VAN-COMPARATOR Guide
Fridge or heater failure in a rental motorhome
Fridge not cooling or heater blowing cold in a rental campervan: simple diagnostics (gas, 12 V, fuses, leveling), who to call and what compensation you can claim.
Third night of the trip, the fridge gives up or the heater blows cold: it is the most common breakdown in motorhome rentals — and in eight cases out of ten it can be fixed in ten minutes without a single tool. Here are the diagnostics to run before calling anyone.
Fridge: three out of four causes are trivial
1. Leveling. An absorption fridge won't cool on a slope: with the vehicle chocked and level, it often recovers within an hour or two. 2. The energy source. These fridges run on gas, 12 V or 230 V; in automatic mode (AES) the switchover sometimes fails. Check the gas bottle isn't empty (the great classic), that the valve is open, and force gas mode if you're not on hook-up — 12 V only works with the engine running. 3. Ventilation. Blocked exterior vents or full sun on the fridge wall: clear them, shade the side if you can. If nothing works, a dedicated fuse often sits behind the lower exterior vent.
Heater: same logic
Combi-type heaters (gas and/or electric) stop first from lack of gas, second from a low leisure battery (the controller cuts out below about 10.5 V): check both, then attempt a reset — most control panels show an error code that clears by switching off and on. In real cold, a butane bottle stops vaporizing below 0 °C: propane is what you need in the mountains. A control panel manual is almost always in the vehicle's document pouch.
If the fault persists: call, don't tinker
Dismantle nothing beyond the fuses: a clumsy intervention on a gas circuit puts liability on you. Call the rental company (the owner on peer-to-peer platforms, the hotline for pro fleets): they know their vehicle's quirks and can authorize a workshop visit refunded on receipt. Document everything — photos, times, written exchanges.
Your rights as a renter
An essential appliance out of order opens the door to compensation: a goodwill gesture, a partial refund for the affected nights, even a replacement vehicle depending on the platform's terms. The claim must be made during the trip, not at return. For exactly what contracts and insurance cover, see our guide to deposits and insurance.