RV paint work is harder than automotive paint because the panels are large, the substrates are mixed, and most coaches have sun faded well past their original color. Matching a 12 year old gelcoat requires spraying and blending into adjacent panels, not simply mixing to the factory code.
What this covers
A motorhome presents fiberglass, aluminum, steel, and painted trim on the same vehicle, sometimes on the same panel. Each takes a different prep and a different primer, and getting that wrong is why cheap RV paint jobs peel at the seams within two years.
Add the size. A 40 foot coach is roughly six times the sprayed surface of a sedan, which is why a full body refinish runs 40 to 250 hours depending on the graphics package.
The work in this category
Each of these is its own repair with its own failure modes, its own parts, and its own price band. Follow any one of them for the detail, or call (714) 909-1444 and describe what the vehicle is doing.
Full vehicle paint jobs: Complete refinish in single stage or base and clear, including multi stage metallics and full body paint schemes.
Spot repair and blend matching: Localized repair blended into adjacent panels so the repair disappears instead of standing out.
Custom color matching: Spray out cards shot and checked against the actual faded panel under shop and daylight.
Custom paint and graphics: Reproduced factory graphics, custom schemes, and full or partial vinyl.
Paint correction and polishing: Cutting back oxidation and swirl to bring back gloss where the finish is still sound.
Ceramic coating application: A durable sacrificial layer over corrected paint to slow oxidation in Southern California sun.
Dent removal and repair: Metal and composite dent work, including paintless removal where the panel and paint allow.
Panel replacement: Replacing panels that are past the point where repair is cheaper than a new skin.
Bumper repair and replacement: Fiberglass and composite bumper repair, reinforcement, and full replacement.
Fender and quarter panel repair: Wheel arch and quarter damage, including the structure behind it where an impact reached it.
Why owners bring this work to us
We spray in a downdraft booth sized for a coach. Painting a 40 foot vehicle outside or in an open bay puts dirt in the finish, and no amount of polishing fixes contamination that is under the clear.
We match against the actual panel. Factory paint codes describe what the coach looked like when it left the plant. After a decade in California sun it is a different color, and the only honest way to match it is spray out cards checked against the real surface.
We publish the rate. Body and paint is $210 per hour and paint supplies bill at $55 per paint hour. Those numbers are on our prices page, so any estimate we hand you can be checked line by line.
What it costs and how we quote it
Our labor rates are posted publicly: $210 per hour for body and paint, $260 for mechanical and electrical, $285 for diagnostics with a one hour minimum, and $95 for detail. Paint supplies bill at $55 per paint hour and body supplies at $5 per body hour, both calculated automatically on every estimate.
Almost no shop in Orange County publishes an hourly rate. We do, because it is the fastest way to prove an estimate is honest. If you know the rate and you know the hours, you can audit every line we write. A shop that will not tell you its rate is asking you to trust a number you have no way to check.
Where your specific job lands inside a published range is decided at teardown rather than over the phone. On these vehicles the visible damage is consistently smaller than the actual damage, which is why we photograph what is behind the panel and submit it as a documented supplement before proceeding.
Working with your insurance carrier
We bill every major carrier direct, so you cover your deductible and nothing else up front. On a repair that runs into five figures that is not a convenience, it decides whether the repair happens at all.
Under California Insurance Code section 758.5 your insurer cannot require you to use a particular shop. They may recommend one, and they have to tell you the choice is yours. That protection matters more here than on a car, because the pool of shops that can physically handle this work is small and a network shop with no relevant experience will underwrite the claim on the wrong assumptions.
Serving Buena Park and the surrounding Orange County cities
We are at 23281 La Palma Ave, Yorba Linda, CA 92887, about 13 miles and 20 minutes from Buena Park by way of the 91 and the 5. The shop runs 35,000 square feet under one roof, which is what lets us keep collision, structural, paint, interior, and systems work in house instead of subletting pieces of your repair to three other vendors.
All work is performed in shop. We do not run route service. A written estimate is $150, credited against the repair when you authorize it.
What this work typically costs
Real ranges from our posted catalog, not a marketing number. The spread is wide because the scope is wide, and where your job falls is determined at teardown rather than guessed at over the phone.
| Work | Typical range | Shop hours |
|---|---|---|
| Full paint refinish | $5,000 to $35,000 plus | 40 to 250 |
| Color match paint blending and panel blending | $500 to $5,000 plus | 4 to 25 |
| Decal and graphics replacement | $500 to $5,500 | 3 to 25 |
| Vinyl wrap, partial or full | $1,500 to $9,500 | 10 to 40 |
| Vinyl wrap and graphics application | $1,500 to $7,500 | 10 to 35 |
| Color match paint blending | $500 to $5,000 | 4 to 22 |
| Fleet graphics and vinyl wrap, partial or full | $1,500 to $8,500 | 10 to 40 |
| Fleet graphics and vinyl wrap | $1,500 to $9,500 | 10 to 45 |
Sales tax of 7.75 percent applies to parts and materials. Labor is not taxed. See the full posted rate card.
Frequently asked questions
How much does it cost to repaint an RV?
A full body refinish runs roughly $5,000 to $35,000 and up depending on length, the complexity of the graphics, and how much prep the existing finish needs. Most of that is labor: 40 to 250 hours at $210 per hour, plus paint supplies at $55 per paint hour.
Can you match the paint on my faded motorhome?
Yes, but not from the paint code alone. We shoot spray out cards and check them against the actual panel in both shop light and daylight, then blend the repair into the adjacent panels so the eye never catches a hard edge. On a badly faded coach, blending is the only approach that works.
How long will my RV be in the shop for paint?
A spot repair with blending is usually three to seven days. A full body refinish is commonly three to eight weeks. Paint cannot be rushed: prep, primer, base, clear, and cure each need their own time, and forcing the schedule is how you get solvent pop and die back.
Do you work directly with my insurance company?
Yes. We bill every major carrier direct, including Progressive, GEICO, State Farm, AAA SoCal, Mercury, Allstate, Wawanesa, National General, Foremost, Liberty Mutual, Good Sam, and The Hartford. We write the estimate, photograph the damage, submit supplements when hidden damage turns up, and deal with the adjuster so you do not have to.
What does an estimate cost?
A written estimate is $150 and it is credited back against the repair once you authorize the work. An in depth diagnostic is $285 for the first hour and is credited the same way. We charge for estimates because a proper one takes real shop time, and that keeps our schedule filled with actual repairs.
Do you come out to Buena Park, or does the vehicle need to come to you?
The vehicle comes to us. Everything happens in shop at 23281 La Palma Ave, Yorba Linda, CA 92887, about 13 miles from Buena Park on the 91 and the 5. We do not run route service. Frame work, structural repair, and refinishing need the equipment and the booth, and nobody can do that job correctly in a parking lot.
What are your posted labor rates?
Body and paint is $210 per hour, mechanical and electrical is $260 per hour, diagnostics and programming is $285 per hour with a one hour minimum, and detail is $95 per hour. Paint supplies bill at $55 per paint hour and body supplies at $5 per body hour. Sales tax of 7.75 percent applies to parts and materials. Labor is not taxed.
Last reviewed by the OCRV Center shop team.