[ZTMAN]

Depends on who manufactured the aftermarket TPMS. Dodge does not make their own TPMS . They get them from a third party who stamps their name on the part. If it was a quality aftermarket part that worked, I would not care.

I would also not want to pay three times the price just because it had OEM stamped on the part

 

[lenaitch]

It strikes me it would be natural to expect parts from a dealership would be sourced through their parts network. Heck, it's a major revenue stream. The parts/service dude orders from the database using their part numbers; the items received may or may not exactly match the outgoing part- suppliers change.

If the dealership is dabbling in third party parts, they should be upfront about that; although there may be some tiny print on the workorder that you signed that says so.

 

[KantWinThemAll]

dealerships get part wherever they can, and they want to save a buck. So how much does it matter to you? I would ask them to warranty the part for 2 years if they cant give you OEM. And yes for the future you have to be very clear and exact about what you expect. I would tell them not to use the windshield wiper fluid that they water down too.

 

[SpentPenny]

the dealer has no obligation to use OEM parts unless you specifically tell them to - just like any other repair shop. Get it fixed then let it go. Life is too short.

 

[660catman]

No matter what part a dealer put it, they should warranty it. I take it Dodge doesn’t indicate which wheel is the issue? I know my GM trucks let you know which wheel sensor has an issue. I’ve have replaced two sets of TPM sensors in two GM trucks without problems. Both sets were ordered off Amazon.


Retired guy from Southern Manitoba, Canada.

 

[huesmann]

Most small auto parts aren't actually manufactured by the make (Ford, BMW, etc.). They're sourced from suppliers (e.g. Timken, Fel-Pro), just like the parts on the shelves at your FLAPS.

 

[raylo32]

Aftermarket TPMS sensors should be fine. As noted the OEM parts may have even been sourced from the same mfg as the ones you got. But they need to figure out why the TPMS light came back on.

 

[Old Thomas]

Local dealerships around here use some OEM parts and some aftermarket parts. Dealerships have a reputation of charging too much so they fight that by lowering prices with outsourced parts. After all, the manufacturer outsourced a lot of parts. Dealerships are privately owned. Many offer parts and services not recommended or sourced from the manufacturer. You asked for new stems and you got new stems.

 

[J. V.]

I think you guys overlooked the main point.
The stems that were on my truck were metal. It looked like aluminum or SS. They were not rubber. They are not a direct cross to what I had since it was brand new. I would have had no issue or even noticed a third party METAL stem. It is the appearance not the functionality. They did not put back what I had originally. And its noticeable. My wifes car has metal stems and so did I until they replaced them.
I could have saved money buying rubber or metal stems and having them installed at a tire store. I took the truck to Dodge so I would not have to worry about metal vs rubber and what works on my truck. I expected them to use metal like comes on my truck as a standard part.
Some may remember I started a thread about this here a few months ago. Since I was getting all kinds of advice I decided to let Dodge do it.

No my truck does not tell me which wheel it is. Only that there is low pressure in one or more of them.

 

[SW Dweller]

Start at the service manager with a TV reporter sitting next to you. RECORD the conversation. Explain you were not given a choice and are appalled at their decision not to provide OEM parts or at least the choice to decide. Make sure you get a new service writer from that moment on. I would work the "prove to me the other 3 were bad angle, Or are you just inflating your work to piss off your customers. They aint cheap to replace.

I have an "11 Ford F150 and have lost one sensor. I REFUSED the concept of replacing all of them. The place tried to put the rubber one in and I had the manager out of his office in micro seconds. I had asked politely to have a metal one put in. 3 metals and one rubber, give me a break. Manger handled it and now 2 years later I have another one bad and I will deal with it soon when I need new tires. I have been there many times and most of the workers know I WATCH what they do.

Thank you American government for protecting me from loss of air pressure in a tire. I was so worried.

 

[J. V.]

Start at the service manager with a TV reporter sitting next to you. RECORD the conversation. Explain you were not given a choice and are appalled at their decision not to provide OEM parts or at least the choice to decide. Make sure you get a new service writer from that moment on. I would work the "prove to me the other 3 were bad angle, Or are you just inflating your work to piss off your customers. They aint cheap to replace.

I have an "11 Ford F150 and have lost one sensor. I REFUSED the concept of replacing all of them. The place tried to put the rubber one in and I had the manager out of his office in micro seconds. I had asked politely to have a metal one put in. 3 metals and one rubber, give me a break. Manger handled it and now 2 years later I have another one bad and I will deal with it soon when I need new tires. I have been there many times and most of the workers know I WATCH what they do.

Thank you American government for protecting me from loss of air pressure in a tire. I was so worried.

I did tell him to replace all 4 sensors. Since the truck is 13 years old I assumed it was just good practice. Batteries do wear out.
I just emailed him the service writer about the appointment for the computer issue regarding the TPMS light that has come back on. He plugged something into the port under the steering wheel and he said something was wrong. Took it back to the work area and returned with they needed more time to work it out.
So I told him to get the stems worked out so we can address both issues at the appointment.
He did say when I was there that I could buy the OEM sensor stems, which I balked at. I told him I expected metal and I expected them to put back metal. So we shall see. I'm not going to let this go. I believe I'm in the right on this. I am going to get Dodge contacts and send out a few emails depending on how he responds to my issue. Thanks.

