Bulkhead & Reset TPMS Sensor [Day 16]

We were hoping our solar panels were going to arrive today but it looks like they’re coming tomorrow, so today was another miscellaneous task day.

Finish Window Tint

Austin decided to re-do the window tint on the passenger window because we had enough left over. The tint ended up looking pretty good, but not professional. It looks great from the outside, but on the inside you can tell that there are small bubbles and imperfections. There is also a slightly larger gap at the top than there would be with a professional install, but that’s hidden when you roll the window up. Despite not being professional-grade, the tint will do the job we need it to do and looks good from the outside.

Now we just have to wait a week before we can roll our windows back down.

The verdict on DIYing your window tint is basically don’t do it. Austin’s done it before and he still had some problems. It would be worth the money to pay for a professional install especially if this would be your first time.

 

Bulkhead

The rail that the bulkhead door slides on extended a bit past the door, and we knew that would give me some good bruises in the future. So Austin got out the saw and chopped it off so it is now flush with the door opening. Then he filed down and rounded off the edges with a metal file so I can’t cut myself on it either.

He replaced the screws holding the rail to the bulkhead because one of them was stripped and not holding the door in place firmly.

Finally, he created a strap to secure the door while we’re driving. It is a nylon strap with snaps in it, and there are snaps on the wall that it attaches to. We can use the strap to hold the door closed or open.

 

Lubricate sliding door

Austin sprayed the metal rail and rollers on the sliding door with a silicone-based spray so that it would open and close a little bit easier.

 

Reset TPMS Sensor

Every time we drove the van, we’d hear a loud beep about 2 minutes after we started. We couldn’t figure out what it was, but today Austin realized it was the Tire Pressure Monitoring System (TPMS). We had previously thought the TPMS light was lit up on the dash because our front driver’s side wheel has a slow leak.

After some research, he found that the tires are designed to be inflated to 50 PSI on the front and 70 PSI on the rear. So, if you rotate the tires and then change the pressures, the TPMS sensor will think the front tires are overinflated and the back tires are underinflated. To reset the reference pressure, you turn the car to ON mode without starting it, press the M button on the left side of the instrument cluster until the message says “TPMS Cal” then you hit the “+” button on the right side and it resets the TPMS reference pressure. This helps the TPMS re-learn which tires are where and what pressures to expect them to be at.

Touch Up Paint

Austin also touched up some paint on the outside of the van, where it was rusting. And he spray painted a few more areas of exposed metal inside the van, to prevent rust.

 

9/14/2020

Build Day #16

Hours Worked: 5

• Austin – 5
• Total Project Hours: 182

Money Spent: $0

• Total Project Spending: $18,512

Tasks Complete: 4

• Finish window tint
• Chop bulkhead rail
• Create a strap to secure bulkhead door
• Reset TPMS sensor
• Touch up paint

Questions Googled: 1

• How to reset TPMS sensor

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