I want to share with you correspondence with BMW regarding my 320D SE Automatic first registered 26 September 2012. I informed them that we locked the car, yet inadvertently left the car engine running in a supermarket car park. The car key was taken with us. On our return an hour later we found the engine still running. Is this correct? I would have assumed with key away from the car, the engine should stop. Bear in mind my wife and I, at 78 and 81, do not hear things as well as we once, but it just did not occur to us the car would run without a key.

BMW replied: “I can advise that when warming a car up in cold weather, customers often leave the engine running and doors locked until such time as they are ready to depart. I am sorry that this facility has not benefited you at this time. We do not see this as a design or concept fault. I can advise that this was checked with our technical department to ensure it was not part of the comfort access package.”

So, HJ, I would be interested in your observations and are we the only ones to voice concern over this design 'fault'?