If it was me, I'd consider the following:

1. Go to the dealer and plead with him to help you out since the car is just barely out of warranty.

2. If #1 doesn't work, then I'd change out the sensor that is typically known to cause this problem. For $32 US or so it seems like a pretty good investment. My only question is that I'm not sure if your climate control system is exactly like ours. You said that the controls are different. I would think that the set up behind the controls is liekly the same, but I'm not positive.

Len