If you buy an RV, you’re going to have to get into the habit of taking it to the gas station for fuel early and often.
Even though some types of RVs can hold more than 100 gallons of gas at a time, they also tend to burn through fuel rather quickly. It’ll have you running back to the gas pump regularly.
That isn’t the only RV maintenance that you’ll have to do when you begin to embrace the RV lifestyle, either. There are also lots of other things that you’ll need to start doing as part of RV ownership.
Want to make sure that you’re ready for the challenge? We’ve put together the best RV maintenance guide in the RV industry. It’ll help you keep your RV out on the road for long stretches of time.
Check out our RV maintenance guide below.
Keep the Outside of Your RV Clean
You’re obviously going to want to keep your RV looking its best while you’re driving it around. So the first thing you’ll need to do as part of your RV maintenance plan is to keep the outside of it as clean as possible.
It’s not always going to be easy to accomplish this goal. As you might imagine, all kinds of dirt, dust, and debris are going to attack your RV while you’re out on the road.
But you should be able to hose it down every few days to make it sparkle. It’ll keep your RV looking newer for a lot longer than it would otherwise.
Inspect the Roof of Your RV and Look Out for Leaks
The roof on an RV is big. It’s so big that it’s probably going to take you longer to clean the roof of your RV than it’ll take to clean the whole rest of your RV.
But you should still make it a point to climb up on your RV’s roof to clean it while you’re hosing the rest of it off. You should also inspect your RV’s roof while you’re up there and look for any potential signs of leaks.
If you have a leaky rook, you’ll want to seal it back up right away. It’ll stop water from working its way into your RV every time it rains.
Pop the Hood on Your RV and Maintain the Engine
Once you’re done cleaning your RV, you should pop the hood on it to see what kind of condition the engine is in. Maintaining the engine will be arguably the most important part of doing RV maintenance.
You’ll need to make sure that you have fresh oil running through your RV’s engine at all times. This will mean changing the oil in your RV about once every 3,000 miles or so.
While you have the hood on your RV popped open, you should also inspect your battery, your various filters, and everything else that exists under it. You won’t have to worry about your RV getting stuck on the side of the road in the middle of nowhere when you do this kind of RV maintenance.
Check Out the Wheels, Tires, and Brakes on Your RV
The wheels, tires, and brakes are often the most overlooked parts of an RV. They play a huge role in the overall well-being of an RV, and yet, RV owners don’t always remember to maintain them as they should.
You should inspect your RV’s wheels, tires, and brakes just about every time you’re preparing to get behind the wheel of your RV. You might need to add some air to your tires or consider replacing your brake pads.
Many RV owners who run into issues with their recreational vehicles face them because of their wheels, tires, and/or brakes. It’s why maintaining these aspects of your RV should be at or at least near the top of your to-do list.
Clean and Lubricate the Rails for Your RV’s Slide-Outs
If your RV has slide-outs that you can slide out when it’s parked, there are rails that these slide-outs sit on. Over time, dirt and grime can build up in these rails and cause complications if you’re not careful.
You should try to clean these rails every couple of months if you can, if not sooner than that. You should also lubricate the rails so that your slide-outs don’t squeak so much when you move them in and out.
Store Your RV Properly When You’re Not Using It
Unless you plan on basically living in your RV all the time, there will be times when you won’t be using your RV for days, weeks, and sometimes even months. During these times, you should be sure to store your RV properly.
In a perfect world, you should find a place to store your RV where it’ll be covered up. This will stop the sun from wreaking havoc on your RV’s exterior.
You should also winterize your RV if you’re going to store it somewhere over the long winter. It’ll help you get it back up and running faster when the spring comes back around.
Keep Track of All the RV Maintenance That You Do
There is so much RV maintenance that you’ll need to do that there will be times when you’ll forget what you’ve done and, more importantly, what you haven’t done. It’s why you should write down the RV maintenance that you do so that you can keep good track of it.
This will make it easier for you to do RV maintenance. It’ll also help you down the line when you go to trade your RV in one day. RV dealers love to see well-maintained RVs get traded-in.
These RV dealers will give you a better deal on a new RV when you trade in an RV like this to them.
Use This Guide to Keep Your RV Maintained Throughout the Year
RV maintenance is a big part of RV ownership. You’re not going to be able to keep an RV in tip-top shape without maintaining it.
Utilize this guide to keep your RV maintained. You won’t have to make repairs to your RV all that often when you make it your mission to maintain it in the right way.
Want more tips on maintaining an RV? Find them by browsing through some of our other blog articles.