tire or not?? My understanding was that when I put new tires on my Leaf (and that day is fast approaching), they will be able to re-mount the TPMS sensor. If not, I'm in for a big $$ surprise