# tire pressure monitoring FTMS TPMS RDC RPA



## riku2 (Apr 13, 2012)

I didn't find this information posted anywhere else in one place.

I have an F10 with tire pressure monitoring system (metal valve stems) and each wheel has a monitoring module inside the wheel to report on tire pressure. But these sensors are 100euro a wheel and I have a second set of winter tires and didn't want to pay for the modules in those. It's possible to switch the car to a different type of flat tire monitoring that uses the ABS sensors to measure wheel rotation. It's not as accurate as the module based system but still tells you if the wheel has lost air (since it gets smaller and rotates more than the other tires).

I think in the USA the module based system is standard on all cars but in europe it was only made standard in 2014, before then cars came with the ABS based system.

With some coding it's possible to switch between the two types.
So for my car I will use the module based system in the summer and ABS based system in the autumn/spring (I actually have three sets of tires: summer, winter friction and winter studded. The winter friction wheels don't have tire pressure modules, the other two sets do).

Here are the codes that need changing. The module based system is called TPMS (RDC in German). The ABS based system is called FTMS (RPA in German).


```
FTMS (flat tire monitoring system ABS based) RPA	
<<< CAFD_00000069.caf.009_001_004  (KOMBI L6 BO) >>>	
KOMBI L6 BO > ERM_Konfiguration 3004 > ST_TYR_RDC_ALIVE	nicht_aktiv
KOMBI L6 BO > ERM_Konfiguration 3004 > ST_TYR_RDC_TIMEOUT	nicht_aktiv
KOMBI L6 BO > FZG_Ausstattung 3003 > DSC_MIT_RPA 	mit_rpa
	
<<< CAFD_00000052.caf.007_010_000  (ICMQL) >>>	
ICMQL > Daten 3000 > IcmKod_B_SA2VB	nicht_verbaut
	
<<< CAFD_000000F9.caf.007_003_022  (HU_CICHB) >>>	
HU_CICHB > EXBOX 3001 > RDC	nicht_aktiv
HU_CICHB > EXBOX 3001 > RDC_SAFETY 	nicht_aktiv
HU_CICHB > EXBOX 3001 > RPA_CIC	activ

	
TPMS (tire pressure monitoring system with modules) RDC	
<<< CAFD_00000069.caf.009_001_004  (KOMBI L6 BO) >>>	
KOMBI L6 BO > ERM_Konfiguration 3004 > ST_TYR_RDC_ALIVE	aktiv
KOMBI L6 BO > ERM_Konfiguration 3004 > ST_TYR_RDC_TIMEOUT	aktiv
KOMBI L6 BO > FZG_Ausstattung 3003 > DSC_MIT_RPA 	ohne_rpa
	
<<< CAFD_00000052.caf.007_010_000  (ICMQL) >>>	
ICMQL > Daten 3000 > IcmKod_B_SA2VB	verbaut
	
<<< CAFD_000000F9.caf.007_003_022  (HU_CICHB) >>>	
HU_CICHB > EXBOX 3001 > RDC	aktiv
HU_CICHB > EXBOX 3001 > RDC_SAFETY 	aktiv
HU_CICHB > EXBOX 3001 > RPA_CIC	nicht_aktiv
```
Important note: The RDC (module) system has a receiver to pick up the signals from the wheels. If your car has this and you want to disable RDC through coding then you must remove the fuse to the RDC unit. Just making the coding changes is not enough in this scenario you will get an error. In my car (525D 2011) this is fuse #139 although it might vary from model to model. The fuse diagram confusing shows a petrol pump icon for this fuse but it's certainly the tire pressure monitoring module.

You can tell what type of system your wheels have based on the valve stems: rubber= FTMS/RPA. Metal = TPMS/RDC

After changing the configuration/changing wheels, revisit the i-drives vehicle status and reset the settings for tire pressure monitoring. It takes a few minutes for the car to re-learn the current status of the tires. In the same way if you have several sets of wheels with RDC modules (eg winter and summer) then after swapping over the wheels you must re-initialize the system through i-drive to learn the modules from the wheels now on the car. The system is clever enough to know if the wheels with the modules are on the back seat and different wheels actually on the car - it must know if the modules are rotating.


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## apollo.ab (Jun 8, 2017)

question about activation of the RDC on F 15 30dx build 2016 or switching from RPA to RDC. Installed wheels' monitoring modules, last model. I did following coding:
HU_NBT > 3001 > RDC > activ
HU_NBT >	3001	RDC_SAFETY > activ	
HU_NBT >	3001	RPA > nicht_aktiv
HU_NBT >	3001	RDC_FORTSCHRITTSANZEIGE > activ	
HU_NBT >	3001	REIFENUEBERWACHUNG_RDC_RPA >	rdc	
HU_NBT >	3001	RDC_DRUCK_TEMP >	druck	druck_und_temperatur	

The problem that in spite on long driving, more then three weeks, and several restarting of the RDC wia idrive menu, value of the pressure and temperature not appear yet. All the time there is notice on the monitor: "Calculating of the pressure and temperature". Also what is a bit strange, cause I did same on my car f 15 25dx build 2016 and at the beginning appear notice "Initialization of the RDC system" with progress in %, then several days same notice "Calculating of the pressure and temperature". then values appear. On the car of my friend at the beginning appear "calculating" and was no any "Initialization". 

Please advise what should be coded additionally?


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## Gremlinsl (Feb 2, 2019)

apollo.ab said:


> question about activation of the RDC on F 15 30dx build 2016 or switching from RPA to RDC. Installed wheels' monitoring modules, last model. I did following coding:
> HU_NBT > 3001 > RDC > activ
> HU_NBT >	3001	RDC_SAFETY > activ
> HU_NBT >	3001	RPA > nicht_aktiv
> ...


We're you able to get this working?


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