That makes two of us since I'm also OCD. I didn't find the OEM sensors to be overly expensive but am also fortunate to live 15 minutes from a US border town, have a mailing address there and also hold a Nexus Pass. I purchased the OEM Schrader sensors from an online specialty TPMS store for $43 US each with free shipping. Due to high volume sales the sensors that I bought were also fairly fresh since they were less than a year from date of manufacture. The batteries deplete over time even if they aren't installed and I've read of cases where someone bought some that didn't last long after they were installed only to find out that they purchased some that were already 8 years old by the the date of manufacture code moulded into the plastic housing.I agree, but when you have OCD, like me LOL, if everything is not working as it should it drives me nuts, but money does talk.
Where would you guys suggest I go to get a decent deal on a fresh set.
I bought a programmer similar to this one shown. Once you have programmed a new valve stem unit to the car, you can do the rest in minutes. Our car was about seven years old when we bought it. A year later, we bought a set of polished rims with good tires on them. That was when I bought the programmer to programme the sensors in the new wheels. A simple process. if you still have your old wheels, get them far away from the car or the computer will pick up the signal from them and you might think that the new wheel set up is working. Not.Our C6 requires this tool to reset the TPMS and for the system to adapt new sensors and their position on the vehicle. The tool itself is cheap and cost about $20 on Amazon. Don't know whether the C5 is done the same way.
The easy solution if you replace your sensors before they stop working is to get ''easy sensors'' from shrader. The part # 33500 is a universal model that fits about 80% of the cars on the road. With the tool, you can duplicate the identity of your working sensors and the car will recognize them. You can also use these sensor for your winter wheels. This is what I use on my customers cars.
The 33500 can be programe with the proper tool but it's an expensive tool, many tireshop and autoparts stores have it, buy the sensors from them and they , in most case, will clone your old ones for free.
Many tpms tool can read the status of the battery.
Most American cars (except chrysler product) wont relearn the position of the wheels after rotation by themself, you have to do the relearn procedure everytime unless the car only have the tpms indicator light and no message display that can tell you the individual tire pressure.
Tpms is a good thing to have, before you notice the feeling of driving the car with a flat tire, specially whit run flat tires, it is often already to late and the tire is already have to much edammage inside, that's why you should always have your tires fix whit a patch so the tech, can remove the tire and look if it is still ok. So if your system is in good working order, you will know if there is a problem .
Have a great day.