 

[raylo32]

As much as a PITA as these can seem to be sometimes TPMS is a really good idea. You always have the option to just let the sensors die and ignore it, if you are so inclined.

Thank you American government for protecting me from loss of air pressure in a tire. I was so worried.

 

[raylo32]

Mine doesn't either. That's because the regulation wasn't strict enough to make mfgs have all vehicles display the individual tire pressures. So, some mfgs went that extra but non-mandated step and some didn't. One workaround is to get a ScanGage 2 OBD gage and code reader. You plug it in and run it full time and it can display a lot of parameters that you gages don't...and read trouble codes, of course.

These ScanGages can display the individual tire pressures. For Toyotas with the basic system the computer provides TP1, TP2, TP3, and TP4 (tire pressure 1, etc.). With a ScanGage I just release air to see which TP applies to the tire I am working with, then rename the field to PLF (pressure, left front), PRF, PLR, PRR. When I rotate tires I just rename the fields in the ScanGage for the new position, takes 2 minutes.

No my truck does not tell me which wheel it is. Only that there is low pressure in one or more of them.

 

[raylo32]

And I am in sort of the same boat as the OP. I got my last set of tires from Tire Rack and needed to get them installed quickly. The only place I could find that day was not a Tire Rack affiliated installer, and they claimed their equipment would not activate the new Denso/Toyota TPMS sensors I brought with me. I suspect that was just a scam. He showed me trying to read a sensor in the box and it didn't work. Turns out that you need to have the sensor installed and cycle the pressure to "wake them up". THEN they can be activated and relearned.

I Didn't have time to go driving around looking for a tire shop that could so I got their house brand sensors. Of course they are rubber stem. They work fine but one of these days I'm going to break the beads (easy enough to do at home with some basic tools and tricks) and swap in my Denso sensors with the metal stems. I believe I will also be able to activate and program them with my bi-directional scan tool. We'll see. Anyway, another fun project and I always wanted to be able to handle these things.... if only to NOT get ripped off like I was.

 

[raylo32]

One last post for now... since this is a DIY forum for anyone thinking about DIYing these. As I have been getting into being able to work on my own TPMS I found the terminology and tool marketing language a bit confusing. My current understanding is that "relearn" means to pair new specific OEM spec sensors to your vehicle's computer. Whilst "program" means to program a blank universal TPMS sensor to be compatible with the mfg and model before it can then be relearned. You can readily buy TPMS tools these days that claim to be able to relearn most OEM spec sensors. But these same tools will generally only program their own brand universal sensors. IOW if you want to go with cheaper universal sensors, they lock you into buying theirs. Lots of little twists and turns but it really isn't, as they say, rocket science.

I'll try to post a thread with some pics when I get into it.

 

[MechaniMan]

I worked in a tire shop for 6 years and I'm going to tell you from experience you're better off with rubber stems than you are with them s***** aluminum ones

 

[MechaniMan]

And I am in sort of the same boat as the OP. I got my last set of tires from Tire Rack and needed to get them installed quickly. The only place I could find that day was not a Tire Rack affiliated installer, and they claimed their equipment would not activate the new Denso/Toyota TPMS sensors I brought with me. I suspect that was just a scam. He showed me trying to read a sensor in the box and it didn't work. Turns out that you need to have the sensor installed and cycle the pressure to "wake them up". THEN they can be activated and relearned.

I Didn't have time to go driving around looking for a tire shop that could so I got their house brand sensors. Of course they are rubber stem. They work fine but one of these days I'm going to break the beads (easy enough to do at home with some basic tools and tricks) and swap in my Denso sensors with the metal stems. I believe I will also be able to activate and program them with my bi-directional scan tool. We'll see. Anyway, another fun project and I always wanted to be able to handle these things.... if only to NOT get ripped off like I was.

If that is a Toyota you're trying to put them in you will not be able to program them with your bi-directional scan tool. I can think of countless time working in the tire industry that we were unable to program sensors to Toyota cars and trucks. Unless you have a very expensive sophisticated computer with Toyota software there is a very good chance you will not be able to program them. Our shop had to purchase expensive Autel dealer level diagnostic scanner to work on Toyotas.

 

[raylo32]

The Denso OEM replacement sensors are not blank universal type so they are already programmed for the model. The specific IDs just need to be learned into the computer. The tool is supposed to be able to do that. We'll see.... if I ever get around to this. There is certainly no urgent need.

If that is a Toyota you're trying to put them in you will not be able to program them with your bi-directional scan tool. I can think of countless time working in the tire industry that we were unable to program sensors to Toyota cars and trucks. Unless you have a very expensive sophisticated computer with Toyota software there is a very good chance you will not be able to program them.

 

[MechaniMan]

The Denso OEM replacement sensors are not blank universal type so they are already programmed for the model. The specific IDs just need to be learned into the computer. The tool is supposed to be able to do that. We'll see.... if I ever get around to this. There is certainly no urgent need.

Some bidirectional scanners will do it, if you happen to have the right one then yes you would be able to. Best of luck