Frequently asked questions

Unfortunately not, the scheme simply approves workshops within membership for their ability to carry out routine annual servicing and service related repairs of the complete touring caravan and the habitation unit of a motorhome. It does not cover sales, the fitment of aftersales items, body repairs or storage.      

Only those workshops listed are currently approved for servicing. If in doubt please email, info@approvedworkshops.co.uk, to check.

Please note, having a service carried out by an unapproved workshop may invalidate your manufacturer’s warranty unless they are a selling dealership of the same brand. 

All AWS member workshops are individual business therefore, please contact your chosen workshop directly for a full price list and to make a booking. 

Your leisure vehicle needs to be regularly serviced to ensure roadworthiness and the habitation areas need regular inspections to make sure there has been no deterioration. If your leisure vehicle is under warranty, it will require servicing within a stipulated time for that warranty to continue.

Approved Workshops are run by fully qualified tourer and motorhome servicing professionals, click here to find out other reasons why it is better to use an Approved Workshop.

Click here to use our Find an Approved Workshop search.

Leisure vehicles should be serviced on an annual basis - even if a touring caravan or motorhome is used only a couple of times a year. (Lack of use can cause its own problems)

If you intend to tour a great deal, especially in areas where the roads are not well surfaced, then it is worth considering more than one service per year. Poor roads can adversely affect tyres, suspension, bodywork and fittings etc.

A motorhome habitation service will usually take around three hours. A single axle tourer service will take around four hours and a little longer for a twin axle tourer.

All Approved Workshops work to a specific check sheet for both motorhomes and tourers, a copy of these can be downloaded below.

Click here to download a copy of an AWS tourer annual service check sheet and click here to download a copy of an AWS motorhome annual habitation service check sheet (please note, a motorhome service only covers the habitation unit)

 

The service will also include a damp check, a copy of these reports can be downloaded below.

Click here to download a copy of the AWS tourer damp report and click here to download a copy of the AWS motorhome habitation damp report.

Gas appliances will be safety checked but not serviced as part of the basic service; you can ask for this to be carried out (at an extra cost). Please note some appliance manufacturers will not continue any warranty into the second or third year unless the appliance has been serviced annually - check with your appliance manufacturer.

Yes, there are currently 270 mobile workshops approved by the Scheme as of which can carry out servicing during the warranty period. 

As an approval scheme AWS guarantee that all member workshops are continuously monitored and independently assessed annually to ensure they continuously meet the schemes strict criteria whilst abiding by the Terms and Conditions and Code of Practice. However, as independent businesses our members still remain totally responsible for the day to day operation and the quality of the work they carry out.

Yes, provided that you have an agreement with your supplying dealer.

Yes, but depending on how easy the bulb is to replace, you may incur a small charge.

The Scheme only covers the habitation part of a motorhome due to the specialist knowledge and skills required to work on modern day motor vehicles. Some workshops offer a full service relating to both habitation and base vehicle, contact them directly to find out if they offer a base vehicle service.

The AWS scheme is supported by all major UK manufacturers plus several continentals. For a full list of the scheme supporting manufacturers please click here 

Some AWS members offer a Pre-owned Pre-Purchase Inspection please click here for more information.

All touring caravans and motorhomes require testing for water ingress (damp) at point of annual service in order to maintain the warranty albeit visually or with testing equipment. However, in light of the newer construction methods and materials used, the testing requirements may vary. Please refer to your workshop for more information on the specific manufacturer requirements of your particular unit.

It is not currently a requirement of the scheme supporting manufacturers to test underneath or outside the vehicle although a visual inspection will be made and reported on if anything is of concern.

While a workshop would be expected to perform a basic function and safety check (to highlight fundamental safety issues), motor movers and other optional items are not a standard element of the AWS specification caravan service. The same would be true of other optional fitments (e.g. air conditioning units). Checking/servicing/maintenance of such items may be included as an additional, chargeable service option - ask your workshop.

Some AWS members offer a CRiS Total Loss Re-registration Inspection please click here for more information 

The Approved Workshop scheme recommends that you should have your tourer tyres changed every seven years. This is in line with the British Tyre Manufacturers Association (BTMA) guidelines. For more information, click here, to view a copy of the AWS Wheel and Tyre Information booklet. 

Carbon monoxide poisoning is a real danger - in the home and in a leisure vehicle. So owners should have their motorhome or tourer's gas appliances serviced annually by a competent gas engineer and should consider using an audible carbon monoxide alarm.

Whilst all major UK manufacturers recognise and support the Approved Workshop Scheme and indeed encourage all of their dealerships to become AWS, if they are not one of our members you will probably find that there is formal agreement between the dealership and the manufacturer directly to carry out servicing and repairs. If in doubt please check with the manufacturer directly.

The Institution of Engineering and Technology (IET) recommends the maximum period between inspection and testing for caravans should not exceed 3 years. The two consumer clubs endorse this view – an Electrical Installation Condition Report (EICR) is issued following completion of the test. Testing is not, however, compulsory. Read why this test is important and why an AWS may ask you to sign a disclaimer if you decline one.

Contact your tourer/motorhome manufacturer and they should be able to work together with another dealer to correct any warranty issues.

Wheels do not come loose under normal circumstances if tightened to the correct torque. It is recommended however that you always check the tightness of wheel nuts before every trip. If the wheels have been removed during a service (or for other reasons) the torque of the wheel nuts should always be rechecked after 30 miles.

visit www.towcheck.co.uk where you can carry out an online check for just £1.99. Other sites offering a similar service are also available. 

Becoming an Approved Workshop has many benefits - click here to find out more.

Every workshop in the scheme has demonstrated a positive approach to customer complaints and has in place a clear and simple customer complaints procedure. However, in the unlikely event of a more serious complaint that is not resolved in this way, the Approved Workshop scheme operates an Informal Dispute Resolution Service (AWSIDRS), which is free to the consumer, to help resolve disputes.