You bought an HQ. Whether it is an HQ12 or an HQ22T, you now own an Australian-designed off-road caravan with independent suspension, a lithium power system, a tankless water heater, and a lot of parts that are not at the RV dealer down the road.
We are the parts counter for that camper in the US. This is what we tell every new owner who calls in the first month.
Week 1: Know what you have
Write down your model, year, and VIN. Put it in your phone. Every fitment question starts with these three things, and a surprising number of owners do not know which HQ they have when they call.
Photograph everything. The 12 V panel with the cover off. The Victron gear and the labels on each unit. The water heater data plate. Both sides of every window. The coupler. The wheel and tire sidewall. When something fails on a trip, you will be describing it to us from a campground, and a photo answers ten questions.
Torque the wheel nuts and check tire pressure. Do this before the first drive, after the first 50 miles, and again after the first 200. Off-road wheels settle.
Learn the power system. Download VictronConnect and pair it with everything that has Bluetooth: the SmartShunt or BMV-712, the SmartSolar MPPT, the Blue Smart charger, the Orion DC-DC if fitted. Sit in the camper for twenty minutes and watch what the numbers do when you turn things on. Know your battery capacity in amp-hours and what a normal overnight draw looks like. The Victron lithium battery guide explains what state of charge, absorption, and float mean for LiFePO4 and what numbers are normal.
Find every drain valve and the water heater bypass. You will need them in October. Find them now while it is not urgent.
Week 2: The shakedown
Take it out for one or two nights, within an hour of home, and use every system. Not a long trip. A test.
Fill the fresh tank at home and note how long it takes. Run the tankless heater and see how long before the water is hot at the shower. Sleep with the fridge on 12 V and check the SmartShunt in the morning. Deploy and retract the electric entrance step ten times. Run the electric trailer jack full travel. Put the stabilizer legs down on uneven ground. Open every window and confirm the struts hold. Lock and unlock the door with the key from outside.
Bring a notepad. The list you make on that trip is your first parts order, and it is almost always small: a strut that is soft, a latch that is sticky, a fan that is louder than it should be.
Two things new owners usually notice on the shakedown:
- The heater takes a moment to light, or drops out on low flow. Usually normal. Tankless heaters need a minimum flow rate. If it never lights, read the tankless water heater troubleshooting guide before assuming the unit is bad.
- The door lock feels different from a house lock. It is. If the key binds or the handle needs two hands, the door lock troubleshooting guide covers adjustment before replacement.
Week 3: Build the kit
This is what we recommend every HQ owner carry, in rough order of how often it saves a trip:
- Hitch pins and clips for the Y-hitch receiver and the DO35 or DO45 coupler. Two of each.
- Blade fuse assortment and one spare of each breaker in the 12 V panel.
- A pair of window struts in your camper's most common size.
- A door lock and latch assembly.
- A folding stabilizer leg with hardware.
- Hose clamps, quick-connect couplers, and a water filter cartridge.
- A CO detector as a backup to the fitted one.
- A fridge vent fan.
The full reasoning is in 10 spares every off-road camper should carry, and the parts are grouped in the spares-to-carry kit. Email support@rvpartsgiant.com with your model and we will build the order for you.
Beyond spares, the upgrades new owners buy most, and that we think are worth it:
- A large rock guard if your camper did not come with one, or the mesh is already torn. It is our single best-selling part, and it is protecting a water tank and a front wall that cost far more.
- A SmartShunt or BMV-712 if your camper only has a voltage readout. You cannot manage a lithium bank by voltage alone.
- A Blue Smart IP65 charger for topping up from a wall outlet at home between trips.
- Wavian jerry cans and a proper mount. HQ owners run further from fuel than most.
- A second set of aluminum wheels if you rotate between highway and trail tires.
Week 4: The habits
Grease the coupler and pins every trip. Cruisemaster DO35 and DO45 couplers are tough, but they articulate on a greased ball, and a dry ball wears fast.
Check the suspension bushings every time you are under the camper for anything else. Look for cracks and rubber squeezing out. They are the part we replace most on trail-used HQs, and catching a worn one early saves the trailing arm.
Look at the window and door seals after every wash. Press the rubber. Hard or cracked means replace before the rainy season.
Charge the bank properly after every trip. Bring LiFePO4 to full, let the SmartShunt synchronize, then let it settle to 50 to 60 percent if the camper is going to sit more than a couple of weeks.
Log what you change. Firmware versions, MPPT settings, tire pressures, the date you swapped a filter. Six months from now you will not remember.
Where the guides are
We have written up most of what we get asked at the counter:
- Black Series window size chart, every opening by model, with the strut and seal that fits.
- Victron lithium battery guide.
- How to install a Victron MultiPlus, if you are upgrading the inverter.
- Tankless water heater troubleshooting.
- Door lock troubleshooting.
- Awning care guide.
And the collections you will use most: Black Series parts, Victron Energy, and best sellers, which is effectively the list of what breaks first.
When you need a person
Chat is open on the site during business hours, and it is staffed by people who have done the repair, not a script. Email support@rvpartsgiant.com any time with your model and a photo. We ship from Upland, CA, most orders ship free, and you have 30 days to return a part that did not fit.
If you would rather not do the maintenance yourself, the Essential Annual Safety Service ($449) covers bearings, brakes, gas, and safety devices once a year, and the Adventure Care Plan ($1,199 annual) bundles the seasonal services with priority booking. Use WELCOME10 for 10 percent off your first parts order.
Welcome to the club. Now go torque those wheel nuts.