Checking for Water Leaks and Damp
Regularly checking for water leaks and damp is one of the easiest and most effective ways to spot early signs of motorhome damage. Water is sneaky; it finds pinholes in the sealant, creeps through hairline cracks and lingers in poorly ventilated spaces. Catching this issue early on can protect your motorhome's structure, electrics, and your overall health.
Ideally, you should inspect the roof lights, vents, aerials, awning rails, windows, and any joints in the bodywork for signs of damp or water. You should look for cracked mastic, lifted sealant edges, loose screws, or stains after rainfall. You also need to pay special attention to where the different materials meet, such as the GRP to the aluminium and the aluminium to the plastic, because these joints can move, crack and become entry/exit points for water.
Identifying Plumbing Leaks or Blockages
Spotting plumbing leaks or blockages early on is a great way to prevent severe motorhome damage. Water can soak your insulation, cause the cabinetry to swell, delaminate your floor layers and create mould - and these issues can be difficult and expensive to fix if they've been left unchecked. Additionally, blockages in your plumbing can cause dirty wastewater to back up into trays and seams, where it will pool and rot the wood and metal fixings.
To find these issues, turn on the pump with the taps closed; if the water cycles intermittently, the pressure is escaping somewhere. In this case, you should trace every drop of water from the tank to the heater to the mixer taps and check underneath the sinks and behind the toilet for cool, damp patches. If there's white limescale or green verdigris around the push-fit connectors, the pressure-relief valves, or the toilet, it's a sign that there's a small leak. A low, pulsing flow at the end of a tap can also be a sign of an obstruction or a partially collapsed hose, which can put pressure on the pump and cause it to burst.
Simple checks can go a long way. By laying down dry tissue paper under the joints, checking the pressure around the heater and looking for hairline cracks in winter, you can catch water where it doesn’t belong and have the issue repaired.
Listening for Unusual Engine Noises
Training your ears to notice clicks, taps, squeals, or rumbles can help you reveal engine issues early on in your motorhome while the repairs are still cheap and simple. After a service or when everything sounds healthy, listen to your motorhome at around 1,500-2,000 rpm, under gentle acceleration and on overrun. Listening to the way your motorhome sounds during these times and making a short audio recording can help you spot any changes in the engine quicker and more efficiently.
Sharp ticking that rises with rpm is often a sign of valvetrain wear, a failing lifter, or an exhaust leak at the manifold. Additionally, high-pitched chirps or squeals usually come from the serpentine belt or an idler/tensioner bearing, and if these sounds are ignored, you could severely damage your motorhome. A rhythmic rumble that changes with the road speed (not rpm) can suggest there's an issue with the wheel bearing, and clicking noises when you make tight turns often point to an issue with the CV joint.
Watching for Brake or Steering Issues
Keeping an eye out for brake or steering issues is one of the quickest ways to spot early motorhome damage. These systems interact with almost every part of the chassis, and any small changes in their feel, sound, or smell often point to problems with the entire system long before anything breaks outright.
If the pedals feel spongy, take longer to apply, or if the pump-and-hold bounces, it's likely that there's trapped air in the system. Additionally, if you break lightly, and the pedals feel like they're pulsing, it's usually a sign that there are warped discs, uneven pad deposits or a sticking calliper. If the motorhome pulls to one side when you're braking, you may have slider pin issues or a collapsed hose that's acting as a one-way valve. All of these issues can fry the motorhome's discs and damage its wheel bearings.
Furthermore, your tyres are your diagnostic printout and feathered edges, cupping, or inside-edge wear can reveal issues like misalignment, worn shocks, or bent components. Uneven front-to-rear wear can also be a sign of sagging springs or overloaded axles, which can put pressure on the brakes and bearings and cause them to collapse.
At Tyne Valley Motorhome Service Centre, we can keep your motorhome road-ready with our expert diagnostics, repairs and maintenance services. From soft floors to squeaky brakes, we can fix any issue with your motorhome so that you're guaranteed to stay safe and comfortable on the road.
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