With 2014 right around the corner, no doubt you’ve had at least one thought, or conversation about what resolutions you’ll be making this new year. Old Bill Johnson made sure to point out that “you couldn’t ‘actually’ tuck your shirt in, you could only hope to pull up your pants to keep and that keeps you out of the BIG and Tall shops”. It wasn’t terribly witty, but it cut a little. Nice guy, that Bill.
So, what do you do? Cry about it? No! You make a resolution right then and there that no one will ever be able to say that to you again. You join a gym. You get a trainer. He puts you on a decent diet. You work hard and never give up always having the “old you” in the back of your head. You get back into “shape” and then some. You are ripped! Take that Old Bill Johnson!
So here’s my BIG question, why don’t you take the same interest with other important things in your life…LIKE YOUR RV!
When was the last time you really invested quality maintenance time into your RV? The longer we RV, the more complacent I think we get. Our shirts get a little tighter. We push that rig just a little further. We let that belt squeal just a little longer. It’s a bad habit that is reinforced by trial and learned by error. We should, in fact, be giving more attention to our rigs as they age, yet it seems that many of us do the opposite. You can put a lot of hard miles on your RV in a year and not truly appreciate the importance of general RV maintenance until you need it the most. And, unfortunately, most of the time, that means stranded somewhere you’d rather not be.
Below, I’ve found a perfect New Year’s Resolution list for your RV. That’s right! You make resolutions for yourself, well, put a little effort into your RV lifestyle too. Starting January 1st, 2014, you will attend to the following on your RV:
1. Tire Pressure
How do you maintain fuel efficiency and avoid tire wear, that’s right, keeping your tires at the right pressure. The rate at which under and over-inflated tires wear out is actually increased when not properly filled. This is also where knowing the weight distribution of your packed RV is also really important as tire pressure levels for front- and rear-axle tires may vary depending on weight distribution. Your best resource for checking that your tires are inflated to the correct pressure is your tire manufacturer. They can provide you with information detailing the correct tire inflation for your RV. If you still aren’t sure, just call Fun Town RV.
2. Oil Changes
This is a “no-brainer” , folks. The simple task of monitoring both you motor oil and transmission oil/fluid can virtually guarantee adding years of enjoyment to your RV. Just like your car at home, the oil in your RV needs to be changed at mileage intervals. How often you use your RV and the type of oil that you use are certainly defining factors as to when you should change your oil. As a general idea, motor oil should be changed about every 3,000 miles and transmission oil/fluid about every two years.
3. Batteries
Often overlooked and always underestimated. The batteries in your RV need maintenance as well. Your connection points can emit highly-corrosive battery acid. This acid not only damages the battery, but can damage the connections as well as any other rubber, or plastic parts that come into contact with it. So how do you maintain your batteries? you may have to monitor fluid levels and you’ll certainly want to make sure that the connections are tight and corrosion-free. There are two battery types to keep an eye on in your RV:
- Chassis battery – This is the battery that starts your RV’s engine and keeps it running.
- House battery – Typically 12-volts, this battery supplies electricity to many of the appliances inside of your RV.
4. Generator
The generator can be your best friend, or your worst enemy. When full RV hookups are available, you probably aren’t going to be using your generator very often if at all. This can become a problem during long hook-up periods. Even though you are hooked up, you are still going to want to power up your generator every month or so. This helps avoid corrosion and bring to light any issues or needed repair. And remember, your generator is an engine, and just like any other engine, your generator is going to need oil and filter. Check with the manufacturer in regards to when this change needs to be performed..
5. Fluid levels
The final resolution you should have for your RV is to check several important fluid levels. This is even more important if you HAVEN’T checked them in a while. Consult with our RV mechanics to determine the proper levels for these fluids:
- Engine coolant
- Power steering fluid
- Windshield washer fluid
- Brake fluid
I know it may have felt like a stretch; making resolutions for your RV, but in all seriousness, if you never make a goal, you have nothing to strive for. I think that getting an extra 10 years of reliability out of my rig is an attainable goal as long as I continue to pay attention to the details. It’s the simple things that are overlooked like oil changes and tire pressure, yet these are arguably two of the more important things regarding RV maintenance.
Is there anything you can add to this list to make it more complete? If you have any questions on anything regarding your RV, never hesitate to call Fun Town RV, we’ve got people ready to answer all of you questions…and help with any resolutions too.
Photo Credit: © Nevit Dilmen [CC-BY-SA-3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0) or GFDL (http://www.gnu.org/copyleft/fdl.html)], via Wikimedia Commons
