Essential Motorhome Checks Before Your First Trip

You don’t need to be a mechanic to appreciate that when you don’t use a vehicle for months, it’s worth giving it a check over before you take it out on the road again. There are some basic checks which should all be done on our motorhome before the first holiday of the year, and the good news is that you don’t have to be a mechanic to carry most of them out.

Tyre Checks

There’s two things which you need to check about your tyre – condition, and tread depth. The depth of your tyres should be 1.6mm minimum, so if your tyres are approaching the limit, consider getting them changed. Tyres on vehicles which are left standing for long periods over the winter can also start to deteriorate. Look for lumps, bulges and cracking to the sidewalls of the tyres which could indicate that your tyres have suffered. Any issues found with your tyres mean they should be replaced.

Servicing

Before you head off on your first trip of the year is the perfect time to get your motorhome booked in for its annual service, and MOT if it requires one. Popular garages who have expertise in motorhomes can get booked up weeks in advance for servicing, so don’t delay in making your appointment. It also means that if any issues are flagged up with your MOT, you have plenty of time to get it fixed before your first holiday.

Lights

Another common issue with vehicles which have lain inactive over the summer is that the lights can fail. It’s usually a broken bulb which causes the lights to stop working, and the only way of checking whether everything is in order is to switch the lights on one by one and doing a visual check to ensure they can be seen. Replacement bulbs can be bought online, or from any motor store.

Gas

Most motorhome owners know that they have to remove their gas bottles from their unit over the winter and store them in the shed. Before heading off on your first trip, check your cylinders to see how much gas you have left. It’s easy to calculate how much gas you have in the cylinder by weighing it – as the empty weight of the canister is usually printed on it, you just need to subtract one figure from the other to work out the weight of gas. If you discover you haven’t much gas left, stock up before your holiday.

Give the Pipes a Clean

Bacteria can start to grow in water pipes which are left inactive over the winter and it’s a good idea to give the water system a clean before first use. You can do this by using something like Milton fluid diluted to the correct concentration, or one of the other products which camping and caravan shops sell for this purpose. Once sterilised, flush the system through with plenty of fresh, clean water before you start connecting up water to the taps.