RV Care & Preventive Maintenance RV DIY® Online Video Training

Step-by-step instructions on how to inspect and identify small problems with your RV, before they become large expensive problems

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RV Care & Preventive Maintenance Video Training Program

This RV 101 video training program can be viewed from computers, tablets, and smartphones. The course material includes full-feature videos, (with some downloadable segments), written text, short bonus video segments, related articles written by your instructor Mark Polk, helpful tips & tricks, fun RV University play & learn crossword puzzles and quizzes to help you retain the information.

Purchasing an RV is a major investment, similar to your automobile or home. To protect your investment, and get many years of reliable service and use from your RV there are certain measures you need to take. There are three types of maintenance for your RV. Preventive maintenance, which is the purpose of this video course, scheduled maintenance and emergency maintenance.

Preventive Maintenance is maintenance you perform on your RV before a problem exists. These checks are designed to prevent or identify potential problems that could lead to mechanical breakdown, malfunction or failure of a component or system on your RV. Preventive Maintenance consists of cleaning, inspecting, lubricating, adjusting and servicing your RV.

If you catch a problem early, you can make the necessary repairs before it turns into a more expensive repair job. For example, if you don't check the tire inflation pressure prior to leaving on a trip (preventive maintenance) an under-inflated tire can heat up and fail, leaving you stranded alongside the interstate, which is now emergency maintenance.

The purpose of this video course is to give you some easy to follow preventive maintenance checks that you can perform on your RV. These checks can help towards enjoying trouble-free operation of your RV. They do not supersede any scheduled maintenance recommended by the chassis and RV manufacturer, and it is imperative that those schedules and recommended intervals are followed. Some of the scheduled maintenance for your RV must be performed by an RV dealer, chassis manufacturer or authorized service center.

Important Note: You can be injured working on the systems of an RV and a motor vehicle. Only perform the work you feel comfortable with, and that you have the proper equipment, tools and knowledge necessary to do the job. If you have any doubt about performing a certain check or procedure have it done by an authorized RV service center.

The RV Care & Preventive Maintenance video training program includes:

