Common sense goes that if you put something into a car when building it, that something is meant to work. 'Cause if it doesn't, US law kicks in... Take BMW, for instance. The German carmaker built the X5 M complete with side marker lamps, but forgot to fit the car with power supplies leading to the lamps. Really, the lamps are there, but there's no wiring...
Meaning the lamps don't work, hence they violate the requirements of Federal Motor vehicle safety standard no. 108: "lamps, reflective devices and associated equipment."
Meaning BMW will recall the affected models (an unknown number so far) to fix the glitch and make the damn things work. BMW will notify owners of a recall schedule and fix in due time.
So, they forgot a cable. Big deal. They didn't forget to place under the hood a new V8 Twin Scroll turbocharged engine which develops 555 horsepower and 680 Nm of torque.
We reckon that when you go naught to sixty in 4.7 seconds (in a SUV!!!) and reach a top speed of 250 km/hour (155 mph), you don't give much thought to the damn side lamps which don't illuminate.
On the other hand, the M-badged X5 has a base price of $85,400 in the US, so you'd expect to get all the features the car has to offer, including the wiring which makes lamps work.
BMW X5 M Recalled for... Side Marker Lamps - autoevolution
04-21-2010, 11:44 PM
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