LAS VEGAS (Nov. 3, 2005) — Siemens VDO launched a line of aftermarket tire pressure monitoring system (TPMS) components at the Specialty Equipment Market Association's trade show in Las Vegas.
Howard A. Laster, Siemens' director of marketing and business development, said the company's new TPMS parts include hardware that should be used anytime a tire is dismounted or replaced, as well as a “self-learning sensor” that eliminates the many different recalibration routines required on specific makes and models of cars.
The TPMS components include the sensor assembly and five service parts: a valve core, valve nut, valve cap, seal and seal washer. The sensor need only be replaced if it fails or is damaged, the company said. However, manufacturers recommend that all new service parts be replaced each time the tire is serviced.
Unlike other vehicle parts that may take six to eight years before needing replacement, the new Siemens units represent a “new sales opportunity” for tire dealers, Siemens said, in that tires on TPMS-equipped vehicles can require repair or replacement from the day it is driven off the lot.
The government mandated that all new light vehicles sold in the U.S. have a TPMS unit as standard equipment by Sept. 1, 2007.
Mr. Laster noted that the Allentown, Pa.-based electronics company sought input from the Tire Industry Association on how its replacement TPMS parts could help make a tire technician's job easier.