Collision and structural repair on an RV means restoring the frame, the sidewall structure, and the body skin back to factory geometry after an impact. It is measured work, not cosmetic. A coach that is out of square will leak, and the slide rooms will bind, no matter how good the paint looks.
What this covers
An RV is not a large car. The chassis, the house structure, and the exterior skin are three separate systems bonded together, and a collision usually damages all three at once while only one of them is visible from the outside.
That is why a body shop that works on sedans will quote you for a panel and miss the fact that the sidewall has separated from its framing, or that the slide opening is no longer square. We measure first, then quote.
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.
Minor collision repair: Contained impacts to a single panel, cap corner, or compartment door where the structure underneath is intact.
Major collision repair: Multi panel damage, cap replacement, and structural intrusion into the sidewall or roof line.
Full vehicle collision restoration: Rollovers, jackknifes, and heavy front end hits where the vehicle is rebuilt rather than patched.
Frame straightening: Bent or twisted chassis rails pulled back to published factory dimensions on a measuring system.
Chassis repair and alignment: Suspension, axle, and steering geometry corrected after an impact so the vehicle tracks straight.
Subframe repair: Cracked or torn subframe sections cut out and replaced rather than plated over.
Unibody straightening: Van and truck unibody structures pulled and measured, including Sprinter, Transit, and ProMaster.
Structural damage assessment: A written, measured report an adjuster can act on, with photographs at every stage.
Why owners bring this work to us
We keep the entire repair in house. Structural, body, paint, interior, and systems all happen in the same 35,000 square foot building, which means nobody is shipping your coach to a third vendor for the paint and then arguing about who caused the overspray.
We publish our labor rates. Body and paint is $210 per hour and mechanical and electrical is $260 per hour. You can check any line on any estimate we write, which is not something you can do at a shop that will not tell you its rate.
We write the supplement. Hidden damage on an RV is the rule, not the exception, and the moment a cap comes off we photograph what is behind it and submit it to the carrier before we go further.
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 |
|---|---|---|
| Collision repair, insurance or customer pay | $1,000 to $150,000 plus | 5 to 800 |
| Aluminum skin and sidewall replacement | $2,500 to $25,000 plus | 16 to 120 |
| Front or rear cap replacement | $4,500 to $25,000 plus | 30 to 120 |
| Collision repair and refinish, all carriers | $1,500 to $40,000 plus | 10 to 200 |
| Collision repair and paint refinish | $1,500 to $50,000 plus | 10 to 250 |
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 long does RV collision repair usually take?
A contained single panel repair runs about one to two weeks. Major collision work with cap replacement or structural correction commonly runs four to twelve weeks, and most of that is parts. RV manufacturers build caps and skins in batches, and a discontinued cap can take longer than the repair itself.
Can you tell if my RV frame is bent just by looking at it?
No, and neither can anyone else. Frame damage is diagnosed by measurement against published factory dimensions, not by eye. The visible signs are secondary: doors that no longer latch cleanly, a slide that binds on one corner, uneven tire wear, or a gap that tapers along the sidewall.
Is it worth repairing an older RV after a major collision?
It depends on the structure, not on the age. A 20 year old coach with a sound frame and a good floor is often worth rebuilding. A newer unit with a compromised frame and a rotted subfloor frequently is not. We measure and write it up, and you decide with real numbers in front of you.
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.