VW tire replacement affects tire sensor?

Question

Hi,

I've just had VW dealership replace 4 tires on a 2004 Touareg. They forwarned me that because of VW design, they might have to replace sensors after changing tires because they sometimes break while taking tires off rims. They also noticed valve stems were uncapped and corroded, which they surmise probably led to further corrosion in all 4 tire sensors. They then claimed they had to drill out all 4 tire sensors to replace wheels AND needed to replace those too (at $225 each plus labor). After test drive, they still can't get the system to stop reporting tire problems (even after 10 miles).

Does changing a tire really that adversely affect a tire sensor even when done by the "Pros"?

Is it suspicious to not have valve stem caps?

Is it odd for both the stems and tire sensors to be so corroded that both have to be replaced?

Answer 1

It should have had valve stem caps, that is part of the final detailing when you get the car, whether new or used. (unless they were taken off to check air pressure and never put back on) What kind of corrosion did they say? if the parts are failing after the car has been on the road for 4-5 years, it sounds like sub par materials were used. Did they show you and of the parts that were taken off? It seems odd that they would take the time to drill out the sensors only to have to replace the wheels also. Are you paying for all of these repairs?  

Answer 2

Toureg's are pain in the asses.  The wheel sensors are made so poorly that if you sneeze on them they break,  It doesn't matter who is replacing your tires, the sensors break,

Valve stem caps would have no effect on the sensor as the caps are outside the tire, and the sensors are inside the tires.  This is how the dealer convinced you to buy the parts.  To blame it on you.

The stems and sensors are two seperate units that s***w into each other.  I could imagine that they would fuse together if they got corroded enough.  But you better be on the East Coast for me to believe that.

So these Touregs are SO PICKY with their tire pressures that the tire pressure has to be set with a DIGITAL tire guage.  Not to whatever you want, but to what is programmed into the tire pressure monitoring system in your instrument cluster.  So first you have to see what the cluster says the pressure should be then set them with a Digital Gauge to those numbers.

I had one last week that got a flat tire.  So we took it to get the tire replaced.  After that, the system wouldn't set after a 40 mile test drive.  I used a Factory Scanner and saw that it wasn't reading the left rear sensor, which was the tire I just got replaced.  So I took it back to the tire store with a new sensor and had them replace the sensor and went on a test drive.  When I came back, now it didn't see either sensor on the left side,  SO I switched the wheels from one side of the car to the other and took it on a test drive.  Still nothing on the left side.  It turned out that the Control Module freaked out when a tire got put on the car with a broken sensor and it decided to stop working too.

Moral of the Story.....YES it could happen

And I wouldn't surprise me if your Toureg needs a control Module now!