Knowing what you can safely fix yourself means you don’t always have to schlep to a dealer and is the key to trouble-free touring, says Peter Rosenthal
Thirty years ago, owner’s manuals for vehicles used to detail how to strip down the gearbox and rebuild it yourself. These days, they tell you not to drink the battery acid and how to find the colour-coded caps for the coolant tank.
People’s reluctance to tackle basic DIY tasks and fear of ‘modern vehicles’ with their ‘complex computers’ has created this malaise, but the reality is that modern vehicles can be relatively easy to work on (they often tell you what’s wrong with them, thanks to the ECU!) and motorhome habitation sections are still largely handbuilt.
So if you’re willing to learn a few basic skills and invest in some hand tools, you can usually fix most minor things yourself. This can save you money, avoid wasting time visiting a dealer and help keep your holiday on track. It’s a win-win!
STILL UNDER WARRANTY?
It’s essential to understand if your vehicle is still under warranty before diving into your toolbox, and there are often several warranties in force on new or nearly new vehicles.
For a start, there’s the base vehicle warranty and the habitation area warranty. Many appliances also have their own warranty attached to them. These can all vary in length, so the first task is always to read your bill of sale and check the paperwork supplied with your vehicle, to see whether the issue in question is covered under any of the maker’s warranties.
This might mean you don’t have to fix (and pay for) it yourself and might save you any undue effort. You need to be clear on where to take the vehicle, though. Obviously, it’s no good going to a Fiat Professional dealer if there’s a problem with the Dometic toilet (and don’t laugh, it has happened…).
Equally, don’t be fobbed off by either your supplying motorhome dealer or the habitation manufacturer. Some firms like to blame the other party and want you to play ping-pong between the base vehicle manufacturer and the habitation company.
If this happens to you, contact the supplying dealership – as sellers, they are liable for the contract.
ONLY JUST BOUGHT IT?
If the ’van has only just been purchased – new or used – and has immediately d
