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.
