Keyzer Soze

I just noticed last night that the lights dim slightly when turning the steering wheel.

I think I have a similar problem with my 57 C3 1.4 Cool, occasionally my steering feels quite heavy and is accompanied by what I can best describe as a grinding noise and rough feeling through the steering wheel when maneuvering at slow speeds. I spoke to the dealership and they said they hadn't heard of anything like this happening before,but to bring it in when it happens. Trouble is, it's an intermittent problem and very unpredictable. I'm probably going to have to wait for it to become constant or break entirely. :( Because it's an intermittent problem, I'm inclined to think it's electronic in nature. Any thoughts?