Tonyj, that was a very well-thought-out letter and it seems to have touched on a majority of the issues that owners have experienced / mentioned. I did not realize the discrepancy between the transferrable / non-transferrable warranties of the brands either so that is alarming.

At any rate, we have heard of times when BMWNA would work with customers to keep them satisfied - other than the small refund on the camera, sorry to hear this is not the case with you there in NZ. It is good to know, however, that BMW is aware of these outstanding issues from other direct complaints. I got the "sorry but that's all you're getting" response about the camera when I wrote in a complaint. They went on to say they know of no efforts to improve upon it in the foreseeable future.

In the end, it is unfortunate 1 model has driven you away from BMW. Best of luck with your MB though - I agree with most of what you pointed out are quality issues, though I personally have just 2 of them and live with it for now.

I am curious - how have your other BMWs held up on the rough roads there? I have another SUV that rattles often because it has been off-road. Just the other day I played in the snow with the E70 a bit and apparently it produced the seat creak as a direct result.

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'08 X5 3.0si - Alpine White / Saddle Brown interior
Specs: Sport Pkg, Premium Pkg, Tech Pkg, Comfort Access, Aero Kit, Style 433 staggered 20s on Conti DWS
Mods: Carbon 35 tint, LED angel eyes, GP Thunder 7500k fogs, H&R 20mm/25mm spacers, clear reflectors, gunsmoke-tinted taillights
Coded: Digital speedo, windows/sunroof/tailgate close via keyfob

X5 pics at Flickr