On another note, years ago, my oldest son bought a brand new Mazda, picked it up from the dealer, and on the way home the timing belt fell off. He also owned a brand new VW Rabbit, had the dealer install air conditioning in it. About a year later the air conditioning unit caught fire, but at least the car itself wasn't damaged. He wasn't going to do anything about it, so I told him to get the parts from the dealer, and give them to me. I wrote a very strong letter to VW, sent it with the parts to VW Headquarters, and although I can't remember how much the check was for, they reimbursed my son for his troubles. Mama Bear was looking out for her cub.
I sued Mercedes Benz of Encino California (Auto Stiegler) in the early '70s... I bought a well-used 1958 220S from a Mercedes dealer and it died just over its 30-day warranty. Total transmission failure.
I talked to the owner of the dealership, and he essentially told me and my wife to pound sand.I wrote letters to the Chamber of Commerce, the Better Business Bureau, and on a whim, to Mercedes-Benz of North America. The CofC and BBB letters were a waste of time, but after I filed suit in the Municipal court - using my long-haired little brother to serve papers - I was called by the owner to come into his dealership and talk.
He and his wife were friendlier than the last time and there was a man standing in the corner watching. He offered me any used American car from his lot plus a return of the 220S and a full refund if I dropped the suit. I found a Plymouth station wagon that friends of mine used to own and accepted his offer.
The man in the corner was the rep from Mercedes-Benz who had flown in from New Jersey to observe!