On the car I just bought ('05 outback) I noticed from time to time the TPMS would flash a very slow flash at me randomly. I checked the tire pressure and I have a solid 37psi around the car. After starting to pay attention to when exactly it happens, I figured out thanks to the in-dash drive timer that after driving exactly 21 minutes it starts to flash. After doing some searches around the interwebs I found out that a slow flash like that could mean one of the TMPS is sending a faulty signal. I'm just wondering do TMPS have a "life time"? Is there anyway to figure out exactly which one is faulty or do I need to replace all 4 when I get new tires? Should I stick with the subaru brand TPMS or is there some sort of off-brand one that I can use? Thanks.
Discount tire can scan all 4 sensors and tell you which one is bad. You can replace a single sensor it just needs to be properly trained to the car. (DTC can do this) The average life is 5-7 years. Rebuilding the sensor will not work it will more then likley need to be replaced.
Yeah, a rebuild will just replace the seals and valve. The battery is integrated and you need to replace the entire sensor when (not if) that runs out. Jeff at http://www.thealignmentguy.com can check the status and sell/install replacements as well.
