Fixing TPMS Inactive/All tires low error in 2009 135i

fs454 · 10-10-2016, 01:16 PM

Hey all,

I've been living with this for a while and my local BMW mechanic has said "Welcome to the club/it's not worth fixing" - my TPMS system either shows all tires low or beeps and blinks the light while saying "INACTIVE" on the middle dash screen. I'm fine with not having the system active, but I am sick of my car looking like a christmas tree every time I drive it.The first 15 minutes of every drive is full of chimes and lights while the system decides if all four tires are low or the thing's just broken.

Is this common, and is there a way to solve the issue or does it really cost more than it's worth? Is there a way to code out the system entirely?

Thanks!

tracer bullet · 10-13-2016, 02:00 PM

I don't recall seeing it as an option under the Carly phone app, unfortunately. If that helps.

fs454 · 10-17-2016, 02:35 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by tracer bullet

I don't recall seeing it as an option under the Carly phone app, unfortunately. If that helps.

that's what I was afraid of - I remember people a couple years back having to pressurize PVC pipes with the sensor in them and place them near the wheel wells to use wheels that didn't support the TPMS module, haha.

Any way to diagnose what's actually going wrong here (whole system claiming inactive with blinking TPMS light and center warning and/or all 4 tires low, it's random what you'll get on each startup) and see what could be purchased to get it to cooperate? As far as I know, all of my TPMS sensors should be good - it's just the central module of sorts that seems to be bad.

tracer bullet · 10-17-2016, 04:27 PM

I don't know much about how the system works. I know of course we have a transponder in each wheel but I'm not sure how the car picks up those signals. If it's one receiver, it could certainly be at fault. If there's one for front and one for back, or one at each corner, then it starts to seem like they couldn't all go at once either.

If you haven't already I'd fill all 4 tires up to where you want them and then go through the reset procedure. Just to make sure it isn't weather or similar that has them all dropping to the edge of giving a warning. I know for me here in MN I can have several or all go off in a single morning that is cold, but be OK the next day if it's a little warmer. The whole PV=nRT thing where the pressure drops during cold ambient temps.

You might also look into how (if) you can just turn it off. I want to say the car has this option somehow. It's not a coding thing, maybe a simple menu thing or series of button pushes??? I think you still see some wort of warning that the system is off, but it's not intrusive. Not like what it does when it's trying to alert you to what it thinks is a tire problem.

reisf · 10-23-2016, 09:13 AM

You say your dash looks like a christmas tree. Do you have any other lights? ABS, DSC etc? All these things are related to the steering angles sensor (including the TPMS) and that might just need to be re-calibrated

quick99si · 11-27-2016, 02:40 AM

TPMS cannot just be turned off. Correct procedure involves disconnecting the TPMS module, modifying the VO, and coding 2-4 modules.

I prefer the old method that compares averages of diagonally opposed wheel speeds (checks are performed by the DSC module).

10-10-2016, 01:16 PM	#1
fs454 Private First Class 16 Rep 144 Posts Drives: 2009 BMW 135i M-Sport 6MT Join Date: Jun 2012 Location: Los Angeles, CA iTrader: (0)	Fixing TPMS Inactive/All tires low error in 2009 135i Hey all, I've been living with this for a while and my local BMW mechanic has said "Welcome to the club/it's not worth fixing" - my TPMS system either shows all tires low or beeps and blinks the light while saying "INACTIVE" on the middle dash screen. I'm fine with not having the system active, but I am sick of my car looking like a christmas tree every time I drive it.The first 15 minutes of every drive is full of chimes and lights while the system decides if all four tires are low or the thing's just broken. Is this common, and is there a way to solve the issue or does it really cost more than it's worth? Is there a way to code out the system entirely? Thanks! __________________ 2009 BMW 135i - Alpine White/Coral Red - M-Sport+Premium + 6-Speed Manual
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10-13-2016, 02:00 PM	#2
tracer bullet Brigadier General 2383 Rep 3,527 Posts Drives: '11 135i , '15 X3 35i Join Date: May 2011 Location: Saint Paul, MN iTrader: (1)	I don't recall seeing it as an option under the Carly phone app, unfortunately. If that helps.
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10-17-2016, 04:27 PM	#4
tracer bullet Brigadier General 2383 Rep 3,527 Posts Drives: '11 135i , '15 X3 35i Join Date: May 2011 Location: Saint Paul, MN iTrader: (1)	I don't know much about how the system works. I know of course we have a transponder in each wheel but I'm not sure how the car picks up those signals. If it's one receiver, it could certainly be at fault. If there's one for front and one for back, or one at each corner, then it starts to seem like they couldn't all go at once either. If you haven't already I'd fill all 4 tires up to where you want them and then go through the reset procedure. Just to make sure it isn't weather or similar that has them all dropping to the edge of giving a warning. I know for me here in MN I can have several or all go off in a single morning that is cold, but be OK the next day if it's a little warmer. The whole PV=nRT thing where the pressure drops during cold ambient temps. You might also look into how (if) you can just turn it off. I want to say the car has this option somehow. It's not a coding thing, maybe a simple menu thing or series of button pushes??? I think you still see some wort of warning that the system is off, but it's not intrusive. Not like what it does when it's trying to alert you to what it thinks is a tire problem.
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10-23-2016, 09:13 AM	#5
reisf Lieutenant 128 Rep 525 Posts Drives: LBB M2 Join Date: Sep 2014 Location: Sydney, Australia iTrader: (0)	You say your dash looks like a christmas tree. Do you have any other lights? ABS, DSC etc? All these things are related to the steering angles sensor (including the TPMS) and that might just need to be re-calibrated
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11-27-2016, 02:40 AM	#6
quick99si Second Lieutenant 31 Rep 278 Posts Drives: E82 Join Date: Jul 2013 Location: USA iTrader: (7)	TPMS cannot just be turned off. Correct procedure involves disconnecting the TPMS module, modifying the VO, and coding 2-4 modules. I prefer the old method that compares averages of diagonally opposed wheel speeds (checks are performed by the DSC module).
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