Vans and Camper Vans
Camper Van Conversions Repair
The short answer
Camper van conversions are Sprinter, Transit, or ProMaster chassis with windows cut into the sidewalls, a roof full of penetrations, and several hundred pounds of cabinetry bonded to the body. Leaks, cabinet racking, solar mount cracks, and collision damage complicated by the build are what we repair.
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What we see on camper van conversions
A conversion is a production van that somebody put holes in. Every window flange, roof fan, solar mount, shore power inlet, and vent is a penetration through a panel that left the factory sealed, and each one is a candidate for water intrusion once the sealant takes a set. Southern California is the worst possible climate for this because the failure is invisible for eleven months. Sealant hardens through a summer of inland valley heat cycling, loses elasticity, separates at the substrate edge, and then the first real December storm puts water behind the wall panel where it travels laterally before it stains anything.
The second thing that makes a conversion different is mass distribution. A finished build carries a galley, a house battery bank, water tanks, and a bed platform, and all of that is fastened to a body that was engineered for distributed cargo load, not point loads. When a converted van takes even a moderate hit, the cabinetry transmits the impact into the sidewall from the inside. We routinely open up conversions after a low speed collision and find cabinet cleats that have torn out of the wall studs three feet from the impact point, plus a bulged skin the owner assumed was original.
Repairing one means treating the build and the body as a single structure. We pull interior panel and cabinetry for access rather than working around it, we document the build components for the claim because a carrier will not pay for what is not itemized, and we re-bed every penetration we disturb. That is more labor than a bare cargo van and we say so up front. Body and paint is $210 per hour, twelve volt and electrical work is $260 per hour, and a 50 percent deposit applies at authorization above $2,000.
Location: All work is performed at our Yorba Linda facility. We do not offer mobile, roadside, or fleet route service.
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What makes this vehicle different
- Factory van shell with aftermarket window, fan, vent, and solar penetrations through sealed panels
- Interior cabinetry bonded and screwed to wall studs, creating point loads the body was not designed for
- House electrical system with battery bank, inverter, charger, and shore power inlet separate from chassis wiring
- Insulation and wall paneling that traps and hides moisture until the damage is structural
- Added weight of 800 to 1,800 pounds sitting high, changing suspension load and body flex
- Roof rack, awning, and ladder mounts that concentrate wind and impact load on a thin roof panel
- Mixed materials, with steel body, plywood substrate, aluminum framing, and composite panel in one wall
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What actually fails, and why
Window flange and roof fan leaks
Aftermarket window and fan flanges rely on butyl and lap sealant that hardens under inland valley heat cycling. The seal separates at the edge, water tracks down inside the wall cavity, and the insulation holds it against the steel until the panel corrodes from behind.
Cabinet cleat pull-out after impact
Galley and bed platform cleats are fastened into sheet metal studs. A moderate collision or a hard stop puts the entire mass of the build into those fasteners, and they tear through the stud rather than shearing, leaving a torn substrate the wall panel then bulges over.
Solar panel and roof rack mount cracking
Rack feet and solar brackets sit on an unsupported roof span. Freeway harmonics on the 15 through Cajon and the 60 through the Inland Empire work the mount until the roof skin cracks radially from the fastener, which then leaks directly onto the headliner.
Rear corner and awning arm strikes
Conversions get parked in places production vans do not go. Campground pull-throughs, dirt turnarounds, and low tree cover clip awning arms and rear corners. A bent awning arm binds the mechanism and tears fabric on the very next deployment.
Sidewall delamination behind wet insulation
Once water is trapped in the cavity, the interior wall substrate goes soft and the exterior panel loses its bonded backing. It shows as a shadow line under raking light long before it shows as a bubble, and by then the repair is a panel-off job.
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Services we perform on camper van conversions
Service
Collision Repair
Collision repair restores a vehicle to pre-loss structure, fit, and finish after an impact. On RVs and vans that means laminated s
Service
Body Panel Repair and Replacement
Body panel repair and replacement covers sidewall sections, compartment doors, skirting, roof caps, and sheet metal on RVs, vans,
Service
Window Installation, Side Rear and Sliding
New window installation cuts and fits side, rear, and sliding windows into van, trailer, and conversion walls with structural asse
Service
Insulation and Sound Deadening
Insulation and sound deadening work adds thermal and acoustic control to walls, ceiling, floor, and wheel wells using constrained
Service
Custom Van Build-Out and Camper Conversion
A custom van build-out converts an empty cargo van into a camper, mobile workshop, or purpose-built work vehicle with insulation,
Service
Solar Panel Installation and Repair
Solar installation covers roof panel mounting, MPPT controller sizing, wire routing, and integration with an existing battery bank
Service
12V and 120V Electrical Diagnostics and Repair
Electrical diagnostics traces 12V DC and 120V AC faults on RVs, vans, trailers, and fleet units, including dead circuits, parasiti
Service
Paint and Refinish
Full paint and refinish strips, corrects, primes, and resprays the exterior of an RV, van, trailer, or fleet vehicle in single-sta
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On the insurance side
Build components must be itemized during disassembly or the carrier will not pay for them. We document the build as part of the supplement, not after it.
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Questions about camper van conversions
Frequently asked questions
What does it cost to repair a leaking camper van conversion?
Re-bedding a single window or roof fan with no substrate damage runs $600 to $1,600. Once insulation is wet and the wall substrate has gone soft, you are into panel-off work at $3,500 to $12,000 and up. Body and paint labor is $210 per hour plus materials. The variable is how long the water was in there, not how big the leak was.
Will my insurance cover damage to the build-out itself?
Impact damage to cabinetry, electrical, and appliances is generally claimable when it results from a covered loss, but only if it is itemized. Carriers do not pay for what is not documented. We photograph and list every build component we disturb during disassembly specifically so it lands in the supplement. Gradual water intrusion from a sealant that aged out is generally not covered.
Can you repair collision damage without tearing out my interior?
Sometimes, and we will tell you honestly which case you are in. If the damage is outboard of the wall studs and the cabinetry is untouched, we can work from outside. If the impact loaded the interior structure or the panel needs backing access, the interior comes out. Working around cabinetry to save teardown hours produces a wavy panel that shows in the first raking light.
Do you build conversions from scratch or only repair them?
We do both build-out and repair. Insulation, paneling, windows, cabinetry mounting, twelve volt systems, solar, inverters, and shore power are all in-house. Electrical work bills at $260 per hour, diagnostics at $285 per hour. Engine and drivetrain work is not performed here. All work happens at the Yorba Linda facility.
How long does a conversion repair take?
A reseal and interior dry-out is one to two weeks. A collision repair with cabinetry removal, panel replacement, and rebuild runs three to eight weeks. Conversions run longer than bare vans because the teardown and rebuild are real labor, and because carrier supplements on build components take an extra approval cycle. We schedule after disassembly.
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More vans and camper vans
Bring your camper van conversions to the shop in Yorba Linda.