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TPMS dilemma. 2012 Civic

514 Views 35 Replies 6 Participants Last post by  Teeps
I bought my 2012 Civic in June, 2011, so next month it will be 12 years old. But at just under 40K miles, it still has the original tires and TPMS sensors. I'm getting new tires, but it turns out that the big decision is what to do about the TPMS sensors. The originals still work fine, but at 12 years I think I must already be pressing my luck on battery life, and it seems now is the time to replace them when the tires are replaced.

But I've checked at Discount Tires, and the sensor they use is some Schrader part, and reveiws for it on Amazon indicate a big problem with battery life. I haven't checked, but assume other tire stores will use similar after-market parts. I'm tempted to resort to genuine Honda sensors. I can get supposedly genuine sensors from HondaPartsOnline for $35 each plus shipping, or get them from my dealer for $53. The only reason I would do this is to give myself the best chance of extended battery life. I want them to last for another 12 years.

Can anyone share their experience with battery life on after-market sensors? Is my concern unwarranted? Would a tire store likely be willing to install genuine Honda sensors, or install mine if I buy them myself, as part of the tire installation? And then of course there's the question of getting my car's computer to recognize the new sensors. A local shop I use will do that for $60 for the set - provided they are Honda sensors. The dealer I suspect would want twice as much.

These active TPMS sensors were a really bad idea.

Anyway, any wisdom on this subject would be appreciated.

Edit: Can anyone confirm that the Honda sensors go into low-power mode unless the car is moving? That might explain why mine have lasted so long. Is that also true for after-market sensors?
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I tried aftermarket "cloned" sensors for my winter set of wheels. One of the sensors died after a month or two, and I can't remember how long the others lasted. I ended up replacing them with OEM. I think I've had to replace only one of them since 2014ish, because the tire shop couldn't get it to not leak air. But yeah, I recommend OEM personally, and I buy them online for that discount.
I tried aftermarket "cloned" sensors for my winter set of wheels. One of the sensors died after a month or two, and I can't remember how long the others lasted. I ended up replacing them with OEM. I think I've had to replace only one of them since 2014ish, because the tire shop couldn't get it to not leak air. But yeah, I recommend OEM personally, and I buy them online for that discount.
Thanks very much. A couple questions.

Do the new OEM sensors arrive with the sensor ID of each sensor visible on the sensor itself or the package label? Or do you have to scan that in in some way? I'm not talking about the FCC ID, which should be the same for all four sensors, but the "sensor ID" which should be unique for each sensor.

Also, on receipt do they need to be "awakened"? I've read that they are in deep sleep after manufacture to maximize shelf life of the battery. If that's the case, how are they awakened?

I'm just very hazy on how you get new sensors working and recognized by the car's computer. Some sensors have to be programmed to fit the car, and some can be cloned, but I assume neither of those operations ao bepply to the OEM sensors. But they presumably still have to be activated and their numbers learned by the system in some way.

In one of the other threads there was a quote from the service manual (2008 I believe) that described a kind of auto-learning. If you drive around far away from any similar sensors, the computer would automatically pick up the new sensor numbers it's receiving from as the new valid numbers. But I don't know if that process applies to the 2012 Civic. Anybody have a service manual?

I'm sure there must be some aftermarket sensors with as good battery life as the OEMs, but I don't know how you would determine which ones those are.
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Thanks very much. A couple questions.

Do the new OEM sensors arrive with the sensor ID of each sensor visible on the sensor itself or the package label? Or do you have to scan that in in some way? I'm not talking about the FCC ID, which should be the same for all four sensors, but the "sensor ID" which should be unique for each sensor.

Also, on receipt do they need to be "awakened"? I've read that they are in deep sleep after manufacture to maximize shelf life of the battery. If that's the case, how are they awakened?

