Should we get extra locks on our motorhome doors?

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 Should we get extra locks on our motorhome doors?

When you are new to something then there is a huge amount you don’t know. With it comes some worry and stress as to what you ‘should’ do about certain things. Read around the topic and you can become easily confused by seemingly contradictory advice, leaving you even more worried and stressed.

Getting extra locks put on our new motorhome Bryony is a case in point. Should we? Shouldn’t we? We don’t know what to do for the best!

Our initial thinking is that maybe fitting a lock to the habitation door might be a good thing. One that can be locked from the outside and opened from the inside, for safety purposes.

You may be asking why do we think this is such a good idea?

Well lots of people seem to have done it, many people recommend doing it and some say they will be doing it soon! Various arguments are given for fitting them:

·        It may help reduce insurance premiums a little more.

·        Many sophisticated security systems on motorhomes are increasingly being overcome by increasingly more sophisticated thieves and motorhome crime (break in theft, tow away etc) is apparently on the increase here in the UK and on the continent. 

·        Lots of people are reverting to older ‘tried and tested’ methods such as steering locks, clutch pedals, wheel clamps and external door locks in an attempt to make opportunist thieves think twice before tackling their motorhome. 

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·        Our habitation door lock seems to have a mind of its own and we are not always confident it has locked properly using central locking; or whether it has locked properly using the dashboard central locking button. So maybe fitting an extra door lock will give us some extra ‘peace of mind’ if nothing else. When we start wild camping’ this extra ‘peace of mind’ will be critical to us enjoying the experience and sleeping easily at night.

·        Are the habitation door locks fitted to new coach-built motorhomes substantial enough? We just throw the question out there because we keep looking at our door and we aren’t sure one way or the other!

Of course, there are arguments against fitting an extra lock. Drilling into the motorhome will invalidate the water ingress warranty if we do it ourselves, so there will be some extra costs involved if we have to get our dealer to do it. Having an external lock sort of advertises that we are not in.

Reading around the issue and asking questions on various owners’ forums, many have pointed out that the first thing to do is to secure the plastic window catches. Others have argued that if we have insurance we will be covered anyway and there is little we can do to stop professional or opportunist thieves. It has been put to us that thieves need a quick exit via a door when they break in and anything which delays their exit is likely to make them look elsewhere and ignore our own van. On the other hand, many feel that determined, professional thieves will get in come what may.  

Overall, the consensus seems to be that visible deterrents such as steering locks, clutch pedal claws etc. are a good thing in that they will make potential thieves select easier targets and that fitting extra locks to habitation doors seems to be a waste of money.

One useful website we found for those of you interested in this issue is https://www.hortoncommon.co.uk/best-door-locks-for-caravans-and-motorhomes/

In the meantime, as we write this blog – the lock down has been lifted and people are in the lead up to Christmas. If you have managed to get away in your motorhome for a break, send us a postcard – a photograph with a caption of your site, the scenery you can see or just your pride and joy in its pitch. We will add it to our ‘Postcards’ blog post.

And remember, stay safe, take care out there and have fun motorhoming

Steve and Maggie