Can't reset brake pad wear warning without replacing sensor - more nanny bs!

[RADRACR]

This is a question/rant hybrid as I probably know the answer. Warning to others.

I changed pads and rotors but failed to reset the service nanny. The sensor is still perfectly fine -- I changed pads before the rotors touched the sensor. Now she's telling me that my pads are dangerously low and it's throwing the "red alert" brake warning. WTF is the point of a mechanical sensor if the computer is going to calculate mileage and throw the warning anyway? Are you telling me that I need to spend $30 on a new sensor when the old one is perfectly fine? How does it know it's a new sensor? Does it have a microchip with an ID? I'm hoping the new sensor will indeed let me reset it. I've had it with this nanny BS. My Z4M is a quiet little girl who never says a word unless something is actually wrong.