TPMS5

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  • Matt
    Senior Member
    • Dec 2008
    • 328

    TPMS5

    I'm looking at purchasing a TPMS5. Anybody have any experience with this unit?
  • diesel71
    Senior Member
    • Feb 2008
    • 921

    #2
    Iv had mine for a few weeks now. no complaints has work on the few vehicles i needed it for.

    Comment

    • Matt
      Senior Member
      • Dec 2008
      • 328

      #3
      Thank you diesel71. I went ahead and sealed-the-deal on one yesterday. First impression is that the navigation is easy and the coverage is pretty broad.

      Comment

      • Corvette Rick
        Member
        • Jul 2020
        • 38

        #4
        I bought one yesterday. And it did not program 3/4 sensors on one car. I tried a different car and only worked on 2/4 sensors. I tried 15 different times different angles, no luck. My Autel that i currently used did them quickly so much so in the time it took to get 2 to trigger i had all 4 done with the Autel. For someone who opted not to get the TPMS4 because of no OBD2 hookup the TPMS5 looked gorgeous and fixed the problems with the 4. I was extremely disappointed to say the least. I returned it in less then 24 hours for my money back. I don't know if it was defective antenna or what. I haven't been impressed with Snap On's TPMS line up at all, compared to Autel there getting there *** kicked in my opinion. 1655 dollars for it to not work, that's pretty embarrassing. You pay 2-3 times what everyone else is charging you'd expect it to work.

        Comment

        • Matt
          Senior Member
          • Dec 2008
          • 328

          #5
          Ok, so I have been having the same experience as you Corvette Rick. My TPMS 5 has not successfully done anything. It's currently getting sent back for warranty work. Maybe it's just some bugs that need to be worked out, I don't know. My Autel will have to do the trick in the mean time, which it performs without fault.

          Comment

          • sbreland73
            Senior Member
            • Jan 2009
            • 1076

            #6
            Did you guys update the firmware/software of the TPMS5? My understanding is it needs an "update" out of the box, heard this from the local distributor.
            S. Breland

            Comment

            • Corvette Rick
              Member
              • Jul 2020
              • 38

              #7
              I updated mine before i even used it and it could not trigger 75% of the sensors I tried. I would wait until it said TPMS active before doing anything. Read the manuals, different angles close, far away etc. I tried every conceivable angle, restarting the unit and so on. Nothing i did changed or improved the unit. It would still only scan the same sensors it did before and not scan the same ones. Really disappointing for the price not to mention not being able to finish your work load. Its a good thing i didn't sell my old unit before testing this one or i would have been in trouble.

              Comment

              • Matt
                Senior Member
                • Dec 2008
                • 328

                #8
                My rep up-dated mine to the current software as well. Still does not want to communicate via dlc.

                Comment

                • Corvette Rick
                  Member
                  • Jul 2020
                  • 38

                  #9
                  That's unfortunate. I wont even buy another one at this point it was a huge pain from start to finish. Ill hold onto my Autel even though there free updates are about a year behind there current tool updates, its still fine. Its at a point where if I did venture to purchase the snap on TPMS I would have to try it out on my own car before I could accept and pay for the tool, which seems crazy. Id be interested to hear if they ever do fix your tool or what there reasoning is. I was the first person in my city to buy it, so there's zero feedback or help.

                  Comment

                  • Matt
                    Senior Member
                    • Dec 2008
                    • 328

                    #10
                    My SO rep always takes care of me so I'm not worried about being left high and dry. I just want to know it I'm experiencing an isolated issue or if others have had similar problems and what solutions they utilized.

                    Comment

                    • Corvette Rick
                      Member
                      • Jul 2020
                      • 38

                      #11
                      If you do get some feedback or have it repaired I would be interested to know what they fixed.

                      Comment

                      • Joe Rappa
                        Snap-on DSD
                        • Aug 2007
                        • 2050

                        #12
                        I've been watching this thread and been pretty surprised that people were having trouble with it, until today. I've been using the TPMS5 since it was first being tested. I have had zero troubles until today. I was working on a Mercedes Metris and could not get the LF sensor to trigger with the TPMS5. the other wheels triggered just fine. The TPMS4 worked fine on the LF every time. I called Tech Support and was told the true location of the antenna is not on the front corner of the tool where the bump is. It is located on the back portion of the tool on the same corner. As silly as it is, I pointed that corner of the tool thru the sidewall and it triggered like it should.
                        For you folks having trouble with it, can you please give that a try? Post what happens when you do. Also, PLEASE call tech support to report this.

                        So you now, signal strength is a balancing act with TPMS. If it's too low(like maybe is happening here) then the sensor doesn't trigger. If it's too high you risk triggering an incorrect wheel. It's a software adjustment, so this is something that could be corrected with an update.

                        Joe
                        "You don't build a reputation on what you're going to do"
                        Henry Ford

                        Comment

                        • Corvette Rick
                          Member
                          • Jul 2020
                          • 38

                          #13
                          Joe,

                          I tried that as well before returning the tool, amongst many other angles but it wouldn't work. My Autel works, even farther away then touching the tire from many angles, that's how a tool should be. As a tech I shouldn't have to fiddle around with the tool to get it trigger the sensors. I also didn't like the fact it was in the corner, instead of straight on, its an awkward hold and cant read the screen as easily when its at an angle. I just don't understand the design decision behind that. I was the first person in my area to have it so there was no feedback to be had from other users, and the truck didn't have anymore he had to special order mine. I paid for the tool in full so I didn't feel like waiting for warranty work for a 1700 dollar tool so i got my money back and went back to using the Autel. I don't have any plans to rebuy a snap on TPMS unit after this experience.

                          Comment

                          • Matt
                            Senior Member
                            • Dec 2008
                            • 328

                            #14
                            Corvette Rick, I can understand your frustration. I'll let you know what the issue is when SO contacts me. I can get by in the meantime but I have no plans of abandoning TPMS5, I just want it to work.

                            Comment

                            • Joe Rappa
                              Snap-on DSD
                              • Aug 2007
                              • 2050

                              #15
                              Originally posted by Corvette Rick
                              Joe,

                              I tried that as well before returning the tool, amongst many other angles but it wouldn't work. My Autel works, even farther away then touching the tire from many angles, that's how a tool should be.
                              Thanks for responding, Rick. This is good info.
                              If a tool can trigger a sensor from a distance, then it probably errs on the side of high signal strength. As I understand it, there's 2 disadvantages to doing that, which is why the rest of the industry doesn't follow them. You have the possibility of triggering more than one sensor and it's possible for the tool to drown out the response from the sensor. So you can trigger the sensor but the car can't hear the response over the tool. It's desirable to have the lowest signal strength required to trigger the sensor.

                              Thanks to everyone contributing to this thread. I know that is being looked at.

                              Joe
                              "You don't build a reputation on what you're going to do"
                              Henry Ford

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