A debate that crops up frequently on various forums is whether a motorhome should be run periodically while in storage.

Some say it’s good to circulate the oil in the engine and gearbox from time to time, while others say no, leave it alone.

My belief is that the best way forward is to use the motorhome as often as you can. Bear in mind that the base vehicle, no matter which of the best vans for converting to a camper it is, was designed to be a delivery van and expected to do anywhere up to 100,000 miles a year.

For obvious reasons, many of us – and I include myself in this – simply can’t use our motorhome as often as we’d like to. Work, family and other commitments often mean our leisure vehicles have to stand idle for long spells.

Standing still does them no good

But remaining immobile does them no good at all, especially if they are parked outdoors. Moisture condenses on the brakes and leaves them rusty, and it can even get inside the
engine, because there will always be at least a couple of valves left open.

I well recall, back in the 1970s, a Ford Capri that was left parked for about 18 months seizing up solid because of rust in the cylinders.

Running the engine will obviously stop this happening, but if you just let it idle for a while, it will do more harm than good.

The engine will never get up to full operating temperature, just idling with no load on it, and the DPF, if fitted, will simply clog up with soot as it can’t get hot enough to regenerate and burn off the soot. In addition, none of the other components of transmission or suspension and brakes will benefit – they’re not being exercised.

In my opinion, the best course of action if you can’t actually use the motorhome is to take it for a good drive every couple of weeks, about 10 miles should be enough, and include a spell at motorway speeds if you can.

This will get everything up to normal operating temperature and ensure all moving parts in the powertrain are fully lubricated and any moisture that might have collected in the engine is boiled off, rather than allowing it to contaminate the oil.

The exhaust system will also be heated fully throughout its length, removing moisture, and catalytic converters and DPFs will have reached full temperature and remained clear of soot.

Ten miles each fortnight also helps to prevent flat spotting or localised cracking in the motorhome tyres, owing to being parked in one place for long periods and basically fully loaded at those times. Finally, it helps to keep the batteries fully charged, so when you can get away, everything will be good to go.

Don’t miss our guide to how to reduce the weight of a motorhome either, where we take a look at the free things you can do if your ‘van is overladen.

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