Old post, I know. But it is actually easy to beat the automakers. You sue in local small claims court, where lawyers are not allowed. The cost of the trip for the automaker is probably more than the cost to pay you, so they blow it off and you get a default judgement. Collecting can be hard, but again, they have more to lose from the costs of fighting it, so yuou probably get a check after they get a letter swith your very real threat of suing for contempt of court.
