Top Motorhome Mishaps You'll Want To Avoid!
Mistakes happen to everyone
We've all been there and done that. There's such a lot to remember when motorhoming, so it's easy to mess up. We do hear occasionally from newbies but even those with experience can get it a little wrong sometimes.
With that in mind, we've rounded up our pick of the best (worst?) motorhoming mistakes that you need to avoid. Some of these have been kindly submitted by our readers and others are hard-learned lessons on things not to do from our editors. Here's just some of the things that have happened over the years.
Got any mishaps of your own? Be sure to share all on forum!
Rachel Scholes Content Editor: Motorhomes
Rachel Scholes Content Editor: Motorhomes
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#1
Blinded by the sat-nav
OK, this was in the good old days when sat-navs were generally a bit more car-orientated and less intuitive, but blindly following a sat-nav is not a good idea.
A few years ago one of the team was directed to a narrower and narrower lane with ‘ford’ warning signs. In for a penny, in for a pound, he thought. Emerging out of the ford on the other side, the result was two cracked side skirts on the rear overhang.
#2
Dirt, glorious dirt
OAL team member, Jack, admitted to this one, after taking a frankly quite unsuitable hire campervan down a dirt track touring New Zealand. His newly engaged fiancée was less than impressed...
Somewhere to the northeast of Whangārei, on New Zealand's North Island, he steered their basic Toyota camper down a dirt track in search of a through-route to a scenic beach.
After beaching the campervan with two wheels left airborne, Jack sought the help of some friendly locals and was towed to safety. They actually then stopped for a cuppa with the New Zealanders and had a great afternoon, but we still don't recommend touring roads unsuitable for campervans!
#3
Put the cap on!
This one is a bit more recent and happened to yours truly…
I’m well known for not properly twisting caps on bottles in my house, to my other half’s frustration. However, leaving a toilet fluid bottle half unscrewed in a review motorhome and driving home has possibly cured this.
An increasing smell of chemical was strange at first, but the light bulb moment occurred almost at my destination. I found the bottle tipped over, cap still on, but loose enough to allow a lot of it to spread all over the garage floor. Thankfully most of the damage was easily wiped up.
#4
Still hooked-up
OK, so this was an early mishap on a group test of a load of campervans in the Yorkshire Dales.
I’m not excusing myself but it had been raining and the flooded roads in the area meant we hadn’t been able to leave the Hawes campsite for two days.
So the moment the heavens stopped opening, we jumped into the campers to try and get some exterior photos in various locations. The cable did detach from the campervan, taking a fair bit of the hook-up point with it.
#5
Dieselgate
I’m happy to say this was not one of my moments. A colleague was driving south to drop a campervan back off with the manufacturer after a review.
He stopped to fill up, ringing me in a panic to say the fuel gauge was not working as it hadn’t moved after topping up the tank.
Puzzled to say the least, we decided it was best he continue. He did also report a strong smell of diesel. He must have coasted back to the manufacturer on fumes, as it called me to confirm the diesel had been added to the water tank filler point instead…
#6
Extra wind resistance
We’ve all done it. There’s that noise of rushing air as you start to drive along. Sometimes if it’s in the washroom or all the way back in the motorhome you might not even notice it until you are doing 60 on the motorway.
You thought those oncoming motorhomes flashing their lights at you were just being friendly.
I’ve lost count of the times I’ve stopped by the side of the road or found the first layby to run round and have another check of rooflights, the habitation door, the external lockers and those dratted flapping hook-up point covers. Which leads neatly onto the next point…
#7
Catch of the day
This is one that could have been disastrous, but all parties escaped relatively unscathed. Hopping into the driver’s seat one day, I was keen to get on the road from North Yorkshire to base in Lincolnshire. All was well – checks completed and off I went. It was the first roundabout that did it.
Watching in slow motion in the rear view mirror, the wardrobe door swung open and my laptop flew out, crashed into the kitchen unit and dropped to the floor.
I managed to pull over and fortunately the motorhome and kitchen unit were unharmed, but the laptop charging port was never the same.
#8
Peep show
Picking up a brand-new camper, the owner confessed they hadn’t quite had time to fit the curtains/blinds. No problem thinks I, I’ll be able to cope. It wouldn’t have been a problem normally, but in my rush to pack I’d completely forgotten the sleeping bag.
And would you credit it, but there was not a sleeping bag to be found at the Western Show at Malvern that year – something that’s rarer than a white rhino. I did have a blanket and a full set of clothes, so I looked like the Michelin man that weekend, on full display of any passing showgoer.
#9
The river runs through it
To be fair, this is possibly one of the most common mishaps. Insert hose, switch on tap and wait, only to discover the tank gauge has not moved after five or so minutes. Look underneath to see water draining straight out.
Did you know that a new motorhome sometimes needs to be purged or that there might be a missing cap, or that if the pump is on and the frost drain valve activated then all your water gets pumped into the boiler and out the bottom? Avoid this one if you possibly can!
#10
The most obvious thing
OK, so I spent a good hour fiddling about with a gas system recently – the fridge wasn’t working on gas and I didn’t have mains. Panic – I had a fridge full of food, but more importantly, there was a bottle of crisp white getting warmer by the minute.
Switch on the hob, nothing. Check the gap taps, all OK. Check the gas tank levels, also OK. All ‘obvious’ things checked, I decided to call a gas engineer the next day – a helpful neighbour, aka lifesaver, stashes perishables in their spare fridge. I wake up at 3am with the sinking feeling of one last item; I check the control panel, where it quite clearly shows gas switched off – doh.
I have to fess up the next day to my neighbours, who take it with good grace as I retrieve the stashed food to return it to my now functional fridge.
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