A smell of burning rubber is very unpleasant – and my nose reacted at once. A kettle was being used on the hob at the time, and the acrid smoke revealed there were problems. A component had somehow caught fire!

This happened on a brand new motorhome being tested for a magazine article. On inspection it was soon apparent that the screws securing the hob to its worktop were capped with neat rubber domes. And one was smoking quite badly.More...

If you have got the room at home and your caravan or motorhome won’t be used during the winter months, transfer its cushions, seats and seat backs to a warm place. Firstly, they won’t get damp in a heated house. Secondly, a thief is seldom interested in a caravan or motorhome if its upholstery is missing. To replace it is often surprisingly expensive, and upholstery companies might guess that the ’van has been stolen.

Fancy owning a caravan? Not sure about the business of towing? Mystified by all the issues involved? Topics like this and hundreds of other subjects are explained in a book called the Caravanning Handbook, published by Haynes. This lavishly illustrated guidebook is presented in Haynes’ Glovebox series.

It contains over 300 pages of hints, tips and advice about caravans and caravanning. Anyone contemplating the purchase of their first caravan will find it an invaluable sourcebook. But don’t regard it just as a book for ‘first timers’. More...

A motor caravan’s base vehicle is an important part of ‘the package’. Probably more time in total is spent at the wheel than having a kip in a bed.

In spite of that, it’s surprising how many owners chose their motor caravan almost entirely on its interior details. Naturally these elements are clearly important but it’s amazing that many owners never take a drive before signing a purchase agreement.More...