Maintaining your motorhome
A little TLC goes a long way, and maintaining your motorhome is no exception.
Motorhomes are different to most vehicles on the road. Not only do they require mechanical maintenance on the cab chassis, but the home part of the motorhome requires attention as well.
These days, motorhomes are quite sophisticated and expensive pieces of machinery. In order to keep them in tip top condition, a certain amount of maintenance is necessary. Given the sophistication of turbo diesels, mechanical maintenance for most people is limited to basic checks on the engine.
Vehicle service books/manuals will show the necessary items, but engines often have bright yellow markings to make it easy. Engine oil, coolant, brake fluid and transmission fluid are items to check as are air filters and pollen filters which are very easy to change.
Mechanical servicing
(Image Cam Inniss)
When it comes to more general maintenance, during a warranty period it’s best if regular servicing is done by qualified persons. But when the warranty expires there are some tasks that can be done by the owner. Oil, engine coolant, Adblue (in later models), brake fluid, brake pads, diesel filters, air filters and pollen filters (if fitted) are in that category.
Service intervals are a little tricky for motorhome owners. Some newer light commercial vehicles have service intervals of 30,000km, which are easily achievable by a vehicle in commercial service. However, a motorhome is likely to travel much less than that and some service centres recommend twice yearly service intervals, approximately every 10,000km.
Tyres
Like oil and filters, tyres for motorhomes don’t quite get the wear and tear that happens in normal commercial usage. Tyre wear is therefore likely to be lighter than is commercially normal but should still be rotated every 20,000km. Another factor to be considered is ageing. Again, something that’s not really a problem with commercial use, ageing happens whether a vehicle is used or not. According to tyre manufacturers, any tyre over five years old should be inspected for general condition. An indicator of ageing is cracks in the rubber. Anything over 10 years old should be replaced, whatever the tread condition.
House maintenance
It’s quite easy to assume there’s little to be looked after in a campervan or motorhome but there are appliances that need the occasional fix. Fridges, air conditioners, water heaters, space heaters, water pumps all have moving parts, as do generators, slide-outs and awnings. Then there are door and window seals, not to mention static items such as solar panels and batteries.
Around the outside
It’s always good to give your pride and joy a regular inspection, especially if it’s on the road a fair bit. Road damage is an unfortunate fact of life in Australia. A good time to do that is when washing your motorhome because it should have a regular clean. A good wash around the outside allows for a general inspection of just about everything to make sure there’s no body damage, broken window or door seals, external bin doors that open and shut properly and even loose components.
Prior to washing, the chassis area of the motorhome should be checked out for anything like bits hanging down and rock damage. People often forget the roof area but it’s worth a look, done in a good OH&S manner of course! Items like the sealing around the ventilation hatches, TV aerials and solar panels are worth a quick look.
Washing technique
First up always check the manufacturer’s manual for recommended detergents and cleaning products. It’s best to buy purpose-made products, not something such as washing up detergents which can have a long-term detrimental effect on the motorhome body. Acrylic windows are very commonly used on motorhomes these days but a downside of them is that they scratch very easily. A soft bristle brush is best for those and if you want to be really fastidious then have one long handled brush for the windows and another for everything else. Using a long-handled brush makes it easier to reach hard to access areas. Awnings should be fully extended for cleaning and fully dried off before rolling up again. Hosing down is easily done using normal tap water but a small high-pressure washer can save water. With a high-pressure washer, it’s best to just to have enough pressure, by standing far enough away to remove soapy water but not damage window/hatch seals, sealants or any fittings.
Inside
Most people like to keep their pride and joy in good condition. Even so, it not a bad idea from time to time to give all surfaces a good wipe down with a proprietary cleaner, and the upholstery and carpets a good vacuum clean. Appliances like the fridge and microwave oven should not be forgotten and the bathroom surfaces deserve treatment from an anti-bacterial spray. If cleaning prior to a long-term storage, then fridge and microwave doors should be left open until everything dries off.
Water leaks
A potential problem in any motorhome is water leaks. Some are hard to detect in the early stages and eternal vigilance is the best answer. That is best done by not checking the ceiling and wall areas than can be seen and also by using a torch, in the less visible cupboard and overhead locker interiors.
Water heaters
There isn’t a great deal of appliance maintenance than can be done apart from the water heater. Those fitted with sacrificial anodes need to be checked from time to time, depending on usage; annual checkups are a good idea.
If your motorhome is in long term storage, then anything that has moving parts should be run from time to time to lubricate moving parts and seals. Every two months is a ballpark figure for most items but do check your owner manuals for individual devices.
Batteries
Most batteries these days are fully sealed and do not require any maintenance. It does pay to check the terminals from time to time to make sure that corrosion or dirt and dust isn’t a problem. A weak solution of bicarbonate soda is an effective cleaner.
Long term storage is a bit problematic for batteries, especially if solar panels are not fitted or undercover. Batteries should be fully charged up prior to storage and if no charging supply is available, then the battery(s) should be removed and taken home for regular charging.
All that looks like something of a lengthy list but it’s not really and most travellers probably attend to maintenance items as a matter of course. However, it’s handy to have some sort of annual check list to ensure maintenance is attended to in a timely manner.
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