I thought it might be helpful for other RV owners to write up a list of RV maintenance tasks, grouped by frequency. Of course, these are for our 2017 Tiffin Allegro Bus 40SP motorhome; other RVs may have different requirements, and may not have some features like water softener, dishwasher, etc. But most items would apply to any RV. If I missed anything, or you have any corrections or other comments, please let me know!

• Weekly:
• Test water hardness; regenerate the water softener with salt if needed (and if you have one).
• Monthly:
• Run the generator under load (e.g. with ACs running) for an hour; good for a travel day.
• Empty air tank drain valves.
• Clean dishwasher rim and filter.
• Spray electrical cord contacts with DeoxIT.
• Wash coach exterior with Wash Wax All or similar.
• 3-Monthly:
• Backflush water softener.
• Replace house and fridge water filters; I have 3-stage filters plus the built-in one and fridge filter.
• Lubricate window slides with Plexus.
• Lubricate entry door hinges with silicone lube.
• Invert fire extinguisher and shake to loosen dry chemicals.
• Remove shower drain cover and in sink to remove hair.
• Check Aqua-Hot antifreeze level; should be at HOT level just after shutting off; top up if needed.
• 6-Monthly:
• Replace ceiling AC filters (two different types).
• Sanitize fresh water tank.
• Vacuum dust under fridge; a couple of screws and clips to remove panel under front of fridge.
• Clean dryer vent from outside.
• Polish wheel rims with Purple Polish.
• Apply 303 Protectant to tires.
• Yearly:
• Replace dash AC filter. Accessed via generator compartment on rear wall.
• Make sure emergency exit in bedroom opens easily.
• Get waste tanks professionally cleaned.
• Get roof seams and joints inspected at service center.
• Get engine, generator, chassis lube, slide-outs, and Aqua-Hot serviced.

I hope this is helpful, Let me know of any updates!

Our entry steps have been dodgy for a while, making horrible noises when extending and retracting, and sometimes not fully retracting until they are nudged. I tried cleaning the tracks and lubricating several times, and even got a couple of techs to look at it, without improvement.

Recently, it’s been getting worse, where it sometimes wouldn’t move at all until I tapped the motor with a hammer (a recommended workaround). So it was clearly on its last legs.

When departing our home base, it did this again. I had bought a replacement motor, but it was too awkward for me to get to it in order to replace it, due to a cover plate partly over the motor. We had a service appointment coming up, so I figured I’d get them to replace it for me. I managed to get the steps to retract by tapping the motor, and rather than risk them getting stuck out again, I disconnected the motor, and secured the steps in place with a ratchet strap (probably not necessary, since the motor was still engaged with the step gearbox, but better safe than sorry).

Here’s the step motor:

I disconnected the motor, a simple plug:

And added a ratchet strap to hold the step in, just in case:

In order to get in and out in the meantime, I had also ordered some metal and wooden steps, which we used at our next campsite:

The good news is that the aforementioned service place, the Oregon Motorcoach Center in Eugene, Oregon, was later able to replace the step motor, and it is now working like new again. It’s certainly nice to have this issue resolved.

Back in 2023 I replaced the rear bathroom vent lid motor after the cover broke.

A little while ago it broke again — the lift mechanism seems to put a lot of strain on the plastic cover. But this time, instead of replacing the whole motor, I just ordered a replacement cover from Amazon (I actually ordered two of them, in case it breaks again).

Here’s the broken cover:

After removing the cover from the motor:

The replacement cover:

The cover on the motor; I needed to unscrew the useless handle to get it on:

Finished:

Let’s see how long this one lasts!