Quick intro and TPMS issue

C

CX5racer

Member
:
Mazda, CX-5 Touring, 2014
Thought I would properly introduce myself, we just purchased a 2014.5 CX-5 FWD Touring in soul red with tech package and Bose/sunroof options. We have had it for a week now and she has 320 miles of experience under her. Everything is going well so far and we enjoy every aspect of the car.

The only issue we have run into, which I'm researching before going to the dealer, is the tire pressure monitor. Yesterday I noticed the tires were getting dirty only in the middle 4" or so and the outer edges looked new. Out of curiosity I checked the tire pressure and much to my amazement they were all between 50 and 52 psi. This is how the dealer delivered the car to us! I even double checked with two different gauges and they both read the same. In reviewing the door sticker the tires are supposed to be at 34 psi so I adjusted the pressure down to 34. After a few miles driving now the tire pressure monitor is coming on. I am wondering if the dealer set the monitor with the high pressure and the lower pressure is making the sensor send a signal?
 
CX-5's are always overinflated from the dealer. Always!

Get it to 35PSI and reset the TMPS. All in the manual...
 
I guess so. Make sure you are at 34 psi and reset the TPMS according to the user guide.
 
Since my wife drives the car I will have to look it up in the manual and reset tonight when I get home. Not understanding the high tire pressure as the tire notes 44 psi as the max, driving on over-inflated tires can't be safe. One thing I noticed on a quick test drive was less road vibration and better handling so that was an improvement. Gas mileage may drop a little though, we got 30 mpg on the first tank full. I sent the dealer a email advising of the high tire pressure, they apologized and said they will follow up with their delivery prep dept......so he said anyway.

Thanks for the help!
 
Were the tires totally cold when you saw that high pressure? Not making any assumptions here about your knowledge. The pressure specs are meant to be for cold tires (as in you wait many hours after driving to check). Warm tires will increase in pressure 10-15%. Also, the stick type gauges are notoriously inaccurate. I still use them, but I have a couple that I have kept around because they read similar numbers. I'm making the assumption that they are the accurate ones. I've thrown away a couple that gave significantly different or inconsistent results. I also inflate to 36-38 PSI instead of 34. They will drop to 34 after a month or two anyway.
 
pjensen641 said:
Were the tires totally cold when you saw that high pressure? Not making any assumptions here about your knowledge. The pressure specs are meant to be for cold tires (as in you wait many hours after driving to check). Warm tires will increase in pressure 10-15%. Also, the stick type gauges are notoriously inaccurate. I still use them, but I have a couple that I have kept around because they read similar numbers. I'm making the assumption that they are the accurate ones. I've thrown away a couple that gave significantly different or inconsistent results. I also inflate to 36-38 PSI instead of 34. They will drop to 34 after a month or two anyway.
Click to expand...


I agree with this. While it may be normal for dealerships to over-inflate, going over 50psi is really extreme. I can't believe that 50+ psi is intentional or normal.
 
My understanding is that tires are delivered to the dealer at the 50 psig pressure, used to mount the tires. The dealer is supposed to reset them to recommended pressure as part of the delivery pre-inspection. Sounds like the dealer may have skipped that step. Be sure and thank them for a lousy pre-inspection.
 
Mazda dealers are notorious for this; they've been doing it for years. The cars comes across the pond with overinflated tires to keep them from flat-spotting on the journey. Part of the dealer prep is to drop them to the prescribed PSI and reset the TPMS. This happens about 50% of the time.
 
Yes, that is the shipping pressure.

Looks like the dealership has lazy employees and/or poor training. Inexcusable.


Correctly set the pressures and reset the TPMS. If you have them do it I would double-check their work.

This problem is not exclusive to Mazda dealers by a long shot. It has become increasingly prevalent over the last two decades. It's a growing mindset (that it's "good enough") that knows no limits when it comes to marquee.
 
Last edited:
CX5racer said:
I am wondering if the dealer set the monitor with the high pressure and the lower pressure is making the sensor send a signal?
Click to expand...

If you change the pressure to how you want it, you need to reset the TPMS. Just turn the car on, and press and hold the TPMS button until it beeps and a message appears on the instrument panel.

I would adjust the pressure again in the morning after letting the car sit overnight so it cools down.
 
pjensen641 said:
Were the tires totally cold when you saw that high pressure? Not making any assumptions here about your knowledge. The pressure specs are meant to be for cold tires (as in you wait many hours after driving to check). Warm tires will increase in pressure 10-15%. Also, the stick type gauges are notoriously inaccurate. I still use them, but I have a couple that I have kept around because they read similar numbers. I'm making the assumption that they are the accurate ones. I've thrown away a couple that gave significantly different or inconsistent results. I also inflate to 36-38 PSI instead of 34. They will drop to 34 after a month or two anyway.
Click to expand...

Yes they were stone cold, and I used my Snap-On digital gauge I don't use the pencil gauges. My background is many years of road racing with SCCA so tires are something I know a bit about. We used to use nitrogen in fact for a more consistent rate of expansion due to heat. I reset the TPMS at the new pressure, thanks for the helpful info though. The dealership should be ashamed for this, it's a safety issue and I have to wonder how many people just drive the car w/o ever checking the pressure. Not to mention 50 psi will wear out the center tread quickly.
 
Hmmmm, I never knew about the 50 lb shipping pressure. Talk about bad pre-inspection - my NAV was DOA when I picked up my car, they never reattached the wire for the trunk light (after installing the hitch wiring harness) and they did not tighten the lock lug nuts when they installed the wheel locks! Wherever I go (not just dealers) I always find the tires over inflated and the lug nuts over torqued. Bottom line - check everything you can, do not assume.
 
Please log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

S
New 2017 CX-5 Grand Select owner
Replies
12
Views
1K
gazelle
G
M
2013~2016 CX-5 Vibration Issue…
2
Replies
23
Views
7K
mzoomalohahi5
M
G
CX-5 almost rear-biased
2
Replies
22
Views
2K
GTXT23
GTXT23

Latest posts

Back