As the summer holiday stretches ahead of us and your plans get close, we do recommend anyone whose campervan has been with them for a while carries out a few basic checks. While a new campervan from our range will be supplied in top condition and with a three year warranty, it’s never too early to get into good habits where ongoing maintenance is concerned.
External Campervan Inspection
The bodywork is one of the most important parts of any campervan, so make sure it’s checked. A visual inspection of the exterior is best done before you start opening and closing anything, just to make sure you see everything.
Make a note of any dents, and especially take note of rust – you’ll want to get that fixed before it becomes a bigger issue.
Follow this up with an interior inspection. Part of what you should be looking for here is any water damage, especially if this will be your first trip since the winter. A musty smell inside is also a strong indicator that there’s a problem. Check your storage – you did empty it out and hoover out any crumbs before you set your campervan aside for the winter, right? If not you may be about to learn an unpleasant lesson.
If you’re doing this work outdoors, this is a perfect opportunity to open the windows and let your converted campervan air out.
If there’s any sign of water damage or – worse – mould – you should check for leaks. A top tip here is to have someone run a hose over the campervan while you sit inside; this will let you find any leaks quickly so you can patch them up.
Tyre Checks
For many road users it’s hard enough remembering to check tyre tread and pressure on a vehicle they use every day. Campervans, which can often be left alone between long trips, are often even more vulnerable to it.
If you’ve got a long trip in mind, especially into rural areas or overseas, make sure your tyres are up to scratch first; if you haven’t used your campervan since last autumn, check the tyre walls too. Sorting these things out early, while you have lead time, is lower stress and usually cheaper than having to deal with it in a hurry.
Battery Checks
Your battery has a lot of work ahead of it on a long trip, even with solar panels fitted you’d ideally want a strong charge ahead of time. That’s why our Ford, Volkswagen, and Renault campervan conversions all come with solar panels and battery-to-battery charging as standard.
Fluid Checks
Everything from your oil to your windscreen wiper fluid needs topping up from time to time. If you’ve got a half day set aside for a thorough checkup and maintenance, it’s the perfect time to make sure you’re full here as well.
AC Functionality
With the temperatures we’ve been seeing lately this tip is more important than ever, but make sure your air conditioning is working properly. It often can’t be fixed on the move but will require new parts to be ordered first; if it doesn’t work, you’ll be glad you found out before you hit the road.
Alarm Readiness
If you carry a fire extinguisher, is it still in date or has it expired? Check your smoke and carbon monoxide alarms function and that their batteries are changed if needed.
App Updates
When you fire up apps, sometimes they need updates. This is even more true if it’s been some time since they were last used. Get this done ahead of time for extra peace of mind, especially if you’re using our top apps for campervan travel.
If you’ve got all of these steps marked off on your checklist, then your maintenance is pretty much complete; anything you run into on your travels is either something you’re ready for or something you couldn’t have anticipated.
On the other hand, if you’ve run through this list and your faithful old camper just fails too many points on the list for you to fix all of them instead of getting something new, then get in touch today. We’ll be happy to help you find a modern campervan to make new memories in.
