# Dodge OEM Or Third Party Parts



## ZTMAN (Feb 19, 2015)

Depends on who manufactured the aftermarket TPMS. Dodge does not make their own TPMS . They get them from a third party who stamps their name on the part. If it was a quality aftermarket part that worked, I would not care. 

I would also not want to pay three times the price just because it had OEM stamped on the part


----------



## lenaitch (Feb 10, 2014)

It strikes me it would be natural to expect parts from a dealership would be sourced through their parts network. Heck, it's a major revenue stream. The parts/service dude orders from the database using their part numbers; the items received may or may not exactly match the outgoing part- suppliers change.

If the dealership is dabbling in third party parts, they should be upfront about that; although there may be some tiny print on the workorder that you signed that says so.


----------



## KantWinThemAll (12 mo ago)

dealerships get part wherever they can, and they want to save a buck. So how much does it matter to you? I would ask them to warranty the part for 2 years if they cant give you OEM. And yes for the future you have to be very clear and exact about what you expect. I would tell them not to use the windshield wiper fluid that they water down too.


----------



## SpentPenny (Dec 15, 2020)

the dealer has no obligation to use OEM parts unless you specifically tell them to - just like any other repair shop. Get it fixed then let it go. Life is too short.


----------



## 660catman (Aug 25, 2019)

No matter what part a dealer put it, they should warranty it. I take it Dodge doesn’t indicate which wheel is the issue? I know my GM trucks let you know which wheel sensor has an issue. I’ve have replaced two sets of TPM sensors in two GM trucks without problems. Both sets were ordered off Amazon. 


Retired guy from Southern Manitoba, Canada.


----------



## huesmann (Aug 18, 2011)

Most small auto parts aren't actually manufactured by the make (Ford, BMW, etc.). They're sourced from suppliers (e.g. Timken, Fel-Pro), just like the parts on the shelves at your FLAPS.


----------



## raylo32 (Nov 25, 2006)

Aftermarket TPMS sensors should be fine. As noted the OEM parts may have even been sourced from the same mfg as the ones you got. But they need to figure out why the TPMS light came back on.


----------



## Old Thomas (Nov 28, 2019)

Local dealerships around here use some OEM parts and some aftermarket parts. Dealerships have a reputation of charging too much so they fight that by lowering prices with outsourced parts. After all, the manufacturer outsourced a lot of parts. Dealerships are privately owned. Many offer parts and services not recommended or sourced from the manufacturer. You asked for new stems and you got new stems.


----------



## J. V. (Jun 1, 2007)

I think you guys overlooked the main point.
The stems that were on my truck were *metal.* It looked like aluminum or SS. *They were not rubber*. They are not a direct cross to what I had since it was brand new. I would have had no issue or even noticed a third party METAL stem. It is the appearance not the functionality. They did not put back what I had originally. And its noticeable. My wifes car has metal stems and so did I until they replaced them.
I could have saved money buying rubber or metal stems and having them installed at a tire store. I took the truck to Dodge so I would not have to worry about metal vs rubber and what works on my truck. I expected them to use metal like comes on my truck as a standard part.
Some may remember I started a thread about this here a few months ago. Since I was getting all kinds of advice I decided to let Dodge do it.

No my truck does not tell me which wheel it is. Only that there is low pressure in one or more of them.


----------



## SW Dweller (Jan 6, 2021)

Start at the service manager with a TV reporter sitting next to you. RECORD the conversation. Explain you were not given a choice and are appalled at their decision not to provide OEM parts or at least the choice to decide. Make sure you get a new service writer from that moment on. I would work the "prove to me the other 3 were bad angle, Or are you just inflating your work to piss off your customers. They aint cheap to replace.

I have an "11 Ford F150 and have lost one sensor. I REFUSED the concept of replacing all of them. The place tried to put the rubber one in and I had the manager out of his office in micro seconds. I had asked politely to have a metal one put in. 3 metals and one rubber, give me a break. Manger handled it and now 2 years later I have another one bad and I will deal with it soon when I need new tires. I have been there many times and most of the workers know I WATCH what they do. 

Thank you American government for protecting me from loss of air pressure in a tire. I was so worried.


