Your RV brings you and your family countless hours of enjoyment, and you want to enjoy it for years to come. That’s why you want to prolong the lifespan of your RV with dedicated routine RV maintenance.
Just like your car and home need routine maintenance, your RV needs proper care to remain in good condition. This handy RV maintenance guide will help you learn about general RV maintenance and specific tips for different types of motorhomes.
Jump to a section in this guide on how to maintain your RV:
- General RV care tips
- Maintenance tips for a motorhome RV
- Maintenance tips for a travel trailer
- Maintenance tips for a pop-up camper
- Checklist for annual RV maintenance
- Schedule for RV maintenance
RV Care Tips
Your RV is part vehicle and part home, it requires home and vehicle maintenance. All RVs share some general maintenance tasks, while other have specialized needs. Follow these general care tips to keep your RV in top shape.
Motorhome Maintenance: Take Care of Your Engine
An RV is a large, heavy vehicle that sees many miles of different types of roads. That means the engine takes on a lot of strain. So, give it some love.
- Check the battery: Check your battery’s charge. If it’s getting low, either recharge it or replace it before your next trip.
- Change the oil: It’s recommended that you change your oil every 3,000 to 4,000 miles or once a year. Failing to change the oil causes excess wear on your RV’s engine that can lead to expensive repairs.
- Inspect and change the filters: Every time you change the oil, inspect the air, fuel, coolant, and hydraulic filters and change them as needed to avoid excess wear.
Roof Maintenance
The roof of your RV isn’t something you see on a regular basis, but it’s the number one cause of water damage in your RV. Use these tips to be sure your roof is in good repair.
- Keep it covered: Keeping your RV covered under a carport helps you avoid damage from UV rays and harsh weather. There are also indoor storage options
- Clean frequently: Regular roof cleaning is the best way to prevent leaves and grime from building up on your roof. (Regular roof clean-up is also a great preventative measure against silent leaks)
- Check for leaks: Pay special attention to slideouts, vents, and the area around the AC unit where water can pool.
Awning Maintenance
If you have an awning, clean it after every trip. Let it fully dry, and then store it rolled up to prevent oxidation.
Seal and Slide-Out Maintenance
Old, dried-out, or damaged seals and seams lead to leaks. Avoid expensive damage by inspecting slide-out seals and the seams around your windows. Lubricate your rubber seal to prevent dry rot. And reseal windows and doors with a bead of silicone.
Depending on your RV, your slide-out mechanism may need special maintenance, so check your owner’s manual for proper instructions.
Maintenance for Wheels, Tires, and Brakes
Your wheels and tires keep you safe on the road. Keep them in good shape! Follow these steps to ensure your wheels, tires, and brakes can keep you and your family safe on the road.
- Keep your tires clean and protected: UV rays can degrade your tires quickly. Routinely clean your tires and treat them with a UV protectant. When your RV is parked for an extended period of time, cover them with RV tire covers.
- Tighten wheel lug nuts and check tire pressure: Tire blowouts are more than just inconvenient. They could lead to a devastating highway accident. Before every trip, check your lug nuts to ensure they haven’t loosened. Check your tire pressure before you start driving each day, as changes in climates can affect it.
- Keep your RV’s brakes maintained: Check your brakes before your first trip of the season or during spring maintenance tasks. Make sure the brakes work properly and engage as expected. Lubricate the wheel bearings and examine the brakes to ensure you don’t need a replacement before traveling.
Winter Maintenance (RV Winterization Tips)
All RVs, campers, and motorhomes in areas where temps will drop below freezing should undergo a complete winterization process before being stored for the winter. Follow these steps to protect your RV during the winter months.
- Clean your RV’s interior completely. (This should include emptying cupboards and removing any linens/towels.)
- Unplug and store appliances.
- Empty and defrost the fridge and freezer.
- Inspect your RV for holes or openings and plug them to prevent rodents from getting in.
- Drain water from your RV’s plumbing system (water lines, toilets, tanks, hot water heater, etc.) and pump antifreeze into the system.
- Clean the exterior.
- Check seals for damage.
- Close and lock all doors and windows.
- Park undercover and put on tire covers.