I'm just very hazy on how you get new sensors working and recognized by the car's computer. Some sensors have to be programmed to fit the car, and some can be cloned, but I assume neither of those operations ao bepply to the OEM sensors. But they presumably still have to be activated and their numbers learned by the system in some way.

In one of the other threads there was a quote from the service manual (2008 I believe) that described a kind of auto-learning. If you drive around far away from any similar sensors, the computer would automatically pick up the new sensor numbers it's receiving from as the new valid numbers. But I don't know if that process applies to the 2012 Civic. Anybody have a service manual?

I'm sure there must be some aftermarket sensors with as good battery life as the OEMs, but I don't know how you would determine which ones those are.
I assume you're having a shop install the new tires. Just hand them the sensors and they should be able to program them to the car for you, and you shouldn't need to worry about any of those details.
Do the 42753-TR3-A81 sensors from HondaPartsOnline.net come with all needed washers, nuts, etc, or are there things I should order along with them?
Do the 42753-TR3-A81 sensors from HondaPartsOnline.net come with all needed washers, nuts, etc, or are there things I should order along with them?
From what I can tell reading the reviews on the Amazon listing, it does not come with the "service kit" parts. Makes me wonder what the shop did when they installed mine haha.
Someone said this is the OEM service kit:
From what I can tell reading the reviews on the Amazon listing, it does not come with the "service kit" parts. Makes me wonder what the shop did when they installed mine haha.
Someone said this is the OEM service kit:
Yes, I saw that. On further checking, if you want genuine Honda washer and nut, the online sources charge about $5.30 for the nut, and $3.90 for the washer. Each. I just wonder if the much cheaper service kit works for OEM as well as Shrader sensors. You'd think it would.

I found another online source - hondapartsconnection.com. They appear to have lower prices, and much lower shipping costs than hondapartsonline.net - $11 vs $25.
Yes, I saw that. On further checking, if you want genuine Honda washer and nut, the online sources charge about $5.30 for the nut, and $3.90 for the washer. Each. I just wonder if the much cheaper service kit works for OEM as well as Shrader sensors. You'd think it would.

I found another online source - hondapartsconnection.com. They appear to have lower prices, and much lower shipping costs than hondapartsonline.net - $11 vs $25.
You may want to have a chat with whichever shop is going to install your tires, regarding the nuts and washers. And yeah, there's 5-10 different online vendors that I usually compare prices on, because they can vary in item cost and shipping cost.
I believe the sensors turn off when the wheel(s) have stopped rotating for a period of time. Unfortunately I am unable to find the document with that info.
I'm in the same situation as you. My '12 Civic has just over 50k miles and the sensors are still working... touch wood.
If you don't know a guy to swap them for you; best they are replaced with the tires.
And, IMO you can't go wrong with OEM sensors.

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I bought aftermarket tpms on my 2012. This shop that lift trucks and lower cars, don't know squat about tpms. They just swap your old to your new wheels. And dealers are "you gotta buy oem, that's why they don't work."
Aftermarket do work, got them working from another tire shop. Yes you have to wake them up which the first failed to do.
They used a snap on tool for the tpms to get them working.
I dropped by my local Discount Tire shop today and asked about TPMS. They sell Dill sensors for $60 each, but the guy said if i bring my own OEM sensors, they would install them at no charge while changing out the tires. Actually, I'd be willing to pay them $20 or so each, which is probably close to what their profit would be on the Dills.

As for OEM vs aftermarket, I only have one datapoint on this, and that's my experience with the OEMs on my car. Next month the car will be 12 years old, and all four of the sensors are still working. Of course I don't know if the replacment OEMs I'll get will be as good, but I figure if I can get genuine Honda sensors, and save about $100 in the process, that's likely to be a good decision.

I think I will use hondaautomotiveparts.com, aka Majestic Honda, to order the parts. They aren't the absolute lowest price, but I see them referenced here and there as a reliable seller.

