Spring is already upon us – or just around the corner at least. Camping and caravanning sites all over the UK are opening again for business. It’s high time, therefore, that you get your motorhome ready for the season ahead!
Here are a few tips from Derby Motorhomes about things you can be doing right now – or in the near future – to prepare your motorhome in anticipation of the good weather to come.
Internal safety
Perhaps the most important thing is to check all of your gas appliances and installations for any indications of deterioration over the winter. Depending upon the nature and sophistication of your equipment, it might be highly advisable to get professionally qualified assistance in doing so.
You should also carefully check all of your ventilation and venting systems. They can sometimes get blocked by pests and some other forms of infestation. A guidance note published by the Caravan and Motorhome Club stresses the importance of adequate ventilation in your motorhome.
While you are inside, make sure that all the seat belts are working smoothly and correctly.
Check and test any smoke and CO/CO2 detectors, together with the vehicle’s anti-intruder alarm.
Finally, you should also thoroughly inspect all your electrical installations – once again calling on the services of a specialist if necessary.
Mechanics
Have a measured and attentive walk around your vehicle, looking for any obvious signs of problems.
Some of the giveaway symptoms may be familiar – and haven’t changed that much in years. If you see any indication of oil patches on the floor, mysterious oil where it shouldn’t be underneath the engine or around the wheels, it’s time to get it to the garage. Damp and rust patches should also be quickly investigated.
Check the vehicle’s lights and signalling equipment to make sure everything that was working well at the end of last season is still doing so today.
Ultimately, the only way to thoroughly test your vehicle is to take it out on the road. Your first drive after an extended period parked-up should be done at a quiet time, with Sunday afternoons being a fair bet.
Under controlled and entirely safe conditions – an empty car park, for example – test your breaking, reversing, horn, and instrumentation. Thoroughly inspect the tyres and check them not only for the legal depth of tread but also for bulges, discolouration, or indications of uneven wear.
You must check the tyre pressures, too, before you take your vehicle out on the road for its first test drive before the start of the season.
Comfort and services
Water systems are amongst those things that can, sometimes for little obvious reason, cause trouble after the off-road season. You might find it helpful to review the discussion on motorhome water systems that was published by Out and About Live on the 27th of July 2020.
So, make sure you check taps, drains, WCs, showers, and water tanks, close by the comfort and convenience of your own home. If anything isn’t working, then it’s better to find out in that environment rather than when you’re away using your vehicle on your first trip of the season.
You can also check things such as your internal lighting, heating, and any recreational equipment you have had fitted.
Summary
Assuming that your vehicle was parked up at the end of last season in good overall condition, there is absolutely no obvious reason why it shouldn’t be in good working order for the start of the new season. Although that assumes, of course, that you took the appropriate closed-season storage steps.
Even so, spending an hour or two in some of the above basic checks and tests may ensure your safety and help to avoid the frustration of discovering glitches when you’re out on your first significant journey of the year!
