So, the stiction was not the reason that I sent the binoculars in for warranty service.
It was the tendency of the focuser to become very stiff to operate when the hinge was opened. This behaviour was dependant on the direction of movement of the hinge, and was apparent especially when the hinge was opened all the way. I also felt the focuser sometimes started showing a bit of slop/backlash, which is not a known feature of this model's focuser.
This however did not change my impression of the product (things can go wrong even with the most expensive binoculars)
It is the customer service experience that I have had so far which has let me down. On one part, I was very happy to have had a 1 week turnaround and really looked forward to opening the box, but was immediately let down by marks left on them due to the works... had the binocular been 5 years old with signs of wear and tear... maybe...just maybe I might have not kicked up a fuss about it... but it looked practically brand new before it was sent in. I really looked after them.
Nikon have now responded that the issue has been escalated and they're deciding what they need to do, they should get back to me next week.