RV Maintenance for Continued Success

As with any home, RVs require maintenance — even if they’re not driveable. We live in a fifth wheel: Tagalong. Although it has no motor, things still break or need attention from time to time. 

When you travel regularly, proper RV maintenance becomes a priority. Otherwise, the issues that arise could quickly exacerbate as a result of the mini earthquakes experienced during transit. 

Nearing the end of a long-term RV stay, we knew we needed to take care of some problems. Every year, it seems, we have to deal with broken window shades. Sometimes they get stuck open. Other times, they stop rolling up or down. 

We’ve learned how to replace the springs that control the movement, but removing the shades from — and, even worse, reinstalling them on — the walls is no easy feat. Still, the job had to be done. 

Here are some other maintenance tasks we’ve had to tend to. 


Shine Restoration

We bought our fifth wheel in Mesa, Arizona, in June 2019. With no place to store it, the dealership agreed to keep the rig on its lot for six months. That worked well for us, but the Arizona sun and heat took their toll. 

Fast-forward just a few years, and we found ourselves wanting to address the dullness of Tagalong’s exterior to extend the life of our rig before it was too late. So, we booked a wash-and-wax job. 

Three workers showed up at our home and walked around the rig, assessing the job ahead of them. After their evaluation, the foreman explained that the clear coat protection on the rig had eroded. A wash-and-wax job alone would not restore it, he said. Tagalong needed something more intense: oxidation remover.

Since we don’t have to paint the exterior of our RV home every few years like we did our sticks and bricks, this seemed like a necessary equivalent. We decided to invest in the added protectant to restore Tagalong’s luster — for nearly double the price we had planned to pay. 

Four hours later, the men finished the job, eager for us to see the results of their labor. The dullness we had grown accustomed to had been erased, replaced by a shine that made our rig look almost like new.

Upholstery Fix

Like other RVs built in 2018, our rig came equipped with artificial leather living room furniture. This quickly became an industry problem as the furniture material kept its integrity for only a few years before starting to peel. Because of that, modern RVs come with fabric furniture. 

When our recliner loveseat began peeling, we bandaged it with brush-on leather repair. That held for about a year before it, too, started to deteriorate.

Not wanting to spend hundreds of dollars to replace our loveseat, Bob did some research and discovered self-adhesive leather repair kits in a variety of colors and sizes, available on Amazon. We took some measurements and ordered a roll to cover the material on both headrests, the location of most of the flaking. 

Working together, we cleaned the furniture, measured and cut the replacement material, and carefully and slowly attached it to the loveseat. Although it’s not a perfect color match, the fix covered beautifully.

Thrilled with that success, we ordered a larger roll to blanket the loveseat seats, one of which had started to peel. Requiring larger pieces, that repair job proved a little more challenging. But we pulled it off and salvaged our furniture.

Step Renovation

The two stairs inside our rig that lead from the main living area to the bathroom and bedroom came covered in a protective plastic. Situated right inside the entry to the rig, the stairs are regularly exposed to sunlight, never mind the day-in, day-out use they’re subjected to. In many areas, the plastic had become brittle and broken. 

Wanting to prevent a tripping hazard, I decided to rip up all of the plastic protectant down to the particle board. I vacuumed the stairs to remove any dust and debris. Then I taped the edges and painted the stairs with a durable black floor paint with granules in it to prevent slipping. The two-coat restoration lasted for a year. 

After that time, some of the paint along the edge of each step wore down to wood. A little touch-up paint did the trick to correct the issue and keep the stairs protected and looking nice. 


Seam Recaulking

We’ve had our share of water issues since moving into our RV. Not wanting to face anymore, we keep a close eye on external areas that could be at risk for allowing rain in. When installing new solar panels, we noticed the caulking along one side of the roof had pulled away, likely a result of the sun beating on it. 

Bob ordered some silicone caulk to fix the issue, but before he could apply it, he had to remove the old silicone. He spent a couple of hours teetering on the edge of the rig, painstakingly peeling the old sealant and rubbing the seam clean.

After another hour on his hands and knees to recaulk the seam, he emerged victorious — and sore from all the kneeling. Despite that, we shouldn’t have to worry about rain seeping in.

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