Motorhome Maintenance UK: Simple Fixes and a Busy Week
Not the busiest of weeks for gallivanting across the country in the van, but what looked like a quiet spell actually turned into a bit of a productive one. Something always needs fixing, tweaking, or improving when you’ve got a motorhome, and this week proved no different.
Ticking Off the To-Do List: Lights First
Following the feedback from the mechanic, I finally got round to sorting out some of the little jobs that have been bugging me for a while. Nothing major, but important stuff that keeps you road-legal, especially in the UK where long vehicles like motorhomes must have working side (orange) lights and, of course, working rear number plate lights.
The rear number plate lights were easy enough. The side marker lights, however, were another story. A quick search online had me laughing – £224 plus shipping from the States for one replacement. You can imagine my answer to that. I was hoping for more like £12 a pop, so a trip to my local car parts shop was needed.
They didn’t have the exact ones, but a helpful chap overheard me and pointed me towards a motorhome place in Coleraine that I’d completely forgotten about. Perfect timing, as I’d already taken most of the week off to help my youngest prepare for her driving test in (you guessed it) Coleraine. Killing two birds with one stone, a bit of driver training and a pit stop at the parts shop.
Result: four new side marker lights and perfect matches for the rear plate lights. Spent the forgotten bank holiday Thursday fitting them all. Everything works. No more worrying about being pulled over for faulty lights. I’ll throw a few pics in the blog so you can see the difference.
A Cheeky Park-Up
That evening we sneaked in a cheeky park-up down the bottom of the street. Mrs M’s bright idea, of course. Still got the mother-in-law staying with us and she’s in our bed so she can be near a bathroom, the spare room isn’t exactly ensuite. So, sacrifice was the name of the game. The van gave us a peaceful night away, even if it was only 2KM away from the house.
Rear Reversing Lights Installed
Feeling productive after the light success, I decided Friday was the day to finally fit the rear reversing lights I’d ordered from AliExpress a while back. Also sorted out the left rear light housing that’s been hanging loose ever since my minor “incident” on a steep street in Derry.
That particular hill has caught out plenty of drivers, it’s a notorious spot where buses get stuck every year after ignoring the warning signs. I didn’t get beached, thankfully, but the van did take a slight knock. Pride hurt more than the bodywork. Anyway, that’s now sorted, too.
Testing It All Out
The weekend was the perfect chance to road-test everything. We had a night in Swan Park, Buncrana, and then another at Benone Beach after a concert. I can happily report that the new reversing lights are a big improvement. They work brilliantly with the rear-view cameras, making manoeuvring at night much less of a guessing game.
Snow Patrol and a Handy Motorhome
Saturday brought something a bit different. We headed down to Boucher Playing Fields to see Northern Ireland’s very own Snow Patrol. Parking can be an absolute nightmare for concerts, but with the motorhome it’s a different story.
We rolled in nice and early (lunchtime), grabbed a good spot with plenty of room to escape later, wandered out for a bite to eat, and strolled to the concert. No messing about with packed streets or trying to fight through traffic afterwards. We were back on the road and parked up at Benone before midnight. Honestly, using the van like this should be a tip for anyone going to big events.
Do some forward planning, looking for side streets, sit for a while and get a feel for ‘the vibe’, as you don’t want to return to your pride and joy only to see it broken into, or even worse, not there at all. I was constantly getting updates from the various security cameras the whole time we were bopping away to some classic tunes.
Gary Lightbody
Kathy & Darron
Not So Quiet After All
So what looked like a quiet week actually turned out to be quite a productive one. A few jobs off the to-do list, some quality family time, a concert, and a couple of lovely nights away in the van.
Speaking of family, my youngest was due to take her driving test this week in Coleraine. Nerves got the better of her, sadly, and she didn’t quite pass. As I keep saying, the only real failure is not learning from it. We’ll be back on the roads this week getting her ready for her retest, and, selfishly, freeing me up from personal taxi duties in the near future!
Kit That Helped This Week
LED side marker lights – Wish I’d seen these earlier!
LED rear number plate lights – These are cheaper than the ones I bought!
Rear reversing lights – The actual ones I bought (x2)
- Waterproof Junction Boxes
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