Paint and Body
Body Panel Repair and Replacement in Southern California
Typical range
$750 to $15,000+
Shop hours
5 to 80+
Labor rate
$210/hr
The short answer
Body panel repair and replacement covers sidewall sections, compartment doors, skirting, roof caps, and sheet metal on RVs, vans, trailers, and fleet vehicles. Work runs $750 to $15,000 and up, or 5 to 80 plus hours at $210 per hour plus materials.
01
What this work actually involves
The first decision on any damaged panel is repair or replace, and on RVs the answer is different than on cars because the panels are enormous and frequently discontinued. A 2014 sidewall section for a coach whose builder no longer exists is not something you order. It is something we fabricate, or it is a repair to the existing panel whether or not that was the first choice. We check parts availability before we write the estimate, because an estimate that assumes an available panel and then discovers a twenty-week lead time is worthless to you and to your carrier.
Panel construction drives the method. Filon over luan is repaired and re-laminated. Molded fiberglass gets ground back to sound laminate and laid up. Aluminum skin gets replaced at the seam with correct fastener isolation, since steel fasteners in aluminum panels corrode galvanically and coastal units from Long Beach, Oceanside, and San Diego come in with panels that look fine held on by fasteners that have lost half their section. Steel panels on box trucks and commercial bodies get cut and welded, with the rust that caused the failure treated rather than covered.
Everything behind the panel gets addressed while it is open. Wet insulation, corroded studs, failed sealant beds, and rotted furring strips are all cheaper to fix now than after the new panel is on. This is where a lot of shops save time and where the repair comes back in eighteen months. Access does not come back once the skin goes on.
Location: All work is performed at our Yorba Linda facility. We do not offer mobile, roadside, or fleet route service.
02
What the job includes
- Parts availability and lead time verification before the estimate is written
- Filon and laminated sidewall section repair and re-lamination
- Molded fiberglass panel repair with correct glass schedule
- Aluminum skin panel replacement with galvanic isolation at fasteners
- Steel panel cut, weld, and replacement on commercial bodies
- Compartment door, baggage door, and access hatch repair or replacement
- Skirting, rock guard, and lower panel replacement
- Substrate, insulation, and framing repair while the wall is open
- Panel fabrication where the original part is discontinued
- Seam sealing, full refinish, and blend into the adjacent panels
03
When you need this service
- A panel with damage across more area than a localized repair can address
- A hollow or soft area extending well beyond the visible impact
- A compartment door that no longer seals or aligns after a strike
- Corrosion blooming under paint along a lower panel or at fastener lines
- A previous panel repair that has telegraphed, cracked, or lifted at the edges
- Visible daylight or water tracking at a panel seam
- A panel edge that has curled, oil-canned, or pulled away from its frame
04
How we do it, step by step
- 01
Damage extent and parts research
We map the real extent and simultaneously check whether the panel is still produced. Availability, not preference, frequently decides repair versus replace on an older coach.
- 02
Documented scope and authorization
Photographed findings priced with both options where both are viable, sent to you or your carrier before anything is cut. Structural findings go in as a supplement.
- 03
Controlled removal
Panel removed at the correct seam with fasteners drilled rather than sheared and adjacent panels protected, so the repair does not grow into its neighbors.
- 04
Substrate and framing repair
Wet insulation replaced, corroded studs and furring treated or renewed, and old sealant beds cleaned to sound material while the access exists.
- 05
Panel fit or fabrication
New panel fitted dry and checked for plane against the adjacent surfaces, or formed in house where the original is discontinued.
- 06
Bond, fasten, and seal
Adhesive or fasteners to the original specification with isolation where dissimilar metals meet, then every seam sealed with the correct butyl or sealant.
- 07
Refinish and water test
Primed, color matched off the actual coach, blended into adjacent panels, then the repaired area water tested before delivery.
05
Pricing and posted rates
| Item | Rate or range | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Typical job range | $750 to $15,000+ | Varies with extent of damage and parts availability |
| Shop hours | 5 to 80+ | Quoted after teardown, not before |
| Body and paint labor | $210 per hour | 2026 posted rate |
| Paint supplies | $55 per paint hour | Calculated automatically on every estimate |
| Body supplies | $5 per body hour | Calculated automatically on every estimate |
| Parts | 100% markup under $100, 35% over | Special order parts require a non refundable deposit at order |
| Deposit | 50% at authorization over $2,000 | Additional 25% when parts arrive on jobs over $10,000 |
| Sales tax | 7.75% on parts and materials | Labor is not taxed |
Insurance billed jobs may be billed at carrier negotiated labor rates that differ from the posted retail rates above. See all posted rates.
06
On the insurance side
Repair versus replace is decided on documented evidence. We photograph substrate condition and record part availability during teardown so the supplement is supported.
07
Vehicles we do this work on
Vehicle
Class A Gas Motorhomes
A Class A gas motorhome is a flat-front coach built on a Ford F53 or Workhorse front-engine chassis, typically 28 to 38 feet. Rear
Vehicle
Class C Motorhomes
A Class C is a coach body built onto a cutaway van chassis with a sleeping or storage cabover extending above the factory cab. Tha
Vehicle
Standard Fifth Wheels
A fifth wheel couples to a hitch in the truck bed through a kingpin and pin box, with a raised forward bedroom over the truck. The
Vehicle
Travel Trailers
A travel trailer tows from a ball hitch behind the tow vehicle rear axle on an A-frame tongue, which makes it the most sway-prone
Vehicle
Box Trucks
Box trucks put a separately built cargo body on a cab chassis, and the joint between them is where most failures start. Rear frame
Vehicle
Cargo Vans
Cargo vans on Transit, ProMaster, Express, and Sprinter platforms carry trade tools, parts inventory, and route freight. Rear door
Vehicle
Toy Hauler Trailers
A bumper pull toy hauler carries cargo behind the axles on a ball hitch, which is the worst possible combination for tongue weight
08
Questions about body panel repair and replacement
Frequently asked questions
How much does body panel replacement cost?
$750 to $15,000 and up, or 5 to 80 plus hours at $210 per hour plus materials and parts. Parts carry 100 percent markup under $100 and 35 percent over $100. A single compartment door on a travel trailer sits at the low end. A full laminated sidewall section with substrate replacement, fabrication, and a graphics blend sits at the high end.
My RV panel is discontinued. What now?
Two paths, and we price both. Repair the existing panel, which on filon or molded fiberglass is often entirely viable and sometimes better than a marginal used part. Or fabricate a replacement in house, which we do routinely on older and vintage units. What we will not do is write an estimate around a part that is twenty weeks out and let you find that out later.
Will insurance pay to replace the whole panel or just repair it?
Carriers generally pay the lower of repair or replace where both restore pre-loss condition. Where repair is not viable, the argument is evidence: photographs of the substrate condition, documentation that the damage extends past a repairable area, and part availability records. We build that documentation during teardown specifically so the supplement holds up.
Why do you replace insulation and framing behind the panel?
Because access to it disappears the moment the new skin goes on, and because wet insulation and corroded studs are usually why the panel failed. Leaving compromised substrate behind a new panel means the new panel bonds to something that is still deteriorating. It is the most common reason a panel repair comes back within two years.
How long does panel replacement take?
A compartment door is a few days. A sidewall section with substrate work, fabrication, refinish, and graphics reproduction runs four to eight weeks, and longer if a carrier supplement or a back-ordered part sits in the middle of it. We give you a real schedule after removal, when we can see what is behind the panel.
09
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More paint and body work
Ready to move on body panel repair and replacement? Bring it to Yorba Linda.