TPMS programming

[BayAreaCelt]

On the farsebook bmw scooter page and Phad (tech guy who works on BMW scooters and bikes in Thailand) said he can program TPMS apparently.

“TPMS is optional you can add it since 2019, 2022 version and ofcause 2025 still optional. If you are interesting to put it in you can PM me.
www.facebook.com/PhadMotorrad/“

No other info other than that..

 

[wspollack]

On the farsebook bmw scooter page and Phad (tech guy who works on BMW scooters and bikes in Thailand) said he can program TPMS apparently.

“TPMS is optional you can add it since 2019, 2022 version and ofcause 2025 still optional. If you are interesting to put it in you can PM me.
www.facebook.com/PhadMotorrad/“

No other info other than that..

Executive summary from me:

- I am way ahead of you on this.

- I gave up.

- I will now bring you up to speed -- as far as I've gotten, anyway -- so you can make your own decisions, follow-ups, and suchlike.

1) Phad's YouTube:

Phad's YT channel is https://www.youtube.com/@phadmotorrad531 . There, you will find gobs of videos, and I believe these are the only ones -- all pretty short -- related to TPMS on a C 400:

02/19/2024 (1:59):

02/20/2024 (2:52):

04/05/2024 (2:26):

05/02/2024 (1:42):

2) WhatsApp With Phad:

I did some communicating with Phad this summer, via WhatsApp. His number is in the description text of some of his videos, and you'll see it in a second.

(By the way, this is the only social media account I have -- no Facebook, no X, no TikTok, etc. The only reason I installed WhatsApp is because on Edelweiss tours lately, that's how the guide(s) and customers communicate if necessary, swap daily pics, etc.)

Okay, here's my "conversation" with Phad:









Conclusion?:

So, what it seems to me is that:

- You need to get those internal BMW (or equivalent) TPMS sensors, and put them in the wheels next tire change. It's not at all clear to me how they are attached inside the rims, but my guess is that it's the same way that other Beemers do this (since they are Beemer sensors). Probably not a really big deal (other than the expense of the sensors).

- You need to get an electronic receiver box, mount it somewhere on the bike (and he shows in one of those videos that he put it under the front right-side tupperware), and do some appropriate wiring, so it gets power.

- Have some programming done, so the bike: A) recognizes the receiver, and; B) adds (or unlocks, or something) the TPMS display screen in the TFT's collection of screens. I believe that such programming is something that Phad can do remotely, given the proper computer setup attached to your bike. Or something along those lines.

I decided that this was all a bit much, in terms of money, hassle, and complexity, that sort of thing.

On top of all that, Max BMW -- which has four stores in three states, and one of which is where I bought the bike and have it serviced (although I used a second location for emergency tire replacement) -- appends this to all its invoices:



I don't know whether this is unique to Max, or SOP for other Beemer dealerships. And as some folks -- @mzflorida comes to mind -- have pointed out in other threads, it would be incumbent on Max or BMW to demonstrate that adding a TPMS display to the bike's firmware was the cause of, say, an engine failure's warranty claim. Nevertheless, those sorts of warnings frighten me (and recall that I've already had one C 400 GT replaced).

However, all that said, I wish I were in Thailand, and could just ride to his shop, pay him a reasonable amount, and have him do this work for me, as a turnkey update, i.e., hardware and software. I mean, I think that's an important and worthwhile addition to the bike, a real safety feature. On top of that, as you'll see in some of his videos, his TFT displays are pretty nice in general, much more colorful, razzle-dazzle.

And BMW ought to be fined, or severely chastised, for not having TPMS. I predict in the not too distant future it will be required of all bikes in Europe, just as I think ABS is (on most bikes?), and that will be that. And that jackass sideways Schrader valve placement pisses me off whenever this issue comes up. If I could add my own external TPMS sensors -- and there are dozens of such systems -- we might not be having this discussion. As I've mentioned, I do have a FOBO sensor on the rear wheel.

My current position on this has me wavering between two options: 1) do nothing, i.e., live with only the rear sensor I added, and; 2) drill a hole in the front rim, so I can add a regularly positioned (second) Schrader valve, and then put a sensor on that one (which, yeah, would surely void any warranty on the wheel).

I think that's all I got. I hope you find something useful here, in all my blather. Good luck.

 

[BayAreaCelt]

Not blather at all, thanks for the comprehensive context and background, that’s all very useful. Appreciate the insight!

 

[mzflorida]

And that jackass sideways Schrader valve placement pisses me off

That made me laugh out loud! Best description ever!

 

[wspollack]

THE C 400 GT TPMS PLOT THICKENS!​

Additional Communication With Phad:

I decided to follow-up once more with Phad, yesterday and today (given the extreme time difference, of course, between Thailand and NY). I wanted to see if I could get clarification from him, regarding how and where BMW's RDC (TPMS internal sensor, in more common terms) gets attached. Here are the relevant WhatsApp screen grabs:









The upshot of this recent exchange with Phad is, I think:

1) It looks as if Phad thought I had an older C 400 GT (and I'll get to that in a second). Given that I have a '23, he revised the RDC part number, and cut out the need for the receiver. So it also looks as if he had been working on one of those older models in his videos (e.g., in one of which he points to where he added the reciever).

2) I still didn't get a straight answer, regarding where the RDC is mounted. I guess this is a communication problem between our languages. I get the impression or guess that there is some threaded area inside the circular part of the rim that accepts the screw that holds the RDC in place.

3) I also get the impression or guess that the newer models are prepped to communicate with RDCs (hence, no reciever).


