01
Forty two foot Class A diesel pusher, model year in the mid two thousands | 30 to 120 hours | $4,500 to $25,000 and up
Condition on arrival
Driver side front corner contacted a guardrail end treatment at low speed on a freeway transition. The molded fiberglass cap cracked from two separate contact points, the headlight assembly and its mounting flange were destroyed, and the windshield frame on that side had moved enough to break the urethane seal.
Work performed
- Structural measurement of the chassis front section against factory datum points
- Crack mapping and tap testing across the full cap surface to establish laminate failure boundaries
- Front cap removal, including transfer of lighting, glass, trim, wiring harness and mirror mounts
- Replacement cap sourced, trial fitted and bonded to a corrected opening
- Windshield frame section repaired and reset, driver side glass replaced and resealed
- Full front refinish with a spectrophotometer match into the existing sidewall graphics break
The forward camera mounted to a bracket on the cap, which meant the whole driver assistance question came along with the body repair. A camera reinstalled on a new cap is looking at the road from a position that is close to where it was and not identical to it, and close is not a specification. Static and dynamic calibration were both performed and both scan reports went into the file the owner took home. That line item was not on any version of the estimate until we put it there, which is true on most recreational vehicle claims we see and is one of the more expensive omissions an owner can accept without noticing.
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02
Thirty six foot fifth wheel, roughly eight years old | 10 to 100 hours | $1,500 to $20,000 and up
Condition on arrival
The front cap corner contacted the tow vehicle's cab during a tight backing maneuver on uneven ground. Visible damage was a scuffed corner and a hairline seam separation about ten inches long. Tap testing found bond failure running eleven feet down the roadside sidewall from that seam.
Work performed
- Tap test mapping of the full roadside wall with the delamination boundary marked and photographed
- Moisture readings taken in a mapped grid across the affected wall and the adjacent floor edge
- Front corner seam opened, corner post inspected and straightened where it had moved
- Outer skin sectioned and removed across the separated span, framing and block foam core inspected
- Core replaced where crushed, aluminum tube framing sectioned and replaced at two members
- New skin section bonded under pressure with structural adhesive and mechanically fastened at the framing
The refinish was the part the owner cared about and the part that took the longest calendar time. A fifth wheel roadside wall has no character line to hide a transition, so the repair got a full wall rather than a blend. The graphics were reproduced from photographs of the curbside and printed as new film, because the original kit for this floorplan is discontinued. Delivered on day forty three, and the entry door closes with two fingers. That door was the tell the entire time, and the owner mentioned it as small talk.
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03
High roof Sprinter camper conversion, professionally built interior | 10 to 200 hours | $1,500 to $40,000 and up
Condition on arrival
A delivery vehicle backed into the passenger side while the van was parked. The sliding door was caved at the leading edge and would not travel, the rocker below it was folded, and the impact carried through into the galley cabinet bonded to the wall on the inside.
Work performed
- Sliding door removed, track and roller assemblies inspected and replaced where bent
- Rocker section straightened and the B pillar base measured against factory specification
- Galley cabinet removed as an assembly, documented for attachment method and stored tagged
- Interior wall panel and insulation removed, wiring runs behind the panel traced and repaired
- Replacement sliding door fitted, gaps set against the driver side and seal compression verified
- Passenger side refinished from the front door shut line back to the rear quarter
The blind spot sensor was the last item and it existed on the estimate only because we put it there. It mounted behind the rear quarter panel section that had been replaced, which means its aim had changed. A sensor reading the adjacent lane from a slightly different angle is not a sensor with a slightly different opinion, it is a sensor that is wrong. Recalibration was performed and the report went into the delivery file with the rest of the paperwork. Thirty six days from arrival, and the two halves of the claim were evaluated on their own terms because they were documented on their own terms.
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04
Twenty eight foot travel trailer, aluminum skin over tube framing | 10 to 90 hours | $1,500 to $20,000 and up
Condition on arrival
A severe storm crossed the owner's route through northern Arizona. The roadside and roof surfaces took dense hail impacts, the roof membrane was punctured in four places, a rooftop air conditioner shroud was destroyed, and both roof vent covers were shattered.
Work performed
- Full damage mapping under raking light with dent count and distribution recorded by panel
- Moisture readings taken in a grid across the roof, the front cap seam and the interior ceiling
- Roof membrane punctures assessed against decking condition to determine patch versus replacement
- Roof membrane replaced across the full length, decking replaced in one section that read wet
- Air conditioner shroud, both vent covers and one skylight dome replaced and resealed
- Roadside and front skin panels replaced where dent density exceeded what could be worked
Thirty nine days from arrival to delivery, which is longer than an owner expects for what he described on the phone as hail dents. Most of that calendar time was the roof, and most of the roof time was the decking section that would have kept quietly rotting under a new membrane if we had patched the punctures and moved on. That is the version of this repair that costs four thousand dollars and comes back in two years as a fifteen thousand dollar floor job.