RELATED: Learn more about how to winterize a camper with our in-depth guide.
Maintenance Tips for Specific Types of RVs
Recreational vehicles and motorhomes come in all shapes, types, and sizes. How you care for your RV will depend on the type. Some RVs require specialized care to stay in the best shape possible.
Travel Trailer Maintenance
Travel trailers are those you pull behind your tow vehicle. They include fifth-wheel trailers, teardrop trailers, and expandable trailers. These trailers have specific needs related to hooking up to a vehicle and safe towing. To stay up-to-date on the maintenance of your travel trailer, add these tasks to your additional maintenance list.
- Clean the exterior and check for any damage: Towable RVs are subject to a lot of potential damage during travel. After each trip, it’s essential to clean your RV’s exterior and search for any damage that has occurred.
- Check brake and tail lights: Your trailer depends on your vehicle and RV wiring for fully operational brake and trailer lights. If these lights don’t work, you can get a ticket. So check the connection. If your lights come on, great! If not, you need to find the short and fix it before your trip.
- Check the hitch and towing parts: Before your trip, clean and lubricate your trailer hitches, bearings, seals, and couplers.
Pop-up Camper Maintenance
Pop-up campers are composed of pliable materials that allow them to expand into living space while not traveling. These materials require special care to maintain good condition. Use these tips for specialized pop-up camper maintenance.
- Clean the canvas: Pop-up campers will either have canvas or vinyl sides. After use and before closing your canvas, remove all dust and debris. Let the sides fully dry before folding post-use.
Periodically, give your canvas a thorough cleaning by gently scrubbing with a bleach-free cleaner and a soft scrub brush. Renew the waterproof coating once a year (or as often as you need). When the waterproofing is done well, water should bead off the surface. - Condition the vinyl: Pull out your camper’s vinyl and scrub it gently to remove all dirt and grime. After the vinyl is completely dry, condition the surface with a vinyl protectant.
- Check and grease the roof lift system: Roof systems vary from RV to RV. For proper maintenance, consult your owner’s manual for specific instructions. Begin by crawling under the camper to inspect the crank, cable, and cable spool.
Yearly RV Maintenance Checklist
Annual maintenance keeps your RV ready for the complete travel season. After taking your RV out of storage or before your first trip of the year, complete this checklist to be sure your RV is travel ready.
- Check for water leaks or damage
- Inspect the RV flooring for damage
- Sanitize the freshwater system
- Waterproof, wax, or treat your RV’s exterior
- Inspect all fire alarms, smoke detectors, and safety equipment
- Check the battery
- Change the oil and filters
- Inspect and sanitize the holding tanks
- Change air conditioner and heating system filters
- Inspect and condition hitching and towing parts
- Lubricate seals
- Test the slide-out and lubricate the rails if necessary
- Document your maintenance processes
RV Maintenance Schedule
Some tasks need to be completed yearly (whether you travel or not). Use these mini-checklists to determine which tasks should be completed and how often they should be performed.
Things to check and maintain every time you travel in your RV:
- Check the wheels and tires
- Check headlights and brake lights
- Clear debris off the roof
- Disconnect hoses and connections before travel
- Check the battery
Things to check and maintain monthly on your RV:
- Check all seals
- Run the generator under a load
- Top off batteries with distilled water if needed
- Vacuum AC/heat vents
- Check the engine for signs of leaks and loose clamps or hoses
- Test safety equipment
Things to check and maintain every season or every three months on your RV:
- Deep clean the interior and exterior of your RV
- Check and clean seals
- Inspect the slide-out for a proper seal and lubricate the rails
- Clean AC filters
And if you’re looking for a checklist that you can easily print out and keep in your records, here you go!
Summary
The single most important part of proper RV maintenance is how you store it. The way you store your vehicle is an important part of your maintenance routine. But while it’s important, you’d rather not send an arm and a leg on indoor storage.
That’s where Neighbor can help.
Neighbor is a peer-to-peer RV storage marketplace, offering RV storage that’s up to 50% cheaper than traditional storage options. Neighbor has storage options in all 50 states. You’ll even find storage spaces in your very own neighborhood.
