As of September 2009 production, a new generation Tire Pressure Monitoring System (TPMS) was introduced for all BMW 3 Series models. Although the basic operation of the system is similar to the previous version, there are several key differences between the two systems.
The new system consists of five components: One central antenna with an integrated control module (5) mounted in the right rear wheel arch and four wheel electronics (1-4) mounted at the base of each tire valve.
The control module and central antenna have been combined in a single housing. This new control module has the ability to send requests for information to each of the four wheel electronics via a low frequency signal (125 kHz). This eliminates the need for separate transmitters, as used for previous systems.
The wheel electronics consist of a plastic housing with integrated circuitry. The following items are contained within the wheel electronics: pressure sensor, temperature sensor, acceleration sensor, transmitter/receiver unit, self-diagnosis controller and battery.
The following points should be considered when diagnosing and/or servicing the system:
- The system components are not interchangeable or compatible with previous versions
- The type of wheel electronic fitted can only be determined via visual inspection
- The detection of low tire pressure and the subsequent warning is similar to the previous design
- The reset procedure has changed. After initiating a reset, the vehicle must be driven for a period longer than 12 minutes with a vehicle speed which exceeds 19 mph.