Chapter 1 - Interior of the RV

Chapter 2 - Exterior of the RV

Chapter 3 - RV Appliances

Chapter 4 - LP Gas System Checks

Chapter 5 - RV Water & Waste Water System Checks

Chapter 6 - RV Electrical System Checks

Chapter 7 - RV Chassis, Frame, & RV Tire Checks

Enjoy the Course


Your Instructor


Mark J. Polk
Mark J. Polk
Who is Mark Polk and why is he qualified to teach RV technical content?
Mark is an RVer and has a very extensive background in the RV industry. He began at age 15, washing RVs at a dealership in North Central Pennsylvania. It wasn't long before he was working as an apprentice RV technician under the guidance of the RV service manager.
His maintenance plans were interrupted when he enlisted in the military. Mark completed airborne training in 1979 and served with some of the most elite U.S. Army Airborne units, including Service Company 7th Special Forces Group (Airborne), 82nd Signal battalion, 82nd Airborne Division and the 16th Military Police Brigade, XVIII Airborne Corps. He spent the next 18 years with the U.S. Army eventually retiring as a Chief Warrant Officer 3 Automotive Maintenance Technician.
In the military, he managed large fleet maintenance operations, and had to teach young soldiers how to maintain and operate ‎expensive vehicles and equipment. These soldiers came to him from very different backgrounds, and their prior experience with heavy equipment and mechanical skills were similarly varied. Mark had to learn how to ‎communicate with all of them clearly, concisely, and effectively, and he found he had a ‎talent for teaching. The Army agreed, and eventually he was asked to produce written ‎instructional materials, including driver training manuals and operating procedures for motor ‎pools.‎
When he retired from the Army in 1996, he went to work for an RV dealership in ‎sales and service. He talked to customers about their needs and desires and helped them select ‎the right RV for them. He inspected used RVs for trade-in, he serviced customer RVs, and he ‎educated customers on how to operate and enjoy their vehicles. As an RV owner himself, throughout the years, he has owned and used all the classifications of RVs (travel trailer, motorhome, pop up, 5th wheel and truck camper). He even restored, from the ground up, a 1967 Yellowstone travel trailer. It was clear to him there ‎were limited resources available to RV owners who wanted to learn more about how to operate and maintain their RVs. Owners’ manuals provide limited information, and most consumers ‎find them confusing. Anecdotal information learned around campfires from other RV owners is ‎incomplete and can be unreliable.
Mark realized he had the knowledge and teaching ability ‎to fill that gap, and so in 1999 he began writing articles and books about how to choose, buy, ‎maintain, repair, and operate a variety of RVs. To date, he has produced more than 500 educational ‎videos, and authored 15 e-books, 3 paperback books, and more than 1,600 articles educating millions of RVers. His best-selling book, titled The RV Book, has sold over 53,000 copies to date.
‎Mark's first priority is the safety of his audience. To Mark, ‎this means anticipating the risks and challenges RVers will encounter when following his ‎instructions, ensuring that the information he provides is complete and accurate, and providing ‎enough information so his audience can make informed decisions about when to tackle ‎maintenance tasks themselves and when to take their vehicles to professionals.
His second ‎priority is his audience’ empowerment. He sends his students out on the road with confidence that they are equipped, prepared, ‎informed, and ready to enjoy themselves.‎Producing material that achieves those goals is a very difficult thing to do. RVs come in ‎a bewildering variety of different types, makes, models, and vintages, and when Mark writes ‎about tasks such as winterizing an RV plumbing system, (as we know there are many ways to winterize an RV), his instructions need to walk his readers through the process ‎regardless of what RV the reader happens to own.
Like his soldiers, his RV students come to him ‎with widely disparate levels of expertise, experience, talent, and motivation, and his instructions ‎must speak to all of them. Mark’s writing and video presentations are accurate and comprehensive. It is also clear, ‎concise, and easy to understand. He breaks complex, intimidating tasks down to easy steps.

Chief Warrant Officer Three Mark J. Polk was awarded a first place US Army maintenance award from General Shelton.

Mark started RV Education 101 in 1999

  • Writer/ Columnist/ Contributor for numerous RV consumer & RV trade newsletters and magazines (RVBusiness, FMCA, RV News, RV Companion, Pop-Up Times, RV Free Wheelin’, Trail Blazer, RV Executive Today and RV Magazine,)
  • RV Technical Writer for several newsletters and blogs, (Go RVing blog, KOA Kompass Newsletter and Blog, Family Motor Coach Association (FMCA), RV Net Expert Blog, RV University This Week, Camping World e-newsletter, RV Travel, RV Trader, Rollin On TV website, HGTV and Geiko Insurance blog)
  • Script and host television segments for Rollin On TV
  • Scripted & hosted television segment titled RV Savvy for four seasons (52 episodes) with RVTV on The Outdoor Channel and three Canadian TV Channels.

Course Curriculum


  Introduction to RV Care & Preventive Maintenance
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days after you enroll
  Chapter 1 - Interior of the RV
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days after you enroll
  Chapter 2 - Exterior of the RV
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days after you enroll
  Chapter 3 - RV Appliances
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days after you enroll
  Chapter 4 -The RV LP Gas System
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days after you enroll
  Chapter 5 - The RV Water and Waste Water Systems
Available in days
days after you enroll
  Chapter 6 - The RV Electrical System
Available in days
days after you enroll
  Chapter 7 - The RV Chassis, Frame & RV Tires
Available in days
days after you enroll

Frequently Asked Questions


When does the course start and finish?
The course starts now and never ends! It is a completely self-paced online course - you decide when you start and when you finish.
What if I am unhappy with the course?
We would never want you to be unhappy! If you are unsatisfied with your purchase, contact us in the first 30 days and we will give you a full refund.

Get started now!