After two stolen cars, he went to the aftermarket
Which left him with another stolen car and a $20k repair bill
A Greater Toronto driver was a two-time victim of car theft, so he had an aftermarket anti-theft device installed. Now that Lexus has been stolen. And he’s not happy with the brand or his dealer.
The story started in September (via The CBC). Mitchell Levine was the victim of car theft for the second time in 16 months. When he replaced his stolen Lexus with a new RX 350h, he wanted to do something to make sure this one stayed parked where it should have been.
He said his Lexus dealer told him they don’t offer a better anti-theft system, but said that it was OK to have one added. So he had one added by Car Systems Installation in North York.
Soon after, his Lexus started to have starting issues and was towed back to the dealer. The Lexus dealer said that the anti-theft installation had damaged the vehicle’s wiring. Despite CSI having an independent technician look over the vehicle and say the installation was not the issue, Ken Shaw Toyota and Don Valley North Toyota agreed that it was and that the vehicle’s warranty should be voided.
So Levine had the system removed and paid for the fix. Two weeks later, his new Lexus was stolen. Taken from a Toronto Transit Commission parking lot on October 3.
“It’s very frustrating,” Levine told CBC Toronto. “When we tried to put security in the cars, they forced us to take it out.”
The Lexus RX series is the most stolen vehicle in Ontario, and the vast majority are never recovered. The vehicles are stripped for parts, or, more likely, shipped overseas and sold in other markets.
Lexus Canada is “sorry to hear about [Levine’s] stolen vehicle,” spokesperson Philippe Crowe told the CBC.
