Motorhome Maintenance Advice For New Owners

A good proportion of people who are new to motorhome ownership will have bought a second-hand campervan which might need a little attention here and there. Motorhomes which are well looked after will often retain a considerable amount of resale value and not depreciate in the same way as cars and commercial vehicles. However, valuation usually comes down to how many miles you do in your motorhome before the time comes to sell it on. Maintaining a motorhome does not require many specialist skills, but the mechanics and engine should be serviced by a professional. What should you be looking to do yourself?

Deal With Damp Quickly

One of the common problems that motorhome owners face is with moisture building up. Damp can be caused from a variety of sources and might even accumulate when the vehicle is not in use, perhaps over the course of a winter. Once a year, use a hose to pour water all over the roof and sides of your motorhome to check for leaks. Take particular care with door seals and where panels in the body work are joined together since these can often be problem areas. Furthermore, you should check that the motorhome has adequate ventilation in the kitchen area and in the shower. Install a dehumidifier if damp is building up from water normal usage in the motorhome before wet areas turn mouldy or get covered in hard-to-remove spores.

Check Your Tyres

Motorhomes have to carry differing amounts of weight depending on how many people are staying in it. Therefore, you may have adjusted your tyre pressure down for a heavy load, particularly if you needed to drive over a track to get to your destination. Don't forget to reinflate your motorhome's tyres back to the desired level when it is not in use. This way, you will soon be able to spot cracks and bulges in the tyres' side walls, often an easy problem to miss with under-inflated tyres.

Run the Motorhome's Generator

If your generator fails, then this can lead to a costly repair bill and you might even need to purchase a new one. If your motorhome is going to be inactive for a couple of months, then take the time to run the generator. Fuel in the system will degrade over time, so you need to run it in order to prevent the fuel from causing internal damage. A couple of hours of running time each month is usually all that is needed to ensure the generator remains in good working order for the next time you head out on the open road.