i am sorry for your misfortune, rick. i agree with the point made by several posters: it's always a good idea to enlist the help of others, like your dealer, on warranty and repair issues. going it alone, well, let's just say there's strength in numbers. there's also strength in being firm and persistent to the point where you're calling/writing/emailing where the other side cannot ignore you. sometimes a patient, polite approach doesn't work because you're much more easily ignored. often service people are short of time and, giving them the benefit of the doubt, simply take on the loudest, most frequent calls first.
btw, i think it's unacceptable that the dealer didn't help you more responsibly from the very beginning (i'm assuming you did contact them right away).
the bright side is that the M8 is worth the trouble, at least in my opinion.