They replace them because they think it will fix the car I guess. But don't
be fooled by a lack of codes, O2s can be "lazy" or worn, or covered in so
much mud and tar and such that it can't breath well. At least that's what
they taught me in grease monkey school

You have never had a ford with a
sequential injection idle rough because of a lazy O2 on one side? I have. I
also like to check them with the scan tool to see if they don't hit damn
near 1 volt at WOT. I do agree they get changed for other reasons that they
never fix though. Like O2 codes from low fuel pressure.