Tire Repairing Aerosols
You may or may not have heard of Fix-A-Flat, a repairing aerosol that claims the ability to both seal and fill your flat tire in 3 minutes or less, and last 100 miles. While the benefits of a product like this are obvious, there is one thing to consider: Do tire repairing aerosols like Fix-A-Flat interfere with, or even damage TPMS sensors, in turn hindering the performance of the entire TPMS system?
TPMS Sensor Location
Firstly, the location of your TPMS sensor is important in determining whether or not a tire repairing aerosol will affect it. Traditionally, OEM TPMS sensors are built into the valve stem, with the sensor placed within the tire. This is the case with REDI-Sensor. However, there are systems where the sensor is located in the cap. If that is the case, it can’t be impaired by anything inside of the tire.
Short Answer
Though many may believe that products like Fix-A-Flat or Slime definitely damage or impair your TPMS sensor, that is not the case. Upon application they do not harm the system, sensor, or tire in any way. However, if the proper steps are not taken after the product is used, and the tire is then fixed, then damage can occur. Emergency tire repair products inject a sealant into the tire, leaving some kind of residue, that needs to be cleaned out of the tire before it can be repaired. If it is not cleaned out, then the TPMS sensor can run into problems.
Is it safe?
In the past, tire repairing aerosol products might have used flammable gas to fill the tire. This of course gained attention, as it was a hazard that could possibly cause a fire or explosion during tire work. As a result, they now use nonflammable gas to fill the tires. Some of these products, including Slime, are even designed and marked to be tire pressure monitoring system safe.
