When the autumn season rolls around, it’s time to get those last miles of the year in with your RV. You may be planning out your perfect cross-country escape right now. But it’s also time to do something equally important, and marginally less fun: plan your maintenance schedule for the winter.
While spring and summer are the perfect seasons to get out and play with your RV, fall and winter are the times of the year when you want to focus on the maintenance care of your vehicle. You may be thinking you have it all covered – after all, you have to get your vehicle serviced year-round. But there are more intense annual items that need to be checked off the list.
You may be tempted to skip this part of the maintenance schedule, but don’t. These are the services that will make sure you are ready to go for next spring and will keep your RV functioning for many years!
Give a thorough cleaning
Before you pack up your RV for the winter, you’ll want to give a thorough and intense cleaning. An RV is like moving home and, as such, there are more opportunities for a mess than your average vehicle. Doing a deep cleaning of your RV will ensure that small animals don’t turn your RV into a winter getaway.
Cover everything
Keep your RV covered when it’s not in use for long stretches of time. You should consider specifically purchasing an RV cover that is designed to withstand moisture and other elements. This will help protect your RV from the elements as it sits in your driveway or street. The exterior will look better and it can also prevent damage from small items, like branches.
And don’t forget your tires. They need to be protected, too. You can buy tire covers that fit snugly and stop them from getting damaged during the long winter months.
Store your battery
It would be really upsetting to jump into your RV on that first day of spring, only to find that the battery got killed off from the extreme winter weather. Save yourself a lot of stress by stowing it away. Keep them in a modestly cool place (so, not your fridge) and charge them up every few weeks to keep them healthy. The small amount of effort will pay dividends at the end of the season.
Lubricate the hinges
When you’re not using your RV for a while, it’s the perfect time for rust to form. That makes simple tasks like opening a door or unlocking something a pain. That’s why you should be lubricating door hinges, locks, and anything else that might be prone to rust when it’s not used regularly.
Fill up the fuel
Before you’re ready to put the RV away, fill up the fuel tank and add a fuel stabilizer. The fuel stabilizer will keep the fuel from going bad and destroying your carburetor. Make sure you run the engine to let the fuel stabilizer travel through the entire system so it can do it’s in the winter.
Get an annual inspection
Most importantly, you want to bring your RV in for an annual inspection. This is where a technician can evaluate what needs to be fixed or given special attention. At Capital Diesel, you can have our expert technicians come out to you! With just a little preparation, you can be ready for spring in no time.