Why an Annual Caravan Service Is Worth Every Penny

We hear it now and then — “Do I really need a service every year? The van feels fine.” It’s a fair question. When everything seems to be working, it’s tempting to push the service back a year. But there’s a reason we’d always recommend sticking to an annual schedule, and it’s not just about ticking boxes.

What actually gets checked?

A proper annual service covers a lot more than most people realise. At JB Caravan and Trailer Services, a full service typically includes:

• Brakes and hubs — checking for wear, adjustment, and any signs of damage. These are the most safety-critical components on any towed vehicle, and the ones most likely to cause a serious incident if they’re neglected.
• Tyres — tread depth, sidewall condition, and tyre age. Caravan tyres can degrade from the inside even when they look fine on the outside, and any tyre over five years old should be treated with caution regardless of how much tread is left.
• Chassis and running gear — looking for corrosion, cracks, and anything that shouldn’t be moving. A corroded chassis member might not be visible to the untrained eye but can compromise the whole structure of the van.
• Coupling and hitch — making sure your connection to the tow vehicle is safe, secure, and within tolerance. A worn coupling head is another one of those things that can look fine but fail under load.
• Lights and electrics — checking everything works as it should, including breakaway cables and any 12V systems inside the van.
• Water ingress check — damp is one of the most common and costly problems in caravans, and catching it early makes a huge difference to repair costs. We check all the vulnerable points — windows, rooflights, seals, and joints.
• Gas and appliances — as a Gas Safe registered engineer, Jamie can check your gas installation and appliances are safe and functioning properly. This isn’t something all mobile engineers are qualified to do.

Catching small problems before they become big ones

Most of the time, a service isn’t about finding something dramatically wrong. It’s about keeping on top of the small things — a brake shoe that’s getting low, a bit of moisture creeping in around a seal, a tyre that’s ageing. None of these will stop you setting off tomorrow, but left unchecked they will cause bigger, more expensive problems down the line.

Damp is a good example. A small ingress point caught at a service might cost a few pounds to reseal. Left for two or three years, the same problem can mean serious structural damage to the walls and floor, and bills that run into thousands. The annual service is cheap insurance against that kind of expense.

Does it matter if the van hasn’t been used much?

Yes — and this surprises a lot of people. A caravan that’s sat in storage for most of the year can actually be more at risk in some areas than one that’s used regularly. Tyres develop flat spots and deteriorate from UV and ozone exposure even when stationary. Seals dry out. Bearings can corrode if they’re not run and lubricated. And damp can develop in storage without anyone noticing.

If your van has been off the road for a season, a pre-season check is just as important as a full annual service.

Peace of mind on the road

There’s a lot to think about when you’re towing — knowing your van has been properly checked over means one less thing to worry about. Particularly if you’re heading somewhere a long way from home, or travelling with family, that confidence is genuinely worth something.

We also service trailers — everything from single-axle general-purpose trailers to race car transporters — and carry out full motorhome maintenance too, so whatever you’re running, we can look after it.

We come to you

One of the things that makes JB Caravan and Trailer Services a bit different is that we’re fully mobile. We come to your home, your storage site, or wherever your van is kept — so there’s no awkward arrangement needed to get it to a workshop. We cover Burntwood and the surrounding areas including Lichfield, Cannock, Rugeley, Walsall, Aldridge, Sutton Coldfield, Tamworth, and Brownhills, and we’re happy to travel further for specialist work.

Book your service

If your service is due, or you’re not sure when it was last done, get in touch and we’ll sort it out. You can call us on 01543 676098, email jbcaravanservices@hotmail.co.uk, or fill in our online contact form and we’ll get back to you promptly.

Not sure exactly what you need? That’s fine too — just get in touch and we can talk it through. There’s no obligation, and we’ll always be straight with you about what actually needs doing.