Are you new to caravanning and just bought your own caravan recently? Then, you must be wondering that do caravans need an annual service?
Yes; caravans need (or certainly benefit from) an annual service. Just like any other vehicle, caravans need time to time maintenance for a hassle-free caravanning experience.
Here you’ll find everything that you need to know about caravan servicing.
Why Is It Important To Have Your Caravan Serviced?
Getting your caravan serviced in the off-season is the best time to make it ready for the next season trip. It keeps your caravan safe on your travels and ensures manufacturers’ warranties. A caravan service will also check the wearable parts to maximize smooth functioning.
If you want to enjoy long caravan trips without a hitch, then make sure you get your caravan serviced on time.
What’s Included In Caravan Servicing?
A caravan servicing covers many areas that need to be checked and can take hours to complete. It includes more than 60 repair and inspection jobs. Here is a brief list of the work included in the annual caravan service:
Caravan Chassis & Running Gear
The things that are checked in this include:
• Coupling head area
• Corner steady lubrication
• Tyre checks
• Brake adjustment
• Jockey wheel
Caravan Electrical Systems
Anything electrical in your caravan will be check the lights, both internal and external, are checked to see if all are working well or not. Sockets, fridge operation, consumer unit, TV socket, microwave oven, and other things that need electricity are assed for safety and faults. You’ll also be looking to check that your battery charges correctly and that your caravan battery is fully charged.
Caravan Gas Systems
A manometer is used to check if all the gas devices are working efficiently or not. It checks leaks and other errors in the gas supply system. All the gas appliances are turned on to ensure that they are safe to use.
Caravan Water Systems
During this part of the service your caravan water system will be checked, all the taps are checked for leaks, and the waste water pipes are inspected for blockages. The toilet is checked to ensure that the valve seal is properly lubricated and the battery-operated flush is working well.
Caravan Bodywork
The entire caravan is checked thoroughly to identify any problems that can affect your caravan. All doors, windows, and blinds are assed for damp and corrosion or anything that can affect their smooth functioning.
Caravan Ventilation
A well-ventilated caravan is an absolute requirement. To ensure that your caravan is properly ventilated, the roof lights are open and closed to check if they operate well or not. Moreover, all the fixed vents are also checked.
Caravan Fire & safety
For fire and safety checks, the smoke alarm and carbon dioxide detector are tested. Their expiry dates are checked so they can be replaced if the dates are crossed. Moreover, the expiry date of the fire extinguisher and the housing unit of the fire blanket is also checked.
What’s Not Included In Caravan Servicing?
Before you book a caravan servicing time, you should know about the things not included in the basic caravan servicing. You need to have a separate service, and you’ll have to make an additional payment for the following:
• In-depth service of individual appliances, such as fridge
• Motor mover
• Solar panel
• Air conditioning
Caravan Servicing Tips
If you’re new to caravanning, then you won’t have experience of annual caravan servicing. There are some things that you need to check before you service your caravan.
Here are some tips that can help you to get a better service:
1. Keep the caravan floor clean.
2. Don’t ever arrive late for your caravan servicing. Follow the decided time and date schedules strictly for hassle-free servicing. Caravan annual service can take hours, thus to maintain a smooth flow of the caravans in and out of the workshop, commitments are essential.
3. Must check that your lockers aren’t too full to make servicing difficult for the technician or engineer.
4. If your caravan has some issues, you’ve already identified, make sure that you communicate them to the dealer or mobile engineer. For example, he should know about the warranty issues or any other problems that your caravan already has.
Where Do You Go To Get Your Caravan Serviced?
There are two ways you can get your caravan serviced:
Caravan Workshops
Although you may be able to undertake some level of caravan servicing yourself, most things are often best left to somebody whose full-time job it is as they’ll be specialists with expert knowledge able to complete the service and any necessary repairs to a higher standard in a much shorter time frame.
You can book a servicing schedule at a workshop for the annual caravan service. You can contract with a dealer for servicing every year. Many dealers will send you annual caravan servicing reminders once you become a regular customer.
You can also call a mobile technician at your home for caravan servicing. But the technician will need approximately one meter of clear space around the caravan. It will save your time and cost of the fuel for taking caravan to the workshop.
How Much Should A Caravan Service Cost?
There are no fixed costs for caravan servicing. They are different based on your caravan and location. Every dealer will charge a different caravan service fee. On average, you’ll have to pay between $250 to $350 for an annual caravan service.
But to get the exact budget estimation, you should consult a nearby dealer. He will give you the best price quote after looking at your caravan’s condition and size.
Summary
Like every vehicle, mandatory servicing is crucial for your caravan too. Caravans are not cheap, so you can’t change them frequently. It’s well worth adopting a regular maintenance and servicing schedule.
You’ll have to take your caravan to a workshop for service. Caravan service can be done at home too. But you’ll have to ensure the requirements that the mobile caravan engineer will ask for at home.
The basic servicing covers an in-depth check of your caravan’s condition, including chassis, electricity system, gas systems, ventilation, bodywork, etc. But some things that are not included in the caravan service are assessing the appliances individually, solar panel, motor mover, and air conditioning.
Whenever you plan caravan service, always arrive on time to avoid any problems. Moreover, before booking a service, make sure that you get a budget estimation from the workshop dealer or mobile technician. It’s important because every caravan is different, and so are the costs.
