Toyota, Lexus Management Woes Continue

TOKYO, Japan - (AP)

In an embarrassing series of events that underscored the problems at the vaunted car Japanese car manufacturer, Ralleye Lexus of Glen Cove NY has apparently botched the kidnapping of a Laurel Hollow man. The owner of a 2005 Lexus ES330, Ted Bahr, 51, brought the vehicle in for a routine 45,000 mile tune-up on Thursday morning, which quickly went array.

The original plot involved Bahr bringing his car into the dealer for a brief, normal service, during which the customer would simply read magazines and attempt to ignore the 56-inch HDTV set while sitting in the waiting room. Once carless, the Lexus dealer planned to keep Bahr waiting with a series of “one-thing-after-another” repairs until he wilted and gave in to their demands (which were not known, at presstime).

Aware of the potential for this, Bahr demanded a loaner vehicle that the dealer, anxious for the plot to remain undercover, then provided. Bahr drove off in a spanking new 2010 RX 450 Hybrid, making sure to transfer anything he might need over the next several weeks into the pristine and environmentally sensitive vehicle.

Demonstrating the lack of competence not to mention utter chaos reigning at Toyota and Lexus dealers, Ralleye Lexus remained oblivious to the fact that Bahr now had a much better car in his possession, and they went ahead the planned series of dispiriting phone calls to the customer with reports of one unpredictable micro-repair after another.

Bahr reported that his mood was actively lightening with each successive call that the dealer had to “wait for another part to arrive,” as a standard wheel alignment was now rumored to be taking at least two weeks. “I’ve got the good car and I’m actually getting used to it - the fools can keep the 330," laughed Bahr as he took off on an unscheduled trip to Acadia National Park in Bar Harbor, ME.