> Not sure why Penguin and deutsch100 are assuming this poor camera part is made in Germany.


Penguin is not assuming this, and did not say this. Penguin is assuming that they are, as in the past, "married" to a particular supplier for reasons other than quality, and are showing their typical stubbornness in not switching suppliers. I am providing some past behavior example where BMW stubbornly refused to fix a quality problem for what appears on the surface to be a reluctance to switch suppliers. I am guessing that the camera/system is sourced from some EC supplier, such as Phillips or Bosch, and would welcome any information which would confirm, or refute, this.