I just got my EX1 back from San Jose with a request to remove a piece of crud from inside the lens (seen here):
http://www.vimeo.com/1007825
While it was there, I requested the firmware to be updated and that they fix the paint loss issue on the back plate by the roller/selector button. When it got back Friday, I checked the lens and the crud was STILL THERE. Unbelievable! According to the service ticket, they updated the firmware and performed a complete checkout of the camera. Since they were given the link to the video, they can't claim that they didn't see it or couldn't find it. AND, to top it all off, they broke/jammed the audio selector switch that controls the manual or auto level controls for the mics!!!

I'm hopping mad at this point especially since I had only owned the EX1 for two weeks when the lens crud issue appeared and the paint started to come off. I'm almost afraid to see WHAT they are going to do to the camera when I send it back for the jammed switch. I'm hoping to get another camera but I'm not sure when any sort of Lemon Law would kick in with a product like this.

Dave, When you say crud, do you mean small silver particles on the inside of the lens? I had this problem. I suspect it is actually flakes that have come off the sealant used to seal the front lens on. Which might explain why your camera had them again. They sealed the lens back up after cleaning and particles appeared again perhaps?

When I said "crud", I meant that big black chunk of foreign matter that is on the left side of the frame in the linked clip. I spoke with the manager of the Service Dept. yesterday and my EX1 is on its' way back to them tonight. If it was only a small piece of dust, I might not have a problem but this thing is really noticeable when you point the camera at the sky and stop the lens down. Then, to add insult to injury, they broke my Channel 1 audio circuit. I've also asked them to look at some fairly obvious CA color fringes too but I'm not very hopeful on that issue. By the time this thing gets back, it will have been in somebody else's hands longer than it's been in MY hands.