arkbbq

My 2011 Q7 gas prestige has intermittent warnings appear - either "TPMS", or sometimes "TPMS system malfunction". When I check, tire pressures are ok, and I always reset the TPMS when tires are cool. Had new tires recently installed by dealer - he checked all sensors and said they were ok. But TPMS warnings continue. Any ideas?

-TIA, ark

cuatrokoop

Both of mine were doing the same thing. I need to talk to orotek, because I used their supposedly compatible universal sensors on my 3.6, and it tripped the warning. The 4.2, not sure whose are in the factory wheels, maybe just dead batteries. The snow tires & wheels with sensors from TireRack worked perfect on that one, but they were expensive to add.

Force-1

The 2011 uses indirect TPMS--there are no wheel sensors.

arkbbq

Force, thanks for the reply. Can you please elaborate? I have no knowledge in this area - what is indirect TPMS? The dealer said there is a TPM sensor containing a battery, in each wheel. When they installed the new tires, he said that my sensors and batteries all checked out ok. He mentioned that if they did have to be replaced, the charge would be $1100.00 US - WTF??

cuatrokoop

I wondered if it was new enough to not use the sensors.

I think it uses wheel speed vs road speed, looks at the delta between each wheel. Based on rev/time or rev/distance, it would know if one is under or over inflated. Under inflated would show higher revs, over inflated would show lower revs.

Force-1

http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tirete....jsp?techid=44

DUTCH VanAtlanta

After going through several miles of muddy slop on the Top of the World "Highway" in the Yukon, I got a low pressure warning from the TPMS. I stopped and checked all tire pressures which were all good. When I restarted the car, the TPMS warning was gone.

I can only guess that some of the muddy slop got on the ABS gear, and this threw the TPMS into a fault mode. It did not recur during the rest of my trip.

arkbbq

Thank you for the link to TPM technology, excellent article. Other websites confirmed your statement re: Audi using indirect TPMS on 2011's. Disheartening that I was given such a load of bull by the dealer.

-regards, ark

smith2010Q7

Did you talk to the Audi Tech mech or the service rep. So service reps try to know everything and sometimes get confuse between from other models of Audis that come in.
Are indirect starts from 2010 and subs.