Tire Rotation/Balance

[tcldarr]

I don't have my manual in front of me (car is in for service), but I had my tires rotated and balanced at 4500 miles a while ago (at 6800 now), but I keep getting flagged through On-star montly reports that it's due for tire maintanence.

I called On-star to find out how to update the information so it reflects that I already had my tires rotated at the dealer and on-star told me that the dealer should have performed some procedure to reset the computer.

Is this true? I knew about the tire pressure sensor procedure, but didn't know about the anything else. WHats the story on this?

[Bogie]

The dealer should have reassigned the sensors.

The TPMS knows where a tire is located through the TPMS sensor in each tire. If you move the front right to the back right and don't re-assign the sensor, the TPMS will continue to report that tire pressure as front right even though it's now sitting on the back right.

The dealer has a very simply method to re-assign the TPMS and should have done it on rotation. There is a more involved method you can use to do it (see the owner's manual), but I've yet to get it to work for me.

You can check to see if they did the reassignment by bleeding some air from one of your tires and then checking the DIC for pressure. If the pressure drop diplayed on the DIC doesn't match the tire position of the tire you bled, then dealer didn't do the TPMS re-assign.

It will be interesting if this the case, as I didn't think Onstar tracked the TPMS reset...but maybe they do. And it's a good check.

[BSRL]

or maybe they really didn't rotate them.

[RedHeaded RedLine]

Originally Posted by tcldarr

...I keep getting flagged through On-star montly reports that it's due for tire maintanence.

Open the pod bay door, HAL. -J

[MidniteBlues]

Originally Posted by BSRL

or maybe they really didn't rotate them.

Well, if you don't think the job is getting done, or don't trust whom ever rotates your tires, simple method to confirm is to mark 2 of them, or a rim, if dirty, a finger smudge would do.. and check them when you pick the car up..

[RedHeaded RedLine]

Originally Posted by MidniteBlues

Well, if you don't think the job is getting done, or don't trust whom ever rotates your tires, simple method to confirm is to mark 2 of them, or a rim, if dirty, a finger smudge would do.. and check them when you pick the car up..

There will be no finger smudges, thank you.
We try to have the car clean when it goes in, one as a courtesy, two they now know not to wash it. You could just go with a chalk mark.
We like to rotate them back at the house. –J

[philbert]

I had my tire rotated, but in the manual it shows front to rear and cross rotation..
Which is the correct method?
Dealer tells me front rear.

[Bogie]

Originally Posted by philbert

I had my tire rotated, but in the manual it shows front to rear and cross rotation..
Which is the correct method?
Dealer tells me front rear.

RL on stock OEM tires is front to rear due to directional tread.
NA on stock OEM tires is standard rotation (including cross) because treads are not directional.

[BSRL]

Originally Posted by Bogie

The dealer should have reassigned the sensors.

The TPMS knows where a tire is located through the TPMS sensor in each tire. If you move the front right to the back right and don't re-assign the sensor, the TPMS will continue to report that tire pressure as front right even though it's now sitting on the back right.

The dealer has a very simply method to re-assign the TPMS and should have done it on rotation. There is a more involved method you can use to do it (see the owner's manual), but I've yet to get it to work for me.

You can check to see if they did the reassignment by bleeding some air from one of your tires and then checking the DIC for pressure. If the pressure drop diplayed on the DIC doesn't match the tire position of the tire you bled, then dealer didn't do the TPMS re-assign.

It will be interesting if this the case, as I didn't think Onstar tracked the TPMS reset...but maybe they do. And it's a good check.

Ahh, this explains what is happening with our Yukon. It showed the right rear as being low so my wife goes back there and puts air in there, still shows low so she puts some more in and finally gives up. I get home on leave back in July and check the air pressures with the gauge on the air pump and I see that tire has like 48psi. I'm like what are you doing?? I fixed the air pressure in all the tires but couldn't figure out why the sensors were showing air pressures for the wrong tires. Now I know.

[philbert]

Originally Posted by Bogie

RL on stock OEM tires is front to rear due to directional tread.
NA on stock OEM tires is standard rotation (including cross) because treads are not directional.

Thanks Bogie, My tires are the goodyear OEMs and they rotated front to rear,
when I pointed out that I felt they should have been cross rotated to prevent cupping, I was told first rotation front to rear then the next rotation crossed.