----------



## J. V. (Jun 1, 2007)

SW Dweller said:


> Start at the service manager with a TV reporter sitting next to you. RECORD the conversation. Explain you were not given a choice and are appalled at their decision not to provide OEM parts or at least the choice to decide. Make sure you get a new service writer from that moment on. I would work the "prove to me the other 3 were bad angle, Or are you just inflating your work to piss off your customers. They aint cheap to replace.
> 
> I have an "11 Ford F150 and have lost one sensor. I REFUSED the concept of replacing all of them. The place tried to put the rubber one in and I had the manager out of his office in micro seconds. I had asked politely to have a metal one put in. 3 metals and one rubber, give me a break. Manger handled it and now 2 years later I have another one bad and I will deal with it soon when I need new tires. I have been there many times and most of the workers know I WATCH what they do.
> 
> Thank you American government for protecting me from loss of air pressure in a tire. I was so worried.


I did tell him to replace all 4 sensors. Since the truck is 13 years old I assumed it was just good practice. Batteries do wear out.
I just emailed him the service writer about the appointment for the computer issue regarding the TPMS light that has come back on. He plugged something into the port under the steering wheel and he said something was wrong. Took it back to the work area and returned with they needed more time to work it out.
So I told him to get the stems worked out so we can address both issues at the appointment.
He did say when I was there that I could buy the OEM sensor stems, which I balked at. I told him I expected metal and I expected them to put back metal. So we shall see. I'm not going to let this go. I believe I'm in the right on this. I am going to get Dodge contacts and send out a few emails depending on how he responds to my issue. Thanks.


----------



## raylo32 (Nov 25, 2006)

As much as a PITA as these can seem to be sometimes TPMS is a really good idea. You always have the option to just let the sensors die and ignore it, if you are so inclined.




SW Dweller said:


> Thank you American government for protecting me from loss of air pressure in a tire. I was so worried.


----------



## raylo32 (Nov 25, 2006)

Mine doesn't either. That's because the regulation wasn't strict enough to make mfgs have all vehicles display the individual tire pressures. So, some mfgs went that extra but non-mandated step and some didn't. One workaround is to get a ScanGage 2 OBD gage and code reader. You plug it in and run it full time and it can display a lot of parameters that you gages don't...and read trouble codes, of course.

These ScanGages can display the individual tire pressures. For Toyotas with the basic system the computer provides TP1, TP2, TP3, and TP4 (tire pressure 1, etc.). With a ScanGage I just release air to see which TP applies to the tire I am working with, then rename the field to PLF (pressure, left front), PRF, PLR, PRR. When I rotate tires I just rename the fields in the ScanGage for the new position, takes 2 minutes.



J. V. said:


> No my truck does not tell me which wheel it is. Only that there is low pressure in one or more of them.


----------



## raylo32 (Nov 25, 2006)

And I am in sort of the same boat as the OP. I got my last set of tires from Tire Rack and needed to get them installed quickly. The only place I could find that day was not a Tire Rack affiliated installer, and they claimed their equipment would not activate the new Denso/Toyota TPMS sensors I brought with me. I suspect that was just a scam. He showed me trying to read a sensor in the box and it didn't work. Turns out that you need to have the sensor installed and cycle the pressure to "wake them up". THEN they can be activated and relearned.

I Didn't have time to go driving around looking for a tire shop that could so I got their house brand sensors. Of course they are rubber stem. They work fine but one of these days I'm going to break the beads (easy enough to do at home with some basic tools and tricks) and swap in my Denso sensors with the metal stems. I believe I will also be able to activate and program them with my bi-directional scan tool. We'll see. Anyway, another fun project and I always wanted to be able to handle these things.... if only to NOT get ripped off like I was.


----------



## raylo32 (Nov 25, 2006)

One last post for now... since this is a DIY forum for anyone thinking about DIYing these. As I have been getting into being able to work on my own TPMS I found the terminology and tool marketing language a bit confusing. My current understanding is that "relearn" means to pair new specific OEM spec sensors to your vehicle's computer. Whilst "program" means to program a blank universal TPMS sensor to be compatible with the mfg and model before it can then be relearned. You can readily buy TPMS tools these days that claim to be able to relearn most OEM spec sensors. But these same tools will generally only program their own brand universal sensors. IOW if you want to go with cheaper universal sensors, they lock you into buying theirs. Lots of little twists and turns but it really isn't, as they say, rocket science.

I'll try to post a thread with some pics when I get into it.


