A motorhome can make a fantastic investment. With its help, you’ll be able to save considerably on the cost of travel and accommodation, and gain access to places that would otherwise be inaccessible. Plus, when you’re done with your motorhome, you can often sell it without making too much of a loss – depreciation on motorhomes is often less severe than it is on other kinds of vehicles.
But in order to preserve the value of this asset, you’ll need to put some work into looking after it. Let’s take a look at a few simple habits and procedures that might allow you to do that.
Regularly Check and Maintain Tyres
The state of your tyres can be critical. You want to do everything possible to ensure that you don’t suffer a blowout, and that your fuel efficiency is optimal. Make sure that you change your tyres as they approach the legal tread-depth limit – and ideally, well before that.
Service the Engine and Transmission Periodically
Your engine should be regularly serviced, along with all of your vehicle’s other essential systems. This will provide you with peace of mind, and ensure that you are made aware of problems as early as possible. In the long term, this measure will pay for itself by cutting the cost of repairs and of holidays that are cut short or interrupted by faults.
The right motorhome insurance will cover you against mechanical faults. However, it’s always better to prevent those faults from developing in the first place.
Clean and Sanitise the Water System
If your drinking water isn’t safe, then your experience on the road might be unhealthy – and expensive. Get the system cleaned regularly, and clear blockages promptly.
Inspect and Reseal Roof and Windows
Leaks can make a motorhome uncomfortable and expensive to run during winter. Water ingress can also inflict considerable damage. Make sure that any leaks are promptly patched up, and that you are in the habit of checking for them.
Maintain the Electrical System and Appliances
Enjoying a trip in a motorhome, more often than not, means being able to rely on the electrical appliances inside it. Your fridge, freezer, and television should be checked and serviced before you go away, in the same way as any other part of the vehicle. A supply of common spare parts, and batteries, might also be beneficial.
In some cases, you’ll be able to prevent problems yourself, by, say, defrosting the freezer. In other cases, you’ll need to bring in a professional. Often, learning the skills you need to carry out your own repairs will help you to get out of trouble while you’re on the road, and to get more satisfaction out of owning a motorhome.
Image: Unsplash, Eugene Quek