Researching The New RDC Part Number:

Following up on the new part number, here's what I've found thus far:

4) BMW part 36317106019 seems, according to some pages at BMW dealerships, compatible with the newer versions of the C 400 GT.

First and foremost, get a load of this:



That's a page (https://bmwparts.crosscountrycycle.net/p/BMW__/RDC-sensor-433-MHZ/120364324/36317106019.html) from Cross Country Cycle's site. If it's to be believed, it specifically shows that the 36317106019 sensor is compatible with the '21 - '24 C 400 GT.

Similarly, but less exhaustively, when looking at that sensor vis-a-vis only the C 400 GT, both CCC and Max also assert that it is compatible:



(https://www.shopbmwmotorcycles.com/oem-parts/bmw-motorrad-rdc-sensor-433-mhz-36317106019)




(Some page at Max that I can't find right now.)

So there's that.

(An aside about model years at the two sites:

CCC lists C 400 GT model years from '18 - '24; see, for example, https://bmwparts.crosscountrycycle.net/BMW__C400GT/Wheels-and-Tires.html .

Max, on the other hand, has a parts fiche that encompasses only the '18 - '20 C 400 GT; see, for example, https://shop.maxbmw.com/fiche/DiagramsMain.aspx?vid=60292&rnd=09082020 .)

Where was I? Oh, yeah, we've now seen that RDC fits the C 400 GT: see the prior three screen grabs. But -- as if we had to ask -- does it come standard on the bike? If it did, we wouldn't be having this discussion, but CCC confirms this. Here are two screen grabs comprising the page https://bmwparts.crosscountrycycle.net/p/BMW_2023_/RDC-sensor/120364324/36317106019.html :




If you click on "CONFIRM THIS FITS YOUR 2023 BMW" you'll see that it does.

If you instead click on that first "Retrofit tire pressure monitor" area (it's a non-obvious hyperlink), you go to https://bmwparts.crosscountrycycle....etrofit-tire-pressure-monitor/77_1568.html#01 , where, once again, you can confirm that it fits.

To me, as with what Phad communicated, this once again says that while BMW doesn't include TPMS on the latest C 400 GT model years, that bike is ready for it.


My Next Step: Local Dealership

What I plan to do is provide this information to the manager of the service department at my local (Troy, NY) Max dealership (which has four stores, in three states) later this week, and see what he says about all of this. Despite the cost, I am interested in adding this safety feature to the bike.

Speaking of cost, we're talking about $475 in sensor costs, plus labor, so maybe c. $600. The labor would presumably include "coding" the sensors, but as far as non-electronic work, I would have this done as part of getting new tires put on, anyway ... assuming it's possible, and they're willing to give it a shot.

And while there are cheaper TPMS devices out there, I like the integration of this system with the large TFT. You can see some of that integration in the short YouTube videos from Phad that I linked to in post #2 in this thread.

 

[Ceesie76]

OMG.
I have TPMS on all three of my (BMW) motorcycles and one of our 4 cars here in the US, but on none of my 3 cars or 2 motorcycles in France.
Bottom line, it's not worth all this drama. Nice to have, sure, but all this? The sensors are insanely expensive from BMW (as in, $450 for a set) and the batteries embedded inside them, well, they wear out.
Just manually check the pressure from time to time!

 

[wspollack]

OMG.
I have TPMS on all three of my (BMW) motorcycles and one of our 4 cars here in the US, but on none of my 3 cars or 2 motorcycles in France.
Bottom line, it's not worth all this drama. Nice to have, sure, but all this? The sensors are insanely expensive from BMW (as in, $450 for a set) and the batteries embedded inside them, well, they wear out.
Just manually check the pressure from time to time!

I do manually check the pressures every week or so (depending on temperature swings), at least with respect to the front wheel.

However, a TPMS would be worth it to me, for peace of mind and convenience.

See:

Thread 'C 400 GT: A Tale Of Two Flat Rear Tires In As Many Weeks'

Jun 22, 2024

Perhaps some of you have read my post about riding from my home in the Albany, NY, area to visit family in Asheville, NC ... and of course to do some riding in that area. See https://www.bmw-scooters.com/index.php?threads/400-at-the-gap-aka-tail-of-the-dragon-last-week.3132/

That was an eight-day trip in the end of May, beginning of June. I had originally planned that for about two weeks earlier, but the day before I was going to leave I discovered that the rear tire pressure was about 15psi too low. I hadn't ridden the C 400 GT in about two weeks (I was goofing off on my other...

• wspollack
• Replies: 7
• Forum: C400X - C400GT General Discussion

And if you don't have time to read all that, here's one other thread, by another rider, that I cited in that ... and it appears to me that I had a similar situation, but without the TPMS:

Thread 'Punctured Tire Traveling at 75 mph - BEEMER RDC WARNING'

Jun 22, 2015

Hey All,

I just wanted to share what happened to me on my way home from 200 mile ride in Southeastern San Deigo County. The ride was awesome...!

On my way home, roughly 20 miles away from home, I was riding on the interstate highway 15 cruising along with traffic (75MPH) enjoying the ride, when the instrument panel started blinking the orange triangle caution. I looked more closely and noticed the RDC warning and the rear tire at 00 PSI.

At first, I thought sensor error, as I could not feel any difference in the way the Beemer handled. I slowed a bit to 60 MPH and still could not feel...

• CTB63
• Replies: 9
• Forum: C600, C650GT General Discussion

• 

So that's mostly where I'm coming from.

Also, being a geezer (76), I appreciate doing pre-ride pressure checks standing up, no muss, no fuss. I do this for the rear tire now, via my one FOBO external sensor on the bike, and am used to doing this on several bikes in recent years on which I had sensors on both wheels.

Different strokes, and all that.