For all your caravan maintenance needs...

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Caravan maintenance is a must! Get your caravan booked in for its annual service in good time and look after it in between to ensure it stays in tip top condition...

Buying a caravan is an investment. It isn’t a small purchase, but it is one that will provide many years of enjoyment and opportunities to create wonderful memories that will last a lifetime. It will give you the means to travel to different areas and countries and experience as many different places as your heart desires and your calendar allows!

Buying a caravan is an investment. It isn’t a small purchase, but it is one that will provide many years of enjoyment and opportunities to create wonderful memories that will last a lifetime. It will give you the means to travel to different areas and countries and experience as many different places as your heart desires and your calendar allows! 

It is vital to remember the importance of looking after your caravan - if you look after it, it will look after you! It will last longer and you’ll get more years and a greater number of holidays out of it. Plus it’s an easy thing to do! Ensure that your caravan is booked in for its annual service and check it over regularly during the rest of the year to make sure a potential problem doesn’t get overlooked.

 

What does a caravan service include?

Our caravan service incorporates work on all functioning parts of your caravan. Here are some of the components we inspect, test and lubricate during an annual service:

• 240v/12v electrical systems and appliances

• Water systems and appliances

• Gas systems and appliances

• Full carbon monoxide test

• Tyre and wheel checks

• Brakes, bearings, linkages, hitch-head and overrun device

• Corner steadies

• Moisture test

The cost of a single axle caravan service is £275 and a twin axle caravan service is £325.

Things to check year round

Tyres

You need to check your caravan tyres regularly throughout the year to ensure that they’re safe, just as you do with your car. You should check the tread and pressure and for any cracks or damage to them that could compromise the integrity of the tyre. If a tyre goes when you’re towing a caravan it can be scary, especially if you’re travelling at speed on motorways, so do all you can to avoid this possibility.

Fire extinguisher and smoke alarm

Keep your fire extinguisher in a secure place and check the date on it - make sure you give it an extensive service if it’s over five years old or replace it if necessary. Check that your fire alarm is working before leaving for each trip and change the batteries every so often, always keeping spare ones on board.

Battery

Remove your caravan battery when it’s not being used for long periods, especially during the winter months. Before you embark on your first trip after charging it, be sure to check it is still working efficiently before you set off - if you do need to replace it, it will be cheaper to do so from home where you can shop around.

Lights

Before using your caravan check that all the lights are working, both inside and out. It is vital that the brake and indicator lights are working for safety reasons and it can also be frustrating to arrive on holiday to find several internal lights aren’t working. Keep a stock of bulbs on board so you never get caught short!

Appliances 

Check that all your appliances and accessories are working before embarking on a trip. This includes your fridge, oven/microwave, kettle, heaters, taps, shower and of course, the loo! Getting anything fixed will much easier before your trip when you can contact your local dealership for assistance.

Bodywork 

Give your bodywork the once over every month or so, especially during the winter months or if you’re storing it outside without a cover. Check for any damage, especially during extreme hot or cold weather conditions. It’s a good idea to treat your caravan to a good polish before the winter and then another one at the beginning of spring to give it an extra layer of protection from the elements.

Take a look inside

Check inside your caravan for signs of leaks or damp - if you check regularly you’re likely to keep any damage to a minimum and will be able to get the problem fixed quickly.

Caravan storage

Covers

Now that caravan covers are breathable, durable and water resistant, it may be worth taking a look. There are several brands of ready-made covers available on the market, ranging in price from £60 to £120 so they’ve very affordable. Bespoke, made-to-measure covers will offer a better fit and may be of higher quality and one of these will cost between £250 and £450 so do your research before making a decision on which to go for.

Undercover

If there is any way of storing your caravan undercover, that would be the ideal scenario as it will be protected from the wind, rain, ice and sun. Some caravan owners with significant space to the side of their houses opt to build a ‘caravan port’, a lean to of sorts to provide cover for their caravan.

Home or away?

Some people do not have anywhere to store their caravan so they pay for storage elsewhere. Often people that do have off road parking still opt to pay for storage away from home to give them covered storage or simply free up space at home.

Trust us with your repairs

If you notice something that needs repairing, don’t put it off - it could get worse and end up costing you more! Our workshop team are qualified gas, electrical and mechanical technicians with a variety of industry accreditations, including the Gas Safe/ACops certificate and the IEE 17th Edition Wiring Regulations qualification. This gives us the ability to carry out any repairs on your new or pre-owned caravan to the very highest of standards.

From minor dents and scratches to major damp rectification work, we can transform your damaged caravan back to its best. We only use genuine manufacturer's parts and our fully-trained team have the skills required to solve any problem you may have.

After the repair of your caravan, we guarantee the quality of our work with a full one-year warranty, giving you extra peace of mind. We also fit large accessories such as bike racks, solar panels and air conditioning units, so get in touch for more information.

NCC-approved workshop

Winchester Caravans’ workshop is NCC-approved and run by fully-qualified caravan servicing professionals. Using an approved workshop like us gives you peace of mind that the technician working on your caravan is qualified to the required standards. The scheme is so sure of its standards, that they guarantee all repairs for a minimum of six months.

As an NCC-approved workshop, we also meet high standards of competency and comply with an industry Code of Practice. 

 

Find out more about the maintenance services we can offer you.

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