Your motorhome, caravan or camper van is a high value vehicle, maintain the underside to ensure good residual values, lower MOT costs and less risk of water ingress from road water.

Owners of motorhomes, caravans and campervans often maintain the areas of the vehicle they can see, the underside is easily forgotten.

Everyday use, stone chips, road grit, storm water, and winter road salt can attack the vehicles underside. Once bare metal is uncovered, it quickly oxidises and the rust process starts. Major rust damage is expensive to repair and can also trigger MOT failure (motorhome, campervan). To reduce the risk of rust, specialist rust-prevention products (Dinitrol, Waxoyl, etc) have been developed.

Interestingly there are now two leisure vehicle brands, that stipulate the underside of the caravan or motorhome must receive a top up “underbody treatment” during each yearly service to comply with their 10 year water ingress body warranty.

Coach built motorhomes are a combined build from two organisations; the Chassis Cab is made by the “vehicle manufacturer” (Citroen, Fiat, Ford, Mercedes, Renault etc), and the habitation area or coach built body / rear chassis by made by “the converter” (Adria, Coachman, Elddis, Hymer, Swift etc). When completing rust-prevention or underbody applications ensure your repairer treats the vehicle as a whole, the full underside, the metal area usually made by the vehicle manufacturer has a treatment and the outer wooden ply floor built by the motorhome converter will also have a layer of protection applied, reducing the risk of water ingress.

When thinking about rust-prevention, ask your supplier about their process, you should be looking for the following steps:

• On ramp pre-work damage / rust inspection.
• Pre-treatment power wash, with degreaser to remove road salt, grime, oil from:
• Underbody area assessment, including: Cab chassis, chassis box section, engine, transmission, running gear and habitation floor.
• Air & Compressed air dry.
• Removal all wheels.
• Fit protective coverings to vehicle & key areas ie brakes.
• Type of products used for:
  • Chassis internal sections ie cavity wax with active rust inhibitor
  • Underbody, chassis & ply floor
  • Wheel arch stone chip
• Once dry, re-assemble ready for collection.

Follow up:
Plan a yearly inspection with your supplier.

If you have a question about rust prevention or under body treatments please drop us a line or give us a call.