Cutting a deal with the dealer

[Murray Nesbitt <murrayn@home.com>]

Last week, I posted about some trouble I was having with my car.
Turns out, the alternator and battery are toast.  The theory is that
the battery was gradually dying and the alternator had to work harder
to compensate for it, burning itself out.  The car had completely shut
itself down while on my way to a mechanic, after needing a boost just
to get it started.

The car is 100 kilometres and 2 months out of 24/40 warranty.  I was
ready to have the work performed at an independent shop, when the dealer
offered to pay 75% of the parts only (about $100 vs. $400).  The total
cost of the job was about $150 cheaper at the dealer (yes, only 150,
you do the math), so I decided to have it done there.

Now, I got to thinking today, why didn't I see a warning light from the
charging system?  In this situation, I should have had some warning,
shouldn't I have?  My guess is that the charging system warning light in
the dash wasn't working correctly.  If this is the case, is it reasonable
for a dealer to cover this entire episode under warranty?  After all, the
light might never have worked--who knows how long the problem has existed?

To top it off, the work was supposed to be completed by Tuesday afternoon,
and I got a call late in the afternoon that it would not be finished
until today (Wednesday).  This was, of course, after I had arranged a
ride to pick up my car, made plans for the evening, etc.

How should I handle this situation?  Would there be any hope in small
claims court against VW to have the whole thing covered under warranty?
How much influence does the service manager at the dealer have in this
situation?  Am I expecting too much from this guy, or is there someone
else I should talk to?

Finally, by picking up my car and paying the bill later today, am I in
essence "accepting the deal"?  I'd like to leave open any options for
getting a better deal (currently, I'm looking at about $600), including
small claims court, but I also *really* want my damn car back.

Murray