Bought a wheel and tire package online and had them include the TPMS sensors. Just curious what my options are to program them to my LX. A search gave me a lot of conflicting info so just trying to clarify. Trying to avoid going to the dealer if possible.
Thanks
There are a few variables that probably make tracking down the methods difficult.
Assuming you didn't get programmable sensors and the company you bought them from didn't provide the sensor IDs:
You need 2 things:
1. The IDs from the TPMS sensors.
Ways to get:
a. Get them from the people who sold you the sensors (they are printed on the case of the sensor usually)
b. Use a wireless TPMS sensor scanner to retrieve the codes from the sensors without breaking the bead and inspecting the sensors. Either order from Amazon or take it to a tire shop.
c. Break the bead on the tires and get the codes off the sensors.
2. A device to program the retrieved TPMS codes into the LC ECU through the OBD2 port.
Ways to get:
a. The easiest version of this is using Carista. If you only bought 4 wheels/tires, you'll need to figure out the sensor ID for your spare and reenter it when you enter the 4 new codes. Carista will be able to tell you all the current sensor IDs.
b. A tire shop should have a device to do this as well. Probably the easiest route if you went to a tire shop to read the new codes from the sensors.
c. I believe if you do a version of Techstream with a VXDiag OBD2 interface you can program with that as well, Techstream doesn't work with the cheaper OBD2 adapters.
Only problem in your case with a tire shop, is you didn't use them to purchase your wheels, tires, or sensors, and probably didn't ask them to install the wheels, so they won't be too excited to help you.
If the sensors they sent you were programmable, then you need someone with a programmer and they can use the codes currently in your truck ECU to program the sensors with those codes (cloning sensors). Getting these codes requires Techstream/Carista or a wireless TPMS sensor scanner. So to answer your question above, if you are cloning original sensors with programmable aftermarket sensors then you do not need Carista/Techstream to program the truck ECU because you are mimicking the sensors it already knows about. I don't really know anything about the programming process, i just know it's possible.