Spring seems to be the perfect time to get the caravan serviced before the busy summer holiday period for both the servicing business and our holiday plans, so that’s just what we’ve done to get the van in tip top condition before our next getaway.

We use the Goolwa Caravan Centre, and have always been very happy with the services they offer, recommending them to others as well. The workshop is on the Port Elliot Road at Middleton and they are open Mondays to Fridays, 8.30am – 5.00pm.

Usually when we put the caravan in for service we have a list of ‘while it’s there’ jobs to get done, and this time was no different.

A few little (and big) issues have arisen over the past few months when we’ve been caravanning, there’s always something, and so we also added these fix it jobs to the list for Goolwa Caravan Centre to take a look at.

So as well as a full heavy duty tandem van service which included replacing the wheel bearings and seals, a brake service, chassis inspection and more, we also had issues with the awning arms which weren’t locking in place properly when extended. This was fixed by replacing with new awning brace knobs.

Another head scratching problem was with a double power point in the ensuite where only one of the points was working. Very strange but they were able to advise us that it was an easy fix for us to do ourselves, being a simple plug and play, out with the old in with the new power point. A job now done at home.

Another job for later at home will be to replace the anode in the hot water system, which is an easy fix and extends the life of the system itself. At the Goolwa Caravan Centre there is a range of caravan parts and accessories for DIY jobs.

The last and fairly major issue was that the last time we holidayed in the van, the door lock barrel actually came out completely when we removed the key. Not ideal! Especially as it happened when we were parked and filling up with fuel at a petrol station.

We had to quickly deploy the emergency kit, (an occy strap, hundred mile an hour tape and prayer), until we could come up with a better temporary solution. We found a way to lock the van to enable us to continue the trip we were on, but a permanent fix was obviously needed, not the least so that we didn’t continue to look like break and enter perpetrators every time we wanted to lock and unlock the van.

Goolwa Caravan Centre were able to fix the existing lock for us with a small part, to save having to buy a complete new one, so fingers crossed we are good to go again for a while. We’ll keep the emergency tools close by just in case.

For those looking for caravan storage you’ll also find Middleton self storage at the same site as Goolwa Caravan Centre, where you can self-store caravans, RVs, trailers, boats and other vehicles. Outdoor storage is available from $85 per month (at the time of writing) in this secure gated yard with 24/7 CCTV or you can go for indoor storage at their premises in Goolwa for $220 per month.

Cheers (and fingers crossed), to happy and safe caravanning,

Glenys