We had our freedom caravan 8 years and never serviced it. I knew the brakes were working because they squeeked and had a digital Co detector. The body was glass fibre and even if it somehow leaked would not rot and If LPG leaks you can smell it.
I can't help but think most 'services' are a sheet ticking exercise and an opportunity to relieve the caravanner of money. Although I can see why you'd have one done if buying a second hand one.
It's stating the blindingly obvious to say a gas heater should be serviced if you want to use it, which in an older caravan you may not. If on Ehu you may as well use electric heater. Again if you have basic knowledge, then its not difficult to clean out burner & flue. Biggest Co risk with old gas heater is flue rotted & leaking. Same with fridge as well which should also have burner/flue cleaned if the intention is to run on gas.
However it's not a helpful thread to just state 'caravan should be professionally serviced annually at cost of £200' when plenty of users are quite capable of carrying out basic maintenance on interior & body. For those with tools & more skills servicing caravan running gear is hardly rocket science & all instructions are searchable online.
It always makes me smile when people refer to a caravan service as a sheet ticking exercise. Yes a check sheet is ticked to show what has been done. Mine personally also have a lot of additional comments for things i do that are not on a service sheet or other observations made.
However when your car is serviced the garage also works to a checklist for that vehicle yet as you never get that service sheet it is never referred to as as box ticking exercise. Funny that
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Battie well said that.
I don't think caravan servicing is expensive either especially when the main dealer for my Alfa Romeo quoted £525 plus vat for annual service recently
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we pay £200 for a full service on our twin axle at the main Bailey dealer it was purchased from. Worthy investment other than preserving the warranty, it gives us peace of mind that all the gas and electric components are safe. These vans get shaken to bits when you are towing on UK roads, they don't have sophisticated suspension like the cars we all drive. A couple of rubber bungs and a shock absorber if you are lucky.
I think these recent comments apply mainly to owners of new or nearly new vans. In those circumstances would agree, but for us owners of "oldies" the cost could quickly exceed to price paid for the van.
I think it's a case of do whatever you are comfortable with. You and yours are the ones who will be using it.
I am perfectly capable of doing any necessary repairs to my old van, and if I found anything really serious I would get rid of it. I had the chassis serviced recently, purely because I had no idea when it was last done, and the engineer found absolutely nothing wrong. I now have peace of mind for at least a couple of years, by which time I may well have bought another. I know how to check for gas leaks, as I did it regularly on my boat, where it is much more critical. Gas can't escape on a boat, it just sinks to the bilges where it builds up and could explode! I have a working CO detector, and a smoke detector in my caravan, and check both regularly.
Trouble is, using a caravan a lot brings issues of wear & tear (to running gear, hitch etc.), but having a caravan standing around also brings issues (blocked flues, tyre degradation, seizing brakes etc.).
Risk assessment: chance of your caravan malfunctioning is fairly low: But, if such a breakdown did happen the consequences could be catastrophically high, including written off 'van and car along with injury or worse to yourself and to third parties. You can add to that the risk of lethal gas fumes in the 'van from blocked flues or poorly maintained appliances.
Price of service is from £100 to around £200 in a main dealership.
Your call.
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Exactly Hairywol. Your call it is. As I said, it's a case of doing whatever you feel comfortable with.
In all probability, it is the standing around that does the most harm, not the mileage. Most caravans do only a tiny fraction of the mileage of the average car, so things wearing out is far less of a problem than deterioration. In all probability, my 1988 van still has its original brake shoes, which still had plenty of brake lining left on them a month ago. The bearings and suspension were also fine.
I would suggest that anyone who has few practical skills, or has no wish to work on their caravan themselves, needs to have professionals service their van more often than someone who has the skills, and does most of the work themselves.
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Topic: Caravan servicing
