Please keep in mind, since you have an '05 tC, that you DO NOT HAVE TIRE PRESSURE MONITORS, you have a system that monitors rotational speed of the tires, and if one tire is persistently out of step with the others, the light lights for you to manually check your tires.

If your vehicle is just sitting, you could drop you tire pressures to zero and your system wouldn't care. It is ONLY if one tire travels a considerably larger or smaller distance than the others that it will notice. (And that applies ONLY if the system has been properly reset with correctly inflated tires.)

Since tires normally rotate at quite different speeds due to turns, etc., this system only works over fairly long distances (so it can average out the turn differences) or somewhat shorter distances if the rotation rate is strikingly different.

(Unless you have contacted Scion, they are totally unaware you are having a problem. The dealer is NOT Scion. Also, unless you have brought the problem to the attention of at least the service manager, if not the general manager of the dealership, you are only dealing with the very bottom of the maintenance food chain.)

Good luck on finding and fixing your possible warning light problem. It does sound like you have a serious slow leak.

Tom

 

glad you can do research, but yeah, 05's have a low tire pressure warning system.

Scion is well aware of this issue. There is a TSB for Tire pressure monitoring system initialization.

I'm not just basing my analysis on the TPS light, I AM MANUALLY CHECKING THE TIRE PRESSURE OF THAT WHEEL (AND HAVE BEEN FOR MONTHS)...ITS CONSTANTLY LEAKING DOWN TO LOW 20S.

 

If you think that Scions have too many recalls, then perhaps a Ford or Chevy will better suit your needs. Because we all know how much quality they are built with.

 

I have a friend downstairs that had a simular problem that I solved with a spray bottle of soapy water. Spray some on the bead of the rim and look for bubbles then do the tread area also if you don't find a leak in the inside and outside beads. Do the valve tip and stem also. If it is a right side tire then check for curb damage if a rear tire check the tread for a nail as the rears usually pickup nails after the front tire runs over them and sets them up for a rear puncture. You may have a damaged bead seal on the rim or the tire or both.

 

so, just because tc's are better than Ford or GM, that means you can't compain about their defects/flaws?

whatever happened to customer satisfaction? I don't have to settle for a flawed car just because its better than other alternatives. When you spend $17,000 on ANYTHING, you should not have to settle.

 

You're allowed to complain all you want.

I am sorry that you're upset.

 

It's a common problem my friend had her car back to the dealer several times and thought it was a defective mag wheel until I showed her all the leaks on the outside bead. She took it back again and they fixed it right this time. The problem is they "think" they know more about cars than the owners. Also the problem may only occur when driving the car during hard cornering which makes it hard to find.

 

yea... nothing much in that TSB... it's nothing... have you even read it or seen it?

all it basically says is yeah.. when delivered to the dealership the tires are overinflated..
adjust the pressures.. and reset the system..

and then proceeds to tell you the procedure to do so... ignition to on.. make sure light blinks twice.. and hold reset button until it blinks 3 times in 6 seconds..

oh.. and after it's initialized... it takes about 30-60 minutes of driving until it's complete.

THAT'S ALL that's in the TSB.. NO issue with the system noted in that TSB.

 

Before you start trying to put people trying to help you down by saying things like "Scion is well aware of this issue. There is a TSB for Tire pressure monitoring system initialization," READ the TSB.

That TSB ONLY applies to the '07 tC, not to the tC you claim to have, and was put out because of the change in the system required new pre-delivery activities. Keep in mind that even the pre-delivery checklist for dealers is a TSB. A TSB is not just for correcting problems, but for providing information.

Read all about it right here:

https://www.scionlife.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=132535

I repeat, the '05s do NOT have any tire pressure monitoring system - the system simply uses wheel rotational speed as picked up by the ABS system to determine if a tire is covering appreciably more distance than the others while driving. The assumption is that a tire different enough in pressure will travel a different distance over time.

The system in the '05s does NOT in any way actually monitor pressures in the tires.

That is why the '07s have a new system, required by federal law, that actually monitors pressure in each tire.

(And no, this is not fresh research done to answer your problem, but simply common knowledge for those who have been paying attention.)

I did not suggest you were "just basing [your] analysis on the TPS light," but asking if you had driven sufficient distance with a low pressure in the one tire for the system to integrate that into an alarm, or if you were just expecting it to "know" the tire was low without driving that distance?

You're on your own, good luck.
Tom

 

LOL just get a new tire. Problem solved.

 

listen to tom on this one. he is 100% correct in pretty much everything he said in his posts on this thread. I can officially back up what he says as i am sitting right here at my desk wearing my scion hat at my scion dealership where i work.

and just buy a new tire. i mean, if u have a leak that u are certain exists and no one can find it, just buy a new tire and fix all of our problems

 

^Glad someone agrees with me. New tire=problem solved.


WOW we have some *geniuses* on here....

 

hmmm..this makes sense, i'll be sure to look into that. thanks.


yeah, theres no way toyota scion techs know any more about the tc than owners who've been dealing with the car and its issues for 2 years. its not a camry, which is what i think they thought they were getting into.

i mean, think about it, the car is made in japan, then sent over to USA for distribution. The guys who REALLY know tcs are in japan. we're dealing with toyota techs...used to working on camry's corolla's and sienna's.

 

Let me get this straight for you.

TC's have a light that is "supposed to" come on if one of your tires is low.

I fill up ALL 4 tires to spec EVERY time i get gas

while driving over the next hundred miles or so, the light USED TO come on, i would check that ONE tire, and it would be in the low 20s. I fill it up, and reset monitoring system.