Now I have to figure out what tires to get.
It seems some TPMS sensors report not only the tire pressure but also the temperature and battery voltage. Do our Honda OEM sensors do that? It wouldn't show up anywhere on my 2012 LX display, but perhaps one of those OBD2 port diagnostic tools would tell me the battery voltage.
That’s going to be a no.

I wish our sensors report the pressure on the dash… makes the price of the sensors worth it. But then again I like my I direct sensors that I can reset


Sent from my iPhone 13 Pro while on the toilet.
It seems some TPMS sensors report not only the tire pressure but also the temperature and battery voltage. Do our Honda OEM sensors do that? It wouldn't show up anywhere on my 2012 LX display, but perhaps one of those OBD2 port diagnostic tools would tell me the battery voltage.
The OEM sensors do report battery life, temperature, and pressure to a diagnostic tool. The vehicle just doesn't display that information anywhere.
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I'm talking specifically about a wireless tire sensor reading tool. Any tire shop would 100% have one. IDK about reading anything via the OBD2.
Ok, I pulled trigger on the sensors. I bought them from hondaautomotiveparts.com, aka Majestic Honda, for $32.90 each, plus $9.84 standard shipping. So far, there's no indication they're going to charge sales tax for my State, so it comes to $35.36 per sensor, delivered. Then I also bought four TPMS service kits on Amazon for $1.77 each plus tax, or $1.92 per kit, with free shipping because I ordered other stuff. And if Discount Tire really isn't going to charge me to install them, that comes to $37.28 per sensor, installed.

I would have paid $52.97 at the local Honda dealer, plus tax, for a total of $57.48, or $59.40 including the service kit.

The Dill sensors sold by Discount Tire would have been $60 plus tax, or $65.11.

So if the online OEM sensors perform like my original sensors, that seems to be the best option for both durability and cost. I saved $88 off dealer cost, or $111 off the Dills.

OEM 2008-2017 Honda Sensor Assembly, TPMS 42753-TR3-A81 | Majestic Honda Automotive Parts

Amazon.com
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Ok, I pulled trigger on the sensors. I bought them from hondaautomotiveparts.com, aka Majestic Honda, for $32.90 each, plus $9.84 standard shipping. So far, there's no indication they're going to charge sales tax for my State, so it comes to $35.36 per sensor, delivered. Then I also bought four TPMS service kits on Amazon for $1.77 each plus tax, or $1.92 per kit, with free shipping because I ordered other stuff. And if Discount Tire really isn't going to charge me to install them, that comes to $37.28 per sensor, installed.

I would have paid $52.97 at the local Honda dealer, plus tax, for a total of $57.48, or $59.40 including the service kit.

The Dill sensors sold by Discount Tire would have been $60 plus tax, or $65.11.

So if the online OEM sensors perform like my original sensors, that seems to be the best option for both durability and cost. I saved $88 off dealer cost, or $111 off the Dills.

OEM 2008-2017 Honda Sensor Assembly, TPMS 42753-TR3-A81 | Majestic Honda Automotive Parts

Amazon.com
Glad you managed to save some money. I'd be interested to know what the shop says the original sensors have left for battery life, and whether they use the service kits. As far as tires, if you haven't decided yet... I like the Michelin pilot super sport (now 4s or 5 if they're in the US yet) for summer tires, Bridgestone Blizzak for winter tires, and Michelin CrossClimate2 for all-season.
I put aftermarket TPMS sensors on my wife's car 8 years ago and still going strong to this date.
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I'm going to ask the shop to give me the old sensors back. So I'll be able to get the battery voltage directly, and will report that here. I'm expecting the new sensors in the mail tomorrow, and will post a picture here to see if anyone has had experience with them.
The sensors and service kits have arrived. Below is a picture of one of the sensors. They are all made by TRW. I believe the 8-digit hex number beginning with 6EFC is the sensor ID. That number is different on all the sensors.
The washer and nut from the service kit appear to fit perfectly. So I'm hopeful everything will go well.

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