Tips on Buying Cars: Leasing Issue, leasing issue, honda pilot

Question
Hi Jeff,
We have a sticky situation, primarily involving a dealer's less than honest approach and failure to offer solutions.  After a six hour ordeal involving a dead battery and other delays, we leased a Honda Pilot.  We asked repeatedly about whether our model (EX) had satellite radio: The salesman assuered us it did, and all we had to do was call XM to begin service.  Well, XM said that there was no receiver hooked up, so we called the Honda dealer (our salesman) and, after two days, he calls back and tells us this: "You were test driving the LX models and they call come with XM.  The one you leased does not. It'll be $550 to install the XM receiver."  Now, when we signed the lease, the battery had died on the car (why???) and we had to come back two days later to get it.  We asked this guy REPEATEDLY about the XM radio, and he insisted all along we'd have one.  What can we do now?  We're very unhappy right now, but I can see no remedy after reviewing the lease agreement.  Is there a fast track to getting this resolved?  Or, are we stuck calling the dealer over and over until they give in (if they do)?  Should I contact Honda of America directly?  Any help and insight would be greatly appreciated.  Yes, it's only XM satellite radio, but it's really more the principle (and their rather arrogant "too bad" attitude).  We'd rather terminate the lease and start with someone else, but the reality is that we just want to get the XM radio we were promised.  Thanks!  

Answer
Contact dealership management immediately, and explain the situation.  Keep your cool, tell them why you chose the Pilot and their particular dealership (a little softsoap never hurts), but you felt mislead by the salesperson and want the radio he assured you the vehicle had.  (Technically, you should have gotten all the salesperson's promises in writing, but let's keep that between us right now, and DON'T bring that up with management).  If they don't give you a swift and satisfactory response, then "move up the food chain" and contact Honda of America, American Honda Finance Corp (that is who the Pilot is leased through, right?), and your local consumer-advocacy agency (here in New York State, that would be the Attorney General's office, for example).  Yes, contact all three of those simultaneously.  You'll certainly get someone's attention, and that should get some results.

If none of this works, your only alternative is to take the dealer to court, but if you don't have all promises in writing, that would probably be a waste of time.  But you must ACT FAST- time is running out.  Good luck.