Tire inflator kit missing: Buy OEM or recommended aftermarket?

[rhfritz]

That’s not at all definitive. The lazy tech probably doesn’t want to go through the hassle of cleaning the tpms or the tire. And often lacks the finesse required to remove such sensor without damaging it. So they rough it up, break it, and charge you for a new one. I’d call and ask before showing up. You can deduct useful info from their attitude on the phone. The US standard of service nowadays leaves a lot to be desired.

I understand. But "the US standard of service" is driven by the notion of a "cost -effective" solution. It is certainly easier time-wise and risk-wise to charge you for a new TPMS. I've personally never seen how a TPMS is mounted, nor how to clean one. But your premise appears to indicate that that it must be removed to be cleaned. Therefore, the fixed cost is the labor involved in unmounting the tire, removing the TPMS, cleaning the gunk from the tire, and then the reverse. The cost of a new one is balanced against the labor cost of cleaning the old one + the risk of it being damaged due to lack of finesse and then having to replace again, afterwards. TPMS sensors are comparatively cheap and replacing eliminates most of the risk.

I've got good tires on my other car. But for some reason the TPMS on one of them has failed. I'm living with it until something else requires me to remount the tires.

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[GreaseMonkey]

I understand. But "the US standard of service" is driven by the notion of a "cost -effective" solution. It is certainly easier time-wise and risk-wise to charge you for a new TPMS. I've personally never seen how a TPMS is mounted, nor how to clean one. But your premise appears to indicate that that it must be removed to be cleaned. Therefore, the fixed cost is the labor involved in unmounting the tire, removing the TPMS, cleaning the gunk from the tire, and then the reverse. The cost of a new one is balanced against the labor cost of cleaning the old one + the risk of it being damaged due to lack of finesse and then having to replace again, afterwards. TPMS sensors are comparatively cheap and replacing eliminates most of the risk.

I've got good tires on my other car. But for some reason the TPMS on one of them has failed. I'm living with it until something else requires me to remount the tires.

According to the inflation kit manufacturer (ITW), the slime comes off by simply rinsing the tire and sensor with water. Further, ITW asserts that drivers should not wait too long before they fix the flat, which sounds reasonable that your immediate next stop should be a tire store, unless one is an idiot.

The TPMS is secured with one lowly nut that can be easily removed with a standard socket (ask me how I know!). Additionally, the original Ford TPMS has an MSRP of $83.62. Now you be the judge on whether a $20 repair needs to increase to $60-70, depending on what they decide to charge you for a shitty aftermarket TPMS simply because they are too complacent to take another 5 min to do the job right.

Oh, and hand waving on first principles of economics without actual real life knowledge has the tendency to bite people in the ass. Just FYI, and ask any economist what their real contributions to society are.

 

[teach42]

So would this be kosher to pair with an inflator?

 

[GreaseMonkey]

So would this be kosher to pair with an inflator?

I don’t think so. A few issues:
1. Says sedan, sports car. Ours is a very heavy 2.5 ton suv with large tires
2. How would you inflate the tire is you use this? If the tire is under-inflated this you of a canister wouldn’t add air pressure
3. Not enough material in my opinion vs what’s available from the OEM kit

It is made by the same brand, so quality of the slime is probably similar.

 

[teach42]

I don’t think so. A few issues:
1. Says sedan, sports car. Ours is a very heavy 2.5 ton suv with large tires
2. How would you inflate the tire is you use this? If the tire is under-inflated this you of a canister wouldn’t add air pressure
3. Not enough material in my opinion vs what’s available from the OEM kit

It is made by the same brand, so quality of the slime is probably similar.

I said I would pair that with an inflator But I'll look for one designed for SUV

 

[GreaseMonkey]

I said I would pair that with an inflator But I'll look for one designed for SUV

Take a look at this:
https://www.itwgtr-oem.com/single-piece-systems.html

they sell some on eBay for $50 altogether and equivalent to the one that came from the factory. The thing to watch for is age of the slime because it expires after 4 years.

 

[teach42]

That's why I'm avoiding the OEM kits. I don't necessarily trust the seller to have checked the age of the slime.

 

[phil]

I very much dislike the screw-on tip that comes with the OEM inflator.

What's your beef with this tip?

Seemed to me it screwed on tightly in about 5 seconds. What would be better?

 

[JohnFoxeSheets]

What's your beef with this tip?

Seemed to me it screwed on tightly in about 5 seconds. What would be better?

During (at least part of the five seconds) I'm unscrewing the tip, air is exiting the valve. There's no avoiding it (that I've found). I much prefer an inflator with a press-on chuck that latches closed. If designed well, there will be close to zero air loss.

 

[phil]

During (at least part of the five seconds) I'm unscrewing the tip, air is exiting the valve.

OK, thanks. I did notice that, but the air loss seemed to be minuscule.

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