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05
Forty foot toy hauler fifth wheel with a rear ramp and a garage deck | 5 to 250 hours | $750 to $50,000 and up
Condition on arrival
The lower ramp hinge assembly tore out of the rear wall while the ramp was loaded, taking a section of skin and backing structure with it. The ramp fell partway, twisting the frame and damaging the rear wall opening. The pin box also showed prior stress cracking at a weld found during intake.
Work performed
- Rear wall opening measured for square with the ramp removed and the deck loaded and unloaded
- Ramp door straightened on a fixture, hinge line reset and the door skin repaired
- Rear wall skin sectioned, failed backing structure removed and replaced with reinforced framing
- New hinge assembly mounted into solid backing rather than into skin and core
- Garage deck floor inspected for movement and refastened where the impact had loosened it
- Pin box weld crack ground out, rewelded and the surrounding structure inspected
The ramp itself came back on a fixture rather than by eye, because a ramp door that is a quarter inch out of plane binds its own hinges and starts the whole cycle over. Final check was a full cycle under load with hinge alignment and cable tension verified, which is the only test that reproduces the condition that broke it. Forty days from arrival, and the hinge is now attached to something that was designed to hold it.
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06
Thirty two foot shuttle bus converted for group transport, roughly ten years old | 10 to 250 hours | $1,500 to $50,000 and up
Condition on arrival
A vehicle exiting a fuel island struck the passenger side between the wheel wells. Three body panels were deformed, two passenger windows were broken, a section of the floor structure at the impact point had moved, and the full length organization graphics on that side were destroyed.
Work performed
- Structural measurement of the body frame at the impact section against factory reference points
- Three body panels removed, framing members straightened where continuous and sectioned where folded
- Floor structure inspected from below, two crossmembers replaced and the floor refastened
- Two passenger window openings squared, new glass fitted and sealed
- Interior wall panels and seating removed, documented and reinstalled after structural work
- Passenger side refinished full length to avoid a visible transition on an unbroken body
Graphics were reproduced rather than reordered because the organization's original artwork files had been lost in a computer migration years earlier. We photographed the driver side, rebuilt the artwork to scale, printed new film and applied it. The operator's only note at delivery was that the new side looked slightly brighter than the old one, which is true, and which is what happens when you compare ten year old vinyl to fresh vinyl. Fifty days from arrival, and the reflective marking and side lighting were function tested before it left.
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07
Twenty nine foot Class C motorhome on a cutaway chassis | 20 to 80 hours | $3,500 to $18,000 and up
Condition on arrival
A low branch at a campground struck the roof edge above the curbside slide. Visible damage was a torn membrane edge and a bent roof rail section. Two weeks later the slide room began binding on retraction and the interior ceiling panel above it showed a stain.
Work performed
- Moisture grid taken across the roof edge, the ceiling panel and the slide opening header
- Roof rail section removed and the corner post below it measured for movement
- Corner post straightened and the slide opening squared with measurements at all four corners
- Roof membrane replaced from the front cap seam back to the rear, decking replaced in one section
- Slide room removed, rails inspected, gear rack and motor mounts checked for uneven loading
- Wiper, bulb and D seals replaced on the affected room after the opening was squared
Thirty two days from arrival, and the last thing done was twenty full slide cycles under load with someone watching the rails, gear rack and motor mounts for uneven loading. That is the test that matters, because a slide that operates correctly once operates correctly once. A slide that operates correctly twenty times in a row with the rails loading evenly is a slide that has been fixed, and the difference is entirely in whether anyone bothered to stand there and watch.
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08
Thirty eight foot Class A gas motorhome, roughly twelve years old, well maintained | 5 to 800 hours and up | $1,000 to $150,000 and up
Condition on arrival
The coach left the roadway and contacted an embankment on the roadside, then a fence line. The roadside sidewall was destroyed across two thirds of its length, the roof line was out of plane, three compartment openings were deformed, and the chassis showed a bent rail on the roadside forward of the rear axle.
Work performed
- Feasibility and valuation review before any repair commitment, with condition documentation assembled
- Full strip of the roadside interior, cabinetry, wiring, plumbing and appliances tagged and stored
- Chassis measured against factory datum, roadside rail pulled and measured throughout the pull
- Floor structure squared and two crossmembers replaced, then the cage rebuilt to the corrected floor
- Aluminum tube framing sectioned and replaced across roughly twenty four feet of roadside wall
- New skin bonded and mechanically fastened, three compartment openings rebuilt and doors refitted
The chassis rail was the operation the owner asked about most and it is the least visible thing in the finished coach. It was pulled on a rack rated for the weight, measured against factory datum throughout the pull rather than only at the end, and one section forward of the rear axle was cut out and replaced because it had a fold rather than a bend. Everything above the chassis references it, so a rail that is close is a coach where the floor never quite squares and the slide never quite fits. Nobody who buys this coach in five years will know that work happened. They will know the doors close correctly, which is the same thing said differently.
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