----------



## MechaniMan (9 mo ago)

I worked in a tire shop for 6 years and I'm going to tell you from experience you're better off with rubber stems than you are with them s***** aluminum ones


----------



## MechaniMan (9 mo ago)

raylo32 said:


> And I am in sort of the same boat as the OP. I got my last set of tires from Tire Rack and needed to get them installed quickly. The only place I could find that day was not a Tire Rack affiliated installer, and they claimed their equipment would not activate the new Denso/Toyota TPMS sensors I brought with me. I suspect that was just a scam. He showed me trying to read a sensor in the box and it didn't work. Turns out that you need to have the sensor installed and cycle the pressure to "wake them up". THEN they can be activated and relearned.
> 
> I Didn't have time to go driving around looking for a tire shop that could so I got their house brand sensors. Of course they are rubber stem. They work fine but one of these days I'm going to break the beads (easy enough to do at home with some basic tools and tricks) and swap in my Denso sensors with the metal stems. I believe I will also be able to activate and program them with my bi-directional scan tool. We'll see. Anyway, another fun project and I always wanted to be able to handle these things.... if only to NOT get ripped off like I was.


If that is a Toyota you're trying to put them in you will not be able to program them with your bi-directional scan tool. I can think of countless time working in the tire industry that we were unable to program sensors to Toyota cars and trucks. Unless you have a very expensive sophisticated computer with Toyota software there is a very good chance you will not be able to program them. Our shop had to purchase expensive Autel dealer level diagnostic scanner to work on Toyotas.


----------



## raylo32 (Nov 25, 2006)

The Denso OEM replacement sensors are not blank universal type so they are already programmed for the model. The specific IDs just need to be learned into the computer. The tool is supposed to be able to do that. We'll see.... if I ever get around to this. There is certainly no urgent need.



MechaniMan said:


> If that is a Toyota you're trying to put them in you will not be able to program them with your bi-directional scan tool. I can think of countless time working in the tire industry that we were unable to program sensors to Toyota cars and trucks. Unless you have a very expensive sophisticated computer with Toyota software there is a very good chance you will not be able to program them.


----------



## MechaniMan (9 mo ago)

raylo32 said:


> The Denso OEM replacement sensors are not blank universal type so they are already programmed for the model. The specific IDs just need to be learned into the computer. The tool is supposed to be able to do that. We'll see.... if I ever get around to this. There is certainly no urgent need.


Some bidirectional scanners will do it, if you happen to have the right one then yes you would be able to. Best of luck


----------



## raylo32 (Nov 25, 2006)

Just a data point on TPMS battery life, at least on my Tacoma that has Denso Pacific sensors with Panasonic batteries. Bought the truck, 2009 model, in November 2008. I just popped the bead on one of my take off wheels and tires (had them all replaced last year), pulled out the sensor, and removed the battery. If I had known it was that easy I would have done that instead of getting new sensors. All the sensors were still online last summer when these wheels were removed and the battery in that one wheel I tested today was still functional, reading 2.9V down from about 3.2V for a brand new one. Maybe getting close to the low volt limit for the sensors but still pretty amazing after almost 14 years.


----------



## raylo32 (Nov 25, 2006)

Why? Are people breaking the metal ones?



MechaniMan said:


> I worked in a tire shop for 6 years and I'm going to tell you from experience you're better off with rubber stems than you are with them s***** aluminum ones


----------



## MechaniMan (9 mo ago)

raylo32 said:


> Why? Are people breaking the metal ones?


Metal ones are made from aluminum. A lot of people make the mistake of sticking a steel cap on the aluminum stem which is a big mistake. When people do this the two dissimilar Metals weld themselves together and you are unable to remove the cap. Another very common problem with the aluminum valve stems is when the aluminum wheels start to corrode or if you live in an area that receives freezing weather in the winter time the aluminum is susceptible to cracking from the expansion of the corrosion or the ice. Additionally the aluminum valve stems still contain a valve core that is made from a different metal than aluminum strem. This too can be subject to galvanic corrosion due to dissimilar Metals being in direct contact with one another. This galvanic corrosion in many cases causes the valve stems to need replacement when they normally would not need replaced. Aluminum stems also are subject to the same corrosion that causes aluminum wheels to leak between the bead seat of the wheel and the tire. The white powdery substance that forms between the bead and the tire and causes it to start leaking is aluminum rust.
If you insist on a metal valve stems they do make ones that are nickel plated or stainless steel.


----------



## raylo32 (Nov 25, 2006)

Interesting. I guess in a tire shop you see it all. My original aluminum ones lasted 13 years on the road and another in the basement. As you can see in the photo they still look good even after lots of snow and salt. The wheels themselves look like crap which is why I replaced them. I wonder if the metal stem materials quality vary by mfg?




