Preparing Your Campervan or Motorhome for Long Drives This Summer – What You Should Know

The good weather is, at last, upon us, and with the whole of the summer season ahead, many motorhome and campervan owners are busily airing off their vehicles in readiness for those long drives to favourite camping sites or touring routes.

Besides stocking up the teabag and biscuit drawers and ensuring the water system is fully functioning, there are other things you need to check and prepare for. One of these includes considering how safe your motorhome is going to be both while at home and away.

Stealing Your Holiday

Thousands of motorhomes, campervans and caravans are stolen every year and the numbers have increased in recent years as more people invest in home from home-style holidays. With this in mind, we are often asked what can be done to keep your motorhome safe. Our advice would be to consider fitting a good quality GPS tracker to your vehicle. That way, should the worst happen, you will stand the best chance of quickly retrieving your vehicle. Your insurance company will likely thank you for it too with a discount on your premium.

Safety and security starts at home

If you keep your vehicle in your driveway, you should always protect it exactly as you would your car. This means taking steps to make it as difficult as possible for thieves to get hold of the keys. Or, if you have a keyless entry fob, keep it in a Faraday pouch to prevent the signal from being broadcast and duplicated.

Make sure your insurance policy covers you while your vehicle is parked at home or in storage and if your insurance requires you to have an alarm choose a Thatcham-approved one. Look at fitting a Thatcham-approved GPS tracker and make it obvious to thieves that the vehicle has a tracker on board by placing stickers in conspicuous places.

Before you set off anywhere, make sure any valuables such as laptops, etc are out of sight in lockers or cupboards and pull down all the blinds.

Security locks

Motorhome and campervan door locks are notoriously easy to break, so consider fitting a secure reinforced locking system to your vehicle. To prevent anyone driving away your vehicle, consider mechanical protection devices such as steering locks or pedal locks.

Prepare for the road

Once you’ve got the security sorted you need to get the motorhome road-ready. Start with the safety basics – check the tyres. The Camping and Caravanning Club recommends changing motorhome tyres no later than 6 years after the date of manufacture. If necessary, give the vehicle a good service with new oil and filters, new brake pads and new bulbs. Make sure the leisure battery is fully charged and any gas bottles are correctly filled or replaced.

One essential job is to flush out any old water left in the system by connecting your motorhome to a mains supply and leave the taps running for a few minutes until you see clear water.

For further information on preparing your motorhome for the summer season, the Caravan and Motorhome Club has lots of useful advice. For help regarding what type of GPS tracker is right for you call us at Fit My Tracker and we’ll help you holiday safer this year..