Caravan inspection before departure - what can you do on your own?

Visiting the world with your own car allows you to be completely independent from mass means of transport. It is even better if we are the happy owners of a camper that will also replace holiday apartments or hotel rooms. However, before we go on tour, we must properly prepare our vehicle for the road. What should a camper check before traveling?

Owner Responsibilities

Before leaving, the motorhome driver should check the technical condition of his vehicle. It is necessary to check the efficiency of the braking system, battery charge, gas tightness and tire condition. It is important that the entire water installation in the camper works flawlessly to avoid unpleasant surprises.

In addition, the camper must have all the necessary accessories useful during the holidays - kitchen accessories, first aid kit, gas grill and a gas cylinder with a burner, chairs and a tourist table, a flashlight, a tool box, spare bulbs and a fire extinguisher .

What can you check yourself?

The motorhome owner can check the condition of the tires in the vehicle on his own. If their tread is worn below the safe level, these tires should not be used. The minimum tread height is regulated by the Regulation of the Minister of Infrastructure, Journal Journal of February 26, 2003 on the technical conditions of vehicles and the scope of their necessary equipment. It states that the minimum tread height is determined using the Tire Wear Limiting Index (TWI) or if there is no TWI, then this value should be at least 1.6mm, except for buses which must have a tread depth of at least 3mm. It is worth applying the latter rule in the case of campers. If the tread is severely worn, the tires must be replaced.

By the way, we should use the compressor at the gas station to check the tire pressure. If the pressure drops, driving safety is lowered and fuel consumption is increased at the same time.

It is also necessary to check the age of the tire. The rubber from which they are made is subject to destructive aging processes and may reduce driving safety. For example, Michelin recommends replacing its tires every 10 years. The age of the tire can be easily checked by reading the numbers on the sidewall of the tires. This is the DOT (Department of Transport) number. Subsequent markings indicate the plant where the tire was manufactured and the country where it is located. The last four numbers indicate the week and year of the tire's manufacture. For example, the marking 1015 will suggest that the tire was manufactured in week 10 of 2015. Properly maintained tires can be safely used in motor vehicles for a period of 5 to 8 or 10 years. They need to be replaced later.

We should also check the motorhome's electrical system, with particular emphasis on the efficiency of charging the batteries and their service life. A voltmeter is used for this. This is very important as the motorhome can have a high electricity demand. For this reason, the efficiency of the electrical installation and its individual components is very important. The vast majority of campers have two batteries, which will effectively minimize the risk of completely losing the energy source and not being able to start the engine. In such a situation, one of the batteries is responsible only for starting the engine, and the other - the deep discharge battery, powers the other devices.

The battery charge status, the parking voltage and the power consumption with the motorhome's devices turned on will be measured by a mechanic.

Driver skills

If we have just bought a camper and it is a technically proven vehicle, the only thing left for us to set off into the unknown is to learn to maneuver such a large car on the road. The camper is less maneuverable than even a large passenger car, so the driver may have problems with driving it. It is worth going on training courses at a driving school that provides such services. Thanks to this, we will minimize the risk of a collision.

The advice has been prepared by the MOTOCHEMIA.PL store