Top 10 pre-season caravan checks

With daylight hours increasing at a seeming exponential rate and spring flowers brightening every hedgerow, it's time to hitch up your caravan. What a shame if, after only a few miles you get a flat, then you arrive on site and find the corner steadies won't wind down, the handbrake's seized, the cooker won't light and...

Better by far to spend time making a few pre-season checks and undertake some preventative maintenance. Here are our top ten tips:

1. Check the tyre pressures and tread depth and inspect the tyres for signs of cracking or premature failure. Re-torque the wheel nuts.
   
2. Make sure the handbrake operates freely by pulling and releasing the lever several times. Lubricate and adjust it as necessary.
   
3. Couple up a gas cylinder and make sure all the appliances are working.
4. Check the battery. It should have been removed, and charged occasionally, while your caravan was laid up for the winter. Give it a charge now if necessary.
   
5. At the start of the season, run a sterilising solution – such as used for babies' feeding bottles – through the water pipes.
6. Connect the 12N and 12S plugs to your tow car and check that the external and internal caravan lights and 12-volt appliances are working. Regularly clean the plugs and spray them with a moisture repellent.
   
7. Clean your caravan inside and out regularly and apply a coat of polish to help protect the exterior.
8. If you have an awning, check that there are no parts missing and that it is not damaged.
9. Lubricate window and door hinges and check that curtains and window blinds operate smoothly.
10. Finally, arrange for the gas system and appliances, the mains electricity supply and the refrigerator to be serviced annually by an expert – who should provide an inspection certificate.

    These are just ten tips for maintaining your caravan and there are many more in the The Caravan Manual by John Wickersham. It contains comprehensive information on storage, towing accessories, preparing for winter lay-up and many other topics of interest to caravanners and prospective caravan owners.

Haynes

Drive safely this winter with Haynes

Climate change may well be causing polar ice caps to melt and glaciers to shrink but UK winters still bring dark nights, fog, rain, snow - and increased danger.

In fact about 50% of all reported night-time road traffic accidents occur in wet conditions; however in the UK it is wet on average only one night in ten. Or, to put it another way, after dark a motorist is nine times more likely to be involved in an accident if it's wet. Add in hail, sleet and snow and these are just the conditions which are likely to bring the most car breakdowns. The AA expects to attend to more than 10,000 breakdowns a day in January!

Unless you intend to hibernate, you should prepare your car and yourself for bad weather. There are some simple DIY checks to ensure your vehicle is a safe as possible this winter. These include some of the many DIY tasks covered by Haynes Manuals that almost any car owner can easily do.

1. Check the operation of all exterior lights and keep them clean. Replacing failed bulbs or fuses is usually straightforward.
2. Clean the windscreen and windows, inside and out, regularly. Use a cleaner intended for car glass - household window cleaners can leave a smeary film.
3. Check the condition of wiper blades (which are simple to replace) and stop them freezing to the screen by propping them up on slices cut from a cork when you park for the night. Keep the washer reservoir topped up and use an additive with antifreeze properties (not engine antifreeze).
4. Each week and before long journeys, check the tyre pressures (including the spare wheel). Check also the tread depth - 1.6mm is the legal minimum but for good grip on wet roads, it's better to replace tyres once the tread depth is 2.0mm.
5. If you expect to do a lot of driving on snow-covered roads, consider buying a spare set of wheels with tyres especially designed for these conditions. Some tyre retailers will store the summer tyres for you in winter, and vice versa.
6. Check the level in the coolant reservoir and top up as necessary with a water/antifreeze solution. The coolant (with antifreeze) should be changed every two or three years.
7. Make sure the antifreeze concentration in the cooling system is adequate - if there has been a leak and you've been topping up with plain water it may not be. A garage can test it for you, or you can buy a tester from a car accessory shop.
8. Winter grade diesel can cope with temperatures down to -15º C. If lower temperatures are expected, use an anti-waxing additive in the fuel tank (or stay at home!)
9. Ensure the battery terminals are tight and not corroded. You may get a free battery and charging system check at a car accessory shop or fast-fit specialist. Don't wait for your battery to fail - replace it in good time.
10. Carry an emergency kit - spare fuses and bulbs, jump leads, a torch, water dispersant spray and de-icer.
11. If your car has air conditioning, run it for 10 minutes or so once a month to stop the seals drying out. And use it to demist the windscreen even if you don't need the cooling effect.
12. When parking overnight in freezing conditions, leave your car in gear with the handbrake off if it is safe to do so. This will prevent the handbrake freezing in the 'on' position.
13. In the morning you can use warm (not boiling!) water for defrosting windows, but watch where it runs - it could form an ice slick when it freezes.
14. There's no point in keeping lock de-icer inside the car. Frozen door locks can sometimes be freed by blowing into them - but be careful not to get your lips stuck to the car!
15. Make things easier for the battery by not switching on headlights, heater blower or heated rear window until the engine is running. Similarly, switch off lights etc before stopping the engine. Switch off the heated rear window as soon as the screen is clear.
16. On slippery roads, drive slowly, smoothly and gently. Accelerate gradually, steer gently and brake smoothly. Arrange tuition on a skid-pan through your local driving school or the Institute of Advanced Motorists.

 

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