This is my problem: yesterday, I had to have the alternator and battery replaced in my 2008 Solara convertible. I purchased the car new in May 2009 & it has 40,000 miles. I had the work done at Mieneke instead of my usual Toyota dealership, where I take the car for ALL scheduled maintenance, because I was stranded on Labor Day weekend (car would not start). Mieneke said a bad battery cell had caused the alternator to overwork & had probably been happening for over a month. My concern is that I'm having battery & alternator issues on a Toyota purchased new 2.5 years ago with only 40k miles. I also replaced the tires last month (during regular maintenance at the dealership) & was a little surprised the original tires that came on the vehicle needed replacing after only barely 2 years. I'm a single female car owner who is not a mechanic, so I need language to talk with the dealership and their service department about what I should be able to expect in an alternator & battery, whether this should be covered under warranty (I know I had the work done elsewhere & that invalidates it, but I was in a jam) & especially how I can get their attention to check my vehicle carefully during regular maintenance & make sure the system in a relatively new vehicle works as a high-end Toyota product should. If a bad battery cell was overworking the alternator (& creating a smell according to Mieneke) for over a month, shouldn't this have at least been detected during my maintenance checkup last month, where they told me I needed new tires? I'm sorry. This probably sounds crazy, but the whole point of my having a relationship with the dealership & keeping up regular maintenance should be to prevent getting stranded. I know no one can guarantee that will never happen, but an alternator & new battery at 40k? If you can just help give me some language to talk to with the dealership so I get adequate car care, I would appreciate it. Thanks.