Owning a motorhome is one of life’s greatest pleasures, look after your home and it’ll take you on countless adventures over the years. Get into the habit of performing safety checks on the motorhome before each journey and you’ll reduce the chance of being involved in an accident or breaking down at the side of road. We’ve listed a few suggestions to keep your home on the road, use these tips with our pleasure from all the team at DMR.
Tyres – Motorhomes are heavy, they take longer to stop than other vehicles and they need good traction to grip the road. Badly worn tyres are a danger, they’ll make it harder for you to stop and your braking distance will be dramatically increased, particularly in wet weather conditions. Check tyres for signs of wear, look at the depth of the tread, it should be at least 1.6mm deep, it’s not a bad idea to change the tyres when the depth gets to 3mm though. Look for cuts, nails or damage to the sidewalls of tyres, if you spot anything suspicious get them repaired or replaced.
Lights – Switch on side lights, check brake lights, rear lights, number plate lights, fogs, headlights and the main beam too. Check front and rear indicators for blown bulbs or signs of faulty wiring. Lights are important, they help you to see and your vehicle be seen by other road users.
Windscreen – Look for cracks, chips or minor blemishes in the windscreen that could spread and become bigger issues. Chips can be fixed, cracks are a different story though, seek specialist advice from a windscreen fitter if you spot anything wrong with your windscreen, it could be dangerous if the damage spreads whilst you are driving.
Wipers and screenwash – Turn the wipers on and squirt water onto the screen. Do the wipers clear or smear the windscreen? Replace older or worn wipers to leave your windscreen streak-free, top up washer reservoirs regularly and use a quality screenwash to keep the windscreen clean.
Oil and water – Pull the dipstick when the engine is cold and take a look at the oil levels. Top up where necessary, let the oil run too low and the engine might seize. Keep one eye on the cooling system as well, if the water falls below the minimum mark top it up and keep checking it, you could have a leak that needs fixing.