MechaniMan said:


> Metal ones are made from aluminum. A lot of people make the mistake of sticking a steel cap on the aluminum stem which is a big mistake. When people do this the two dissimilar Metals weld themselves together and you are unable to remove the cap. Another very common problem with the aluminum valve stems is when the aluminum wheels start to corrode or if you live in an area that receives freezing weather in the winter time the aluminum is susceptible to cracking from the expansion of the corrosion or the ice. Additionally the aluminum valve stems still contain a valve core that is made from a different metal than aluminum strem. This too can be subject to galvanic corrosion due to dissimilar Metals being in direct contact with one another. This galvanic corrosion in many cases causes the valve stems to need replacement when they normally would not need replaced. Aluminum stems also are subject to the same corrosion that causes aluminum wheels to leak between the bead seat of the wheel and the tire. The white powdery substance that forms between the bead and the tire and causes it to start leaking is aluminum rust.


----------



## J. V. (Jun 1, 2007)

raylo32 said:


> As much as a PITA as these can seem to be sometimes TPMS is a really good idea. You always have the option to just let the sensors die and ignore it, if you are so inclined.


 Ignoring was not an option for me. The indicator light was and is still bugging me.



MechaniMan said:


> I worked in a tire shop for 6 years and I'm going to tell you from experience you're better off with rubber stems than you are with them s***** aluminum ones


The service writer told me the same thing. I told him I had the metal stems for 13 years with zero issues and thats what they should have put on the truck. They did not give me the option for metal or rubber. Principle.



raylo32 said:


> Just a data point on TPMS battery life, at least on my Tacoma that has Denso Pacific sensors with Panasonic batteries. Bought the truck, 2009 model, in November 2008. I just popped the bead on one of my take off wheels and tires (had them all replaced last year), pulled out the sensor, and removed the battery. If I had known it was that easy I would have done that instead of getting new sensors. All the sensors were still online last summer when these wheels were removed and the battery in that one wheel I tested today was still functional, reading 2.9V down from about 3.2V for a brand new one. Maybe getting close to the low volt limit for the sensors but still pretty amazing after almost 14 years.
> 
> View attachment 694997


So they batteries can be replaced? I was not given that option and its my fault for not finding out on my own. Had this been possible there would be no issue.
I presented with metal stems and that is what I expect to get when I picked up the truck.


----------



## raylo32 (Nov 25, 2006)

Yes and no. They are not designed to be replaced. It is a DIY hack but not all that difficult. requires some disassembly and soldering. Mine are pretty easy because the original potting around the battery is a sort of lower density stuff that I could scape out easily. I did that above one in the photo just for fun of it because I already have a full new identical set of these metal valve sensors. Like you, I had zero issues with the metal stems for over 13 years, even here in snow and salt land. And I have seen broken rubber stems once or twice. No way those rubber stem sensors would last 13 years like the OEM ones... but then they probably use cheaper batteries that will die sooner anyway.

Edit: to be clear no shop will agree to replace batteries in sensors that are not designed to have them replaced. Too risky to get call backs and no way they could warrant the reliable operation of 13 year old sensors. This is strictly a DIY thing.



J. V. said:


> So they batteries can be replaced? I was not given that option and its my fault for not finding out on my own. Had this been possible there would be no issue.
> I presented with metal stems and that is what I expect to get when I picked up the truck.


----------



## J. V. (Jun 1, 2007)

Update: The service writer emailed me and told me they were going to replace the stems with metal at no charge. That they are on back order.
I hope the computer issue does not add a balance to what I have already paid. The light was off for a couple days before it came back on. They said computer so I hope they don't try and make up the difference here!


----------



## Juarezsb (1 mo ago)

J. V. said:


> I bit the bullet and took my 09 Ram 1500 to the dealer to get several things repaired.
> I had a TPMS indicator light on. They replaced all four wheel sensors. Light off. A few days later light is back on.
> This is when I noticed the replacement stems were rubber not metal like the originals. I expected OEM Dodge parts not third party parts and they verified the stems are third party. I don't like the look, but the principle is I took it to Dodge service and expected the stems to be OEM metal. Like I had when I brought it in to this dealer. Same dealer I bought the truck from in 2009.
> How far would you push this issue? The service rep told me the OEM stems are 3 times the price of the OEM stems and he quoted the job using third party stems.
> ...



I would go with OEM parts, unless you really know what you're doing


----------

