Nman..I hate to say it as I'm sure you already know by now...But taking your BMW to sears was a terrible terrible move..Don't EVER take your X5 to a sears, wal-mart, jiffy lube, etc.. These places can be murder on a BMW...You said you live far from a reputable shop, but you took the car to the dealer after the Sears fiasco? From this point forward only take your car to the dealer for whatever reason, or search this board and find a reputable BMW indie shop that is familar with these types of vehicles in your area..

I'd say its more then likely that Sears isn't telling you everything (meaning what they did with your car). But that becomes a battle you really probably don't want to fight unless you have substantial proof that Sears F'd your car up.. I'd say at this point, get what you can from sears as you stated they will pay for the suspension problem. But from this point on, have your car worked on by a real BMW mechanic..Not some chaud from Sears...