Getting Your RV Ready For A Summer ’19 Road Trip

The many benefits of owning a Recreational Vehicle is the ability to go anywhere your heart desires and your pockets allow. With school winding down, warm weather becoming a daily experience and increasing daylight, your wanderlust may be nagging you. Lucky for you, you have a moving hotel room sitting in your driveway just waiting to hit the road and show you a whole new location. Whether you’re traveling to your regular campground or pioneering new land that you and your family have never seen before, your RV will get you there and keep you comfortable the entire time. Recreational Vehicles, however, are still vehicles. They need maintenance, service, and cleaning before you begin your trek. So, we prepared a checklist for you to use when getting your RV ready for your Summer 2019 vacation!

Tips For Getting Your RV Road Ready

1.  Tires
   Arguably the most important part of any vehicle. Without tires, you’re going nowhere, and unfortunately, tires like to wear pretty quickly when traveling long distances. Before hitting the road, check your tires THOROUGHLY. Check for uneven wear, puncture holes, tread condition and depth, and lumpy areas around the sidewall. Nobody wants a flat tire during their road trip, but with damaged or worn tires, that may be the least of the problems you can face. Tire blowouts, although not as common as they used to be are one of the major dangers facing RV travel. Examining your tires is one of, if not THE most important factors to getting your RV ready for a trip.
2. Water & Sewer Lines
   Aside from avoiding unpleasant smells during your trip, there are many reasons to check and service your water and sewer lines. A typical examination of the water system includes: checking the pumps to ensure they are working properly, flushing the lines to clean, checking for leaks, and checking that all flushing hoses are accessible and free of damage.
3. Batteries
   Batteries lose their charge when not used for several months. Most RV owners know to keep a trickle charger on the batteries while stored, but if not checked on a regular basis, the charger may not have worked correctly. So, before you embark on your trip, check to make sure your battery is full of charge. If it’s not, consider replacing to avoid any potential breakdowns.
4. Engine (RV & Generator)
   An RV is no different than a car when it comes to making sure your engine is in tip-top shape before a trip. Oil changes are needed whether you’ve driven the allotted miles or not. Over time, condensation can build up inside the engine of both the RV and the generator, which could cause engine damage to both. So make sure you get your oil changed before your trip. Along with the engine oil, all fluids should be checked for levels and condition. This includes Brake fluid, transmission fluid, power steering fluid, engine coolant, and windshield washer fluid.
5. Give Her A Bath!
   Nothing is better than stopping for gas and seeing your shiny RV sitting at the pump! Cleaning the outside will not only make your RV look like it belongs on the front of a traveler’s magazine, but it will help you examine the exterior for any damages you may not have noticed previously. Even in closed storage, RVs can become damaged by heat and weather, so while you’re washing the vehicle,  check all seams and window molding for tears or early wear. Cleaning the inside is important as well! While you’re cleaning, check to make sure all motorized extensions work correctly. Lastly, check to make sure you haven’t picked up any unwelcomed guest like rodents or bugs while your RV was stored. You’ll typically be able to see signs of both while cleaning your vehicle.
6. Reevaluate Your Insurance Coverage
   Recreational Vehicles often carry a similar type of insurance as your everyday automobiles. This includes your typical collision, comprehensive, liability and uninsured motorist coverage. As with regular vehicles, your insurance rates are based on many different factors. This is why it’s commonly expressed that insurance coverages should be evaluated on a yearly basis. Recreational Vehicles are no exception. You could save money on your policy by speaking to your insurance agent. Something as simple as paying off debt could bring your premium down! Saving money on your RV insurance could add to your vacation budget, allowing you to go further and see more than last year!

Bogle Agency Insurance Offers Recreational Vehicle Insurance Policies

Bogle Agency Insurance is proud to offer insurance policies for Recreation Vehicles. Our Lyndhurst New Jersey Insurance Agents would be happy to walk you through a re-evaluation of your current policy to see if we can save you money while providing you the best coverage. Contact Bogle Agency Insurance to speak with one of our agents about your Recreational Vehicle Insurance Policy.