Lexus RX300 phase 2 running report

[DodgeRover]

Thought I might as well throw a thread up about my other halfs car.
This is the second one of these we have had, the first was on LPG and ran upto 230k before the gearbox shit itself without warning and the fact it had been a Scottish car with the resultant corrosion issues meant it wasn't worth repairing.
We needed another car to tow the caravan and this was advertised at a local dealer.
Comes with a full service history.
Brought it got it home, what's that pool of coolant? Radiator replaced under warranty.
Knowing we need to tow our big caravan and I have zero motivation for working on it, I took it to my mate and it's had, oil, filter, air filter, water pump, cambelt and tensioner along with new brakes all around.
Done about 7000 miles prior to going on holiday.
On a run it is showing over 30mpg over 200 miles.
New Towbar fitted by me along with dual electrics
Hook up caravan and off we go to the lakes.
Tows caravan well but slightly nose down due to towbar height.
MPG towing drops to around 16 to 20 mpg, better on the motorway, don't think this is that bad as the caravan is 1800kg loaded plus 4 adults 2 dogs and whatever else is crammed into the roof box

Starter motor promptly shits itself on the last day in the lakes.
Get one more start and leave it running whilst loading caravan, drive to parent's and fit new starter on driveway.
Also fit plate to lift towbar height.
Tow caravan back upto Scarborough for last few days of holiday. Ride quality is noticeably better with the van sitting more level.

Return home.
It's used absolutely no oil or water.

[AMCrebel]

Always liked the look of these.

[DodgeRover]

And refund being sorted now by the AA for the £75 we were charged for the call out on the failed starter.

[DodgeRover]

Always liked the look of these.

They are nice, this one is much nicer than the last one, I didn't realise just how baggy the other one felt, and pulls the caravan better. Although as with most autos it's easier to shift manually when towing to be in an appropriate ratio rather than waiting until the power drops off before shifting down.

Cruise control when heavy towing on hilly terrain is a no no though, it virtually red lined itself a couple of times which wasn't fun as I'm usually pretty gentle on things mechanically unless it's required.

I'm going to drown it in some sort of wax/ oil/ corrosion inhibitor underneath as I've seen just how bad they can get!

[AMCrebel]

On a recommendation from Red5 I did the underside of my Discovery (and my wheelbarrow) with Lanoguard and highly recommend it.

[DodgeRover]

On a recommendation from Red5 I did the underside of my Discovery (and my wheelbarrow) with Lanoguard and highly recommend it.

How is it holding on?