An RV maintenance schedule you'll actually keep

Most RV repairs that ruin a trip start as maintenance that slipped: a roof seam nobody looked at, tires that were fine on tread but eight years old, a generator that sat all winter. You don't need a binder of manuals to stay ahead of it. You need a short list, the right interval for each item, and somewhere to write down when you did it.

1. Track three numbers

RV maintenance runs on three clocks: days (calendar time), miles (odometer), and hours (generator, and on some rigs the engine). Many items use two of them, like "every 12 months or 12,000 miles, whichever comes first." Log your odometer and generator hours every so often, and every service date, and the rest is arithmetic.

2. A starter schedule

These are common intervals from RV, tire, appliance, and axle makers. Your own manuals win if they say something different.

For every rig

• Roof and sealant inspection: every 90 days. Most RV makers say to check roof seams and sealant on this schedule. Water damage is the expensive one.
• Slide-out seals: clean and treat every 6 months. Keeps the rubber soft so slides seal and don't leak.
• Tires by age: replace at about 6 years. Most tire makers say 5 to 7 years, whatever the tread. The date is the four-digit DOT code on the sidewall (week and year).
• Water heater anode rod: check yearly. Suburban says replace it when about 75% is gone. Aluminum-tank heaters have no anode.
• Sanitize the fresh water system: yearly, and after storage.
• House batteries: monthly. Water level on flooded batteries, and tight, clean terminals.
• Smoke and CO alarms: test monthly.

If you have propane

• LP gas detector: replace within 5 years of the date on the back (MTI's guidance).
• LP system leak test: yearly, a leak-down test by a certified tech.

If you have a generator

• Generator oil and filter: every 150 hours or once a year (Cummins Onan).
• Exercise the generator: monthly, about 2 hours at half load or more (Cummins Onan). Fuel that sits is what kills them.

Motorhomes

• Engine oil and filter: a common starting point is every 5,000 miles or 6 months, but use your chassis manual's interval if it differs.

Trailers and fifth wheels

• Repack wheel bearings: every 12 months or 12,000 miles (Dexter).
• Adjust trailer brakes: every 3 months or 3,000 miles (Dexter). Skip it if your axles self-adjust.

3. Keep the receipts

A log is worth more with proof. Keep a photo of each receipt or work order with the date and the odometer reading. It helps with warranty claims, it helps the next shop, and it helps when you sell the rig.

4. Make it remind you

The point of a schedule is that you don't have to remember it. Whatever you use, paper or app, look at what's due before each trip and once a month on the road.

How RV Compass keeps the log

Every rig in RV Compass has a Garage. Log odometer and generator readings, and start from a starter schedule of 14 items like the ones above, fitted to your kind of rig (towables get bearings and brakes, propane and generator items only show if they apply). Each item can run on days, miles, hours, or a mix, and its status uses whichever comes due first.

Mark an item done with one tap, or add a service record with a receipt photo. Print the history as a report for the shop or a buyer. If something is overdue or coming up, you'll get a Monday email (you can turn it off). On the phone, the Garage works offline and catches up when you're back in signal. More in the Garage log, and see the trip planning checklist for the pre-departure walkaround.