Should you rotate tires on your car yourself or have a professional do it?

What you've heard:

-Rotating tires is easy!

-Nothing special required.

The truth

-The primary reason that it is becoming harder to rotate tires is because of what is called TPMS or Tire Pressure Monitoring System. This system does just what it's name suggests. It monitors the pressure in your tires to be sure that it is properly inflated giving you increased tire life and better gas mileage.

So what's the big deal you ask? We'll the "problem" with these systems is that each tire must have a sensor inside of it that can tell the computer how much pressure is in it. This would not normally pose a problem, but each of these sensors are "marked" by the computer so the cars computer knows which tire is which.

This means that the computer knows the difference between the right front tire and the right rear tire.

So when "Joe Carowner" goes to rotate their tires the computer can no longer tell which tire is which and it will turn on a light on in the instrument panel that you would never be able to get to go out.

-Most TPMS sensors have to be reset using a scan tool whenever the tires are rotated and some of them even have to be reset even when you are just putting air in the tire.

Starting in 2008 the government requires that car manufacturers use this system on their cars. This means that your car for sure has this system if it was made after 2008. Many cars that were made before this date have this system so be sure to check your owners manual before you try to do anything related to your tires.

If you just HAVE to do this job yourself then I recommend taking your car to a shop that has a TPMS scan tool so they can reset the sensors if needed.

Good Tire Rotation How-To Website

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