As most of you know the C6 tire pressure sensors have to be reprogrammed if a new sensor is installed or wheel positions are changed or different wheels with different sensors are installed. The procedure is pretty simple and most anyone should be able to do it, but it requires a special TPM tool which transmits a low frequency signal. Without the tool one is forced to visit the dealership, which most of us would rather avoid.

Does anyone know where one can buy or rent one of these tools at a reasonable price? Some of you who swap tires/wheels back and forth for track and street use etc. must have one of these things. If you do, would you shed some light on suppliers and costs.

 

My local dealer wanted $50 to do it, Pep Boys wanted my left nut and 1st born if they did it so I bought my own as my Invo tires are rotatable left to right.
I got the Bartec Trackside from Wright Tool Co., Jim Strobridge, 1-800-783-9826 Ext 194.
Make sure you tell him you heard of it on the forum and they have been giving forum members a $140 plus shipping deal.

 

Sounds like a very good deal. I bought essentially the same product directly from Bartec about 2 years ago for $270.

 

Thanks for the tip. I figured my dealer would stick me for at least an hour's worth of labor so I wanted to buy my owm. I just installed new wheels and sensors and didn't want to contribute to my dealer's retirement fund.

 

Also check your local Discount Tire. The one near me had the special tool, and reprogrammed the new sensors for me at no extra cost when I swapped tires/wheels on my widebody.

Even if they would have charged me $20, it was a lot better than messing around at the dealer...

 

I dont know about adding tpms sensors, but if you move them to different positions all you have to do is drive it and they will all sync up. I had my tires replaced a few weeks ago and the place told me to just drive it. Sure enough, all 4 of them started registering correctly after a few miles. Again, I dont know about adding a new sensor, but just moving them doesn't need a reprogram.

Brian

 

..if anyone in Southern Ohio ever needs it done, just swing by and I'll do it....

 

Brian

No, wrong.....sorry!!!

Those guys don't know what they're talking about.

If they put the sensors back in the same postion they were originally on, then there will be no problem.

If they messed up the positions, the sensors WILL NOT automatically "sync up".

You'll get a readout, but the DIC will not indicate the correct position for the readout. For instance, if your sensor that was originally on the Right Front is now in the Left Rear, if your LR tire goes flat the DIC will tell you "Right Front 0 psi".

Each sensor has a unique serial#. When you do the relearn procedure you are logging those serial #'s into the TPMS memory. When doing a relearn procedure, you must follow the proper sequence because the first one registered is logged into memory as the LF, the second as the RF, the third as the RR, and the fourth as the LR. Once they are in the TPMS memory they stay there until you do another relearn procedure to register a new set of sensors (or new postions for the old ones).

Below is a video of a relearn procedure being done on a C6.

Bob





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If you have two sets of wheels and tires,can each set of sensors be easily reprogrammed each time you swap with the Bartec?

 

The programming sequence takes no more then 2 minutes total.

 

Well.....that's why I posted up that video so you could see how quick and easy it is to do. The video is 2 minutes and 5 seconds long and I'm yaking and taking my time. If you hurry you could do it in 1/2 that time.

The Bartec Trackside looks different than the tool in that video but it works in the exact same manner.

By federal law ALL vehicles less than 10,000 lbs must have a TPMS and tire sensors starting with the 2008 model year.

The Bartec Trackside is designed to ONLY work on the C6 (if you read their website they have a Viper and a Mustang version also). Although universal tools are usually about $325 and up on the online auction sites you can sometimes get them around $220 or so. If you're getting your own tool you might prefer to spend a little more and get something that will work on all vehicle sensors so you can reset the TPMS on your Tahoe, F-250, or your wife's CTS-V when you rotate the tires.

Bob

 

Thanks to all you guys for responding to my question with all the good information. I did find a post on the Forum from Oct 2006 from Bartec that offered the Bartec Trackside for $109.95, including shipping, to Forum members. I emailed them to see if this offer was still good and will let everyone know what they say.

 

I think that was just an introductory price for a short period of time.

There are no forum vendors that sell any of these tools.

The current $140 plus shipping is actually the lowest price you'll find on one of these tools anywhere. There are only about 3 tools of the real elementary level of the Trackside that only work on C6 sensors and other real early sensors that only require a simple continuous wave transmission to excite the sensor. I watch eBay and other online sites all the time and the simple Ford Rotunda/OTC tool almost exactly like the Trackside has been going for more than $200 lately. I used to be able to get them for $130 or so to pass on to forum members for about $140 to cover shipping.

Bartec has the Tech 300 which you can often find on eBay for low $300's. It's a great tool that will work with ALL sensors and can be upgraded with free downloads from the Bartec website.

There's a seller on eBay that has been putting up some Kent-Moore J-46915 tools. It's a great tool if you can get it for less than $200. If it bids up that high, pass on it. It's a really great tool for the C6 and I love the screen and a feature it has to test the TPMS itself, but whether it works on anything other than a few GM vehicles and the Isuzu Rodeo, I don't know. If you can't get it for $200 or so, you'd be better off getting a Trackside.

The OTC-3833 is a completely universal and upgradeable tool, but you'll spend $350 and up for it. It looks just like the Kent-Moore J-46915 and the official GM tool, the K-M J-46079, but it will work on ALL sensors.

The KTi p.s.t. and the TIPS tool (both exactly the same tool) are universal tools that can be upgraded in the future when new sensors come out with new triggering protocols, so they will work with ALL sensors. They are usually $325 and up, but can occassionally be had for $220 or so.

Bottom line......you won't find one cheaper than the Trackside available from Wright Tool, but it's a C6 only tool.

Sometimes you can find one of the universal tools available for $220 or so.

Bob

 

I went yesterday to the Goodyear tire shop near my house. I caught them early in the day, and they were not busy.

$20 bucks and 10 mins later, I was all set up.

Key in ACC mode, push lock and unlock on the remote at the same time, set the TPMS's (you'll get a honk from the horn each time one registers) and off you go.

 

I'm going to order this tool tomorrow morning for my track wheels/tires I'm getting. Sucks the '08 requires the tire sensors. I liked just getting to hit cancel on the DIC when I got the warning when I was running track wheels/tires on my '01 C5.

 

I'd defer to whatever BEZ06 says about TPMS tools....he's 'the man.'

Kent1999 is correct as well...most any Discount Tire will set the sensors without charge (I'd call ahead just to make sure). It won't take them 2 minutes to do it.

 

I picked up a t.i.p.s. tool as per recommended in here. Thank you thank you thank you.

Works great and saves me a trip to a shop.

 

The TIPS is a great tool. It's very easy to use, but if you want an info/instruction sheet I made up, PM me your email and I'll send it in a Word format as an attachment to an email message.

The video above is of using a different tool (they all work essentially the same) and you've probably seen my other videos of using a TIPS, but if not there's a link below.

Bob



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Thanks but not necessary, I bought the shop kit that comes with manuals, posters, 1 year of updates, and the useless holster. I'm going to school to be a mechanic so I'm sure this will be a handy shop tool for me in the future. Only negative I see is it's made in Romania! Sheez, do we make ANYTHING in this country anymore besides the corvette!