Owning an RV means doing everything you can to keep it in excellent shape. After all, these vehicles are significant investments. So, of course, you want to keep them around as long as possible.
But knowing how to extend your RV’s lifespan is challenging if you don’t know where to start. Luckily, we’ve put together this comprehensive guide of simple things you can do to ensure that you enjoy your RV for years to come.
Inspect the Roof Seals and Seams of Your RV
If you’re hoping to uncover the secrets of prolonging the life of your RV, start with examining your roof seals and seams. These features are crucial to keeping the structure of your mobile home intact. For this reason, it’s imperative to ensure that they remain in excellent shape. You can do this by checking them for signs of water infiltration and moisture buildup around the following features:
Edges
Vents
Skylights
AC units
Water can easily make its way into these areas if your roof seals or seams are damaged. It should come as no surprise that water infiltrating these spaces will wreak havoc on the structural soundness of your RV. Inherently, these types of issues will affect the longevity of your vehicle. So, if you expect to keep your RV in excellent shape, don’t skip over this maintenance task.
Keep Your RV’s Wheel Lug Nuts and Check Your Tire Pressure
Any seasoned RV owner will tell you that checking your tire pressure and tightening your wheel’s lug nuts is essential to getting the most out of your mobile home. Indeed, your RV is a living space, but it’s also an enormous vehicle.
And when prominent features of your vehicle—like tires—are not ready for the road, it can cause significant issues. For one, underinflated tires and loose lug nuts are hazardous, as they can cause control and resistance problems. Also, overinflated tires can explode as you drive, making for a perilous situation.
Plus, these damages can have long-term effects on your gas mileage and the durability of your RV’s wheels. That’s why it’s important to investigate these features before, during, and after each of your trips.
Stay on Top of Your RV’s Battery Life
Of course, checking under the hood and making necessary upgrades or repairs is one of the more obvious methods for prolonging the life of your RV. This involves inspecting everything from your engine to your transmission and oil wells. But more specifically, you need to make time in your schedule to check how adequately your battery’s charge is.
The last thing you want is a dying battery wreaking havoc on your RV’s other internal parts—or worse—causing a complete power outage during an otherwise lovely trip. The goal here is to keep your battery fully charged at all times.
Doing so will ensure that you’re able to stay on the road for longer periods. Plus, a well-charged battery makes it much more difficult for severe complications to occur under the hood. All of this to say, a healthy battery makes for an extended RV lifespan. Thus, it’s always beneficial to ensure that your battery is fully charged and up to date.
Keep Your Waste and Water Systems in Excellent Condition
Keeping your wastewater and piping systems clean and in excellent condition should rank high on your list of RV maintenance. This is especially true if you’re looking for ways to sustain its longevity. This means using the right products to keep your waste tanks clean and easy to drain.
Additionally, it’s essential to make sure you’re using an appropriate amount of fluid to get your systems going each time you plan to use your RV for an extended period.
It’s also a good idea to flush these systems regularly. Doing so ensures that they continue to function optimally, which in the long run helps circumvent any unnecessary damage such as:
System clogs
Excessive buildup
Seizing valves
Failure of operation
And if you want to get the most out of your RV, it’s best to invest in items like RV water pipe heaters. Products like this provide an extra layer of protection for these systems, especially in freezing climates.
Clean and Treat Your RV’s Slide-outs and Seals
Much like the roof seals and seams, your RV benefits greatly when you take the time to clean and treat your slide-out compartments and seals properly. Do everything you can to keep these features free of dirt, debris, and residues.
Doing so guarantees that they remain in pristine working condition for as long as possible. To do this, you lubricate the slider mechanisms, which helps them stay functional and causes the least amount of wear and tear on your motor.
You’ll also use lubricant on your window seals to keep the rubber around them fresh and pliable. As a result, your window seals will remain durable, reliable, easy to use, and hard to damage. Of course, this can only be a positive thing for the overall lifespan of your RV.
Change Your Oil Regularly
We all know how vital regular oil changes are to a healthy, long-lasting vehicle, and your RV is no exception to this rule. So when you’re racking your brain trying to come up with creative ways to extend its longevity, remember that—sometimes—keeping it simple is the way to go.
That is, start with making basic maintenance tasks, like changing your oil, a priority. While it might seem small, regular oil changes can help to keep things adequately lubricated and running smoothly. Plus, fresh oil will also ensure that your RV doesn’t take on excessive wear from an overworked engine.
Stay on Top of Air, Fuel, Coolant, and Hydraulic Filter Replacements
Scheduling regular oil changes is only half the battle. If you want to get the most out of your RV, you must also make time to replace your air, fuel, coolant, and hydraulic filters. You should get these filters inspected each time you go in for an oil change.
Further, they need to be replaced on a seasonal basis. Following these guidelines ensures that your engine and other crucial parts are not sustaining any excessive wear and tear.
