Costco used Schrader on my vehicle and they have been fine over the last few years. They did program them which only took 5 minutes.
Denso probably is OEM as Denso is one of the largest OEM suppliers to several Japanese car manufacturers and the RX has many other Denso parts.

 

I am using some Toyota TPMS sensors and they are working just fine for the last couple years in my 20in Lexus replica wheels. They were like $45 for the set on eBay. Probably some knockoffs, but they work. My local Discount Tire store was able to program them without any issue when they installed them with my new tires.

 

Denso doesn’t make their own sensors. Pacific industries is the manufacture. Denso and Dill just put them in a box and sell them as their own. The sensors still say pacific on them

 

I can't speak specifically about the 2015 RX but when I replaced my 06 SC430 TPMS they said Denso right on the sensor.

 

Could be wrong but that might have only been a sticker at most.

 

I just replaced all 4 sensors in my ISF, and went to Costco to have them installed. They only charged me a flat fee of $56.00 to do the install. If you're near a Costco, call them and ask how much they'll charge. I bought my sensors off ebay, genuine Toyota brand, and brought them to Costco.

 

Anyone know if the factory small spare tire (donut) has a tpms sensor it it -- how can I know without taking it to a shop?

Also, when replacing the sensors, is there any advantage with going with black rubber valve stems (instead of the OE style metal ones), as Costco suggests?

 

Temporary spares do not have sensors. Not all sensors are available in both rubber and metal. If you have a choice it’s all about preference and functionality is the same

 

Thanks for confirming my hunch about the spare, lexo98.

So, the Costco tire guy says the metal ones tend to deteriorate/corrode to the wheel because the gasket seal is thin. Therefore, only good for a few years before stems need replacing, hence rubber is their choice.
But mine are original OEM (Denso?) and from the outside the metal stems look perfect.

The ones Costco uses for this car are Dill 5002 or 7002 (donno the brand).

 

If they need to be replaced in a few years that’s your problem not his. Don’t know why he’s concerned about that for you other than he’s trying to get you to spend more money. My Costco guy had no issues letting me bring my own Toyota sensors for them to install.

 

He should have had a problem. Their policy as a lot of shops is to not install customer supplied TPMS.

 

I live in a warm part of the US and we don’t see much corrosion on the newer style sensors. His advice might be valid and the parts are very similar in price.

 

He did present me with a choice for when I show up to pre-buy them before the tire install. I think he was being candid with me.
And yeah, it depends on the two brands they handle. The Dill brand provides a choice of the 2 types of stems (for my particular sensor model).
Yes, I can go to RockAuto, et al and order some Denso's. However, then Costco won't be responsible for any failures and labor costs for re&re.
The Dills are close to the same price as those aftermarket Denso's (unless I grab them from uber-pricey Toyota). And apparently Dills are OEM on several car makes.
My feeling is that any brand, including Denso/Pacific will also have their share of failures.

I regularly check my tire pressures. And we rarely head out on long road trips anymore. So aside from a nagging dash light, not having tpms is no big deal for me.
It's just a convenience of getting them renewed while new tires are going on.

 

I think that is what he was alluding to. And yeah, the price diff is about $5.
If ultimately given the choice then I may just spring for the metal (aluminum?) anyway as I think it does look better than long black rubber stems poking through nice alloy wheels.
Haha.. of course, maybe I'm just used to seeing the metal ones on there now

 

Long before the days of TPMS, thin metal sleeves were available to slip down over the rubber valve stem. You unscrewed the valve stem cap, slipped the sleeve down over the stem, screwed the cap back on, and your valve stem assembly now looked like it was metal. Those sleeves may still be available.