Beyonda, I had the same problem with the climbing bars sticking in the heel of my boot. The solution was simple! I just flipped the bar over. Done.
Also both my wife and I are on both the 01 and are having issues with the cartridges loosening rather quickly. We both had skis come off before we figured out what was going on (hadn't seen any reviews to make us aware of this problem). Now we are sure to check them each time we put them on. The sharpie mark is a good idea, though we've been considering the tape solution too.
That said, we love the performance of this binding in both touring mode and when you point them down and rip it up!