NOW, i fill up all 4 tires, drive 100 miles, NO LIGHT COMES ON. NExt time i fill up gas, i check the tires, THE SAME TIRE IS IN THE LOW 20s...eventhough no light came on.

GET IT NOW? I don't need any more of your long winded diatribes that has absolutely no relevant or useful info. Chances are, i've had my tc longer than you and know more about it, anyway.

In response to the "just buy another tire" comment...WHY NOT just buy another CAR then??!!!!! If i had money to throw around like that, i would. (probably not actually)

The tire in question is basically new. Bought it not too long ago to replace a tire that got sidewall damage. Its been leaking basically ever since i got it. ITS BS that i would have to buy ANOTHER tire, when the last one was defective. Whose to say the new one wouldn't do the same thing.

No one has even confirmed that there is anything WRONG with the tire, besides the fact that I KNOW it leaks down consistently. The DEALERSHIP is pretending like theres nothing wrong with it....

I'm not trying to determine HOW TO RESOLVE THE TIRE ISSUE!!!!!!! I'm trying to figure out if the dealership disabled the TP monitoring system, so that i wouldn't complain about the light coming on (when it SHOULD BE). jesus.

 

Those "long winded" replies are an attempt to clarify for you (and others) how the warning light in your vehicle is triggered, and to reinforce that pre-2007 tCs do not monitor tire pressure directly, but only watch rotation of the wheels on a long-term basis.

Your warning system compares the wheel rotation inputs from the ABS sensors with what it has "learned" is correct after being reset.

If the dealer reset your system with the tire pressures not set properly, it could easily have "learned" that what it was seeing was what it should see.

If you have put your tire pressure to spec since being to the dealer, did you also RESET YOUR WARNING SYSTEM CORRECTLY SO IT WOULD LEARN WHAT IT SHOULD SEE WITH CORRECT TIRE PRESSURES? If not, reset the system per your manual. That could be your entire "warning light problem."

(Just a side note: It is bad form to attack another member on ScionLife, but especially bad form to attack a mod. You might want to click the "RULES" button at the top of a page to refresh yourself about the rules you agreed to follow.)

The more you attack folks trying to help, the fewer people will be willing to try.

He's all yours, guys, he obviously doesn't want any help from me.

Tom

 

You shoulda quit one post ago, Tomas.
He's being a jerk.

I'm SURE he knows more than you...talk about hubris...

This thread should be locked - let him deal elsewhere.

 

Now Now what did Tomas just say about attacks - the guy is frustrated with the service he is not getting - its a freeking tire - it's not rocket science - ya put air into it and it should stay there. tC tires are not cheep!! Although from what I hear money is no object for a lot of "you guys" some of us have other things to spend our hard earned money on.

Good point Tomas that the calibration can get screwed up when reset with improper tire pressure and if this is a "newer" tire the diameter may be off a little relative to the other tires also.

1SXECT - Take the tire off - bring it inside and with it laying on its side wet the bead area with some dishwashing soapy water and watch for bubbles - if you loose 10psi in a few days you WILL see a mass of soap bubbles in a minute of wetting it. Increase the tire pressure a little say 35 psi and that may make it leak faster too.

 

where did i attack you??? hmmmmm????

i love how just because someone asks a question, you assume they're a noob and that you know more about the tc than them.

I've already done the soapy water method. I've known how to reset the TP monitoring (i dont' care WHAT you call it, we all know what its function is-to alert you of a potential low tire pressure. period) since i bought the car in september 04.

just because i'm not 60 and a "super mod" ( ) don't assume i'm a noob.

and i'm SURE there is a way to disable the TPS. just because no one on the forums knows about it, doesn't mean the dealerships don't.

whatever. the main reason i posted this was too see if anyone else had any similar problems with their Potenza re92's and tire pressure system.

don't need a noob's guide to troubleshooting a leaking tire.

thanks though.

 

My VW rabbit 1980 - two cars back used to leak when I cornered hard but was fine when I took it easy. It could still be a bead seating issue - you might try with the tire off let all the air out of it and work the bead a little by prying back the tire from the rim - maybe by standing on the edge and see if there is anything unusual like corrosion or deep scratches on the sealing surface of the mag. Also check for a nice even seat of the tire side wall to the rim just in case it did not seat fully on the mag. Get some tire seating lube - apply it and then pump the pressure up to about 45 to 50psi and see if the bead seats a little more anywhere - just don't be sitting on the tire when you do. Tire should be rated for at least 44psi cold and they usually pump them up more to seat the bead. Lastly check for that little nail in the tread - I got my first nail 4 months after I bought my xB in the leaft rear and was down to 20psi from 37psi in a few days.

 

And you're taking it to the dealer for what? You need to take it to the tire shop you bought it at. They should fix the problem. This is why I only buy my tires at America's Tire Co. You can purchase certificates ($10/$15 per tire) there when you buy new tires and they will fix or replace the tire(s) in question practically for free. When one of my tires went flat (due to a nail in the sidewall) the only thing I had to pay for was waste disposal. So my $147 replacement only cost me $30. (Damn strict Cali laws.) But if you did buy your tire at the dealership or any different place other than a tire shop, then disregard this post.

So is they really a question? I didn't graduate college but it sounds more like an attack than a question. Tomas may not have a tC, but he does possess a wealth of knowledge of just about anything and everything. Sometimes its hard to convey what people are saying in a forum environment. We know you're very frustrated with your situation and it sounds like you mis-interpreted what Tomas was trying to tell you. Honest mistake, happens a lot.

Good luck on your outcome. Whatever it may be.