I am sorry to hear about your experience. You have a number of options: 1) draft a letter demanding payment for the damages; 2) hire an attorney to draft a demand letter and negotiate a potential settlement (this will probably cost $250-500); or, 3) either you or an attorney file suit in small claims court. The first two options will likely go ignored by the corporation. If you file suit, the other party must respond or judgment can be entered against them almost immediately. I suggest that you seek further advice from an attorney, local bar association, or local courthouse which typically has a help desk to assit individuals (6th, 8th, or 28th Floor, Daley Center if you are downtown during the week). Feel free to contact me at info@pav-law.com

If you are going to pursue the matter, you will need to get written documentation from the shop and the dealership.

You may want to hire an attorney after acquiring documentation of the defect to write you a "demand letter".

It is most likely not practical to litigate this matter in the circuit court if you get nowhere with correspondence. You may want to use small claims court as a remedy.

You will need documentation of the damages and I beleive have the option of also pursuing the distributor of the defective part. I would send a letter to both the manufacturer and distributor and mention to the distributor what a good customer you are and that you have been purchasing items from them for years (if you have). They have the most to lose-your business and might make some kind of accomodation for you. If a letter does not work, small claims court is a possibility. However, I do not think that in light of the small size of the damages that it is cost effective to hire counsel.