When a finished camper van conversion is damaged, the shell repair is the cheap part. The expensive part is removing, preserving, and reinstalling the cabinetry, solar array, lithium bank, plumbing, and pop top that are bonded to the panel being replaced. Adjusters routinely miss all of it.
Why this fails in the first place
Before anything gets quoted we work out why the damage happened, because the repair is different depending on the cause. On Sprinter, Transit, ProMaster, and Class B camper van conversions, factory built or custom, the same visible symptom can come from several different failures, and fixing the wrong one means the vehicle comes back.
Conversion systems we work on daily include lithium iron phosphate house banks, Victron and Xantrex inverters and charge controllers, rigid and flexible roof arrays with MPPT, Webasto and Espar auxiliary heat, fresh and gray water systems, and pop tops from the common suppliers. All of that is in house, which is what lets us remove and reinstall it as one accountable job.
Sidewall impact on a built out wall: The panel is repairable. The problem is that a cabinet run, wiring, and plumbing are attached to the inside of it.
Roof damage with a solar array: A roof strike on a van with a bonded array means removing panels, mounts, and wiring before any skin work begins.
Pop top damage: Pop top mechanisms and fabric are damaged by overhead strikes, and the roof structure around them usually moved too.
Water intrusion after body work: A conversion has more penetrations than a cargo van, and a repair that does not reseal them properly leaks into the build.
Rear door and galley damage: Rear impacts on vans with a rear galley damage the vehicle and the kitchen in one event.
What owners notice first
Most of the vehicles that arrive here from Buena Park have been showing one of these signs for months. Catching it at the first sign is usually the difference between a contained repair and a structural one.
Cabinet run pulled away from the wall: The impact moved the wall the cabinets are anchored to, which means the structure moved.
Solar output dropped after an incident: Panel or wiring damage, sometimes with no visible roof damage at all.
Electrical faults after body work: A harness in the wall was disturbed and nobody traced it before closing the panel.
New water leak into the build: A penetration was not resealed correctly on reassembly.
Pop top will not seat or seal: The roof opening racked, and the mechanism is now fighting a structure that is out of square.
Our repair sequence
Every job is written up before a tool comes out, photographed at each stage, and documented in a form an adjuster can read. Body and paint work is billed at $210 per hour and mechanical and electrical at $260 per hour, both posted publicly so you can check the math on any estimate we hand you.
Document the build first. Before anything comes apart we photograph and itemize the entire conversion, with your receipts and build documentation where you have them. This is what the claim rests on.
Submit the build to the carrier. The conversion content goes in as a documented part of the claim at the start, not as a surprise at reassembly.
Controlled removal. Cabinetry, solar, electrical, and plumbing are removed and labeled rather than cut out, so reinstallation is a rebuild and not a replacement.
Shell and structural repair. The van is measured, corrected, and repaired as a unibody, with corrosion protection restored at every seam.
Reinstall and recommission. The build goes back in, systems are tested under load, and the array and bank are verified rather than assumed.
Reseal and water test. Every penetration is resealed and the van is water tested before it leaves.
Parts and materials that matter here
Conversion systems we work on daily include lithium iron phosphate house banks, Victron and Xantrex inverters and charge controllers, rigid and flexible roof arrays with MPPT, Webasto and Espar auxiliary heat, fresh and gray water systems, and pop tops from the common suppliers. All of that is in house, which is what lets us remove and reinstall it as one accountable job.
Cabinetry in a conversion is usually built to the vehicle and cannot be bought. When a run has to come out, it comes out intact and labeled. When a section is destroyed, we rebuild it to match rather than substituting a different profile that reads as a repair from across the van.
Why this comes back when it is done badly
The costliest mistake is letting a body shop quote the shell without documenting the build. The van gets repaired, the cabinets and wiring come out with a reciprocating saw because nobody planned to reinstall them, and the owner discovers at pickup that the carrier never paid for any of it.
The second is splitting the job. A body shop does the panel, then an outfitter reinstalls the build, and when the wall leaks six months later each one says it was the other. One shop, one claim, one accountable party.
The third is not recommissioning the electrical. A lithium bank that was disconnected during a repair needs to be brought back up properly and load tested, not just reconnected and handed back.
How this works with your insurance claim
This is the single most under paid claim type we see. An adjuster looks at the VIN, sees a Sprinter cargo van, and values it as one. A conversion is frequently worth two to three times the base vehicle, and none of that shows up unless somebody documents it.
We photograph and itemize the entire build at intake, we ask you for build receipts and invoices, and we submit it as part of the initial claim. Carriers pay for what is proven. They do not pay for what is discovered at reassembly.
Under California Insurance Code section 758.5 your insurer cannot require you to use their network shop. On a conversion that matters more than usual, because a network shop with no conversion experience will underwrite the build to zero.
We bill every major carrier direct, so you are not fronting the repair and waiting on a reimbursement. Under California Insurance Code section 758.5 your insurer cannot require you to use a particular shop. You pick the shop, they pay the claim.
Getting the work done from Buena Park
Our facility sits at 23281 La Palma Ave, Yorba Linda, CA 92887, roughly 13 miles and about 20 minutes from Buena Park using the 91 and the 5. All work is performed here in the 35,000 square foot shop, where we have the frame equipment, the lift capacity, and the paint booth. We do not run route service, because this work cannot be done properly in a driveway.
A written estimate is $150 and is credited against the repair once you authorize it. Bring the vehicle in, or call (714) 909-1444 and we will tell you what to expect before you drive out.
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 and refinish, all carriers | $1,500 to $40,000 plus | 10 to 200 |
| Custom build out, camper, mobile office, or mobile medical | $5,000 to $80,000 plus | 40 to 400 |
| Insulation and sound deadening | $750 to $4,500 | 4 to 20 |
| 12V electrical, auxiliary battery, and inverter system | $750 to $7,500 | 4 to 30 |
| Solar install, roof panels with MPPT and lithium bank | $1,500 to $12,000 | 8 to 40 |
Sales tax of 7.75 percent applies to parts and materials. Labor is not taxed. See the full posted rate card.
Frequently asked questions
Will my insurance pay to rebuild my camper van conversion after a collision?
It should, if the build is documented. Carriers pay for what is proven at the time of the claim. We photograph and itemize the full conversion at intake and submit it with the estimate, which is the difference between a paid rebuild and an adjuster valuing your van as an empty cargo van.
Do I need to remove my build out before bringing the van in?
No, and please do not. We document it in place first, because that documentation is what supports the claim. Then we remove what has to come out in a controlled way and label it for reinstallation. Owner removal usually destroys both the build and the evidence.
Can you repair the solar and lithium system as well as the body?
Yes, all in house. Arrays, MPPT controllers, lithium banks, inverters, and auxiliary heat are removed, preserved, reinstalled, and load tested. On a conversion the body work and the systems work are one repair, and separating them creates a seam that neither vendor owns.
How much does camper van conversion repair cost?
The shell side runs with normal collision repair, roughly $1,500 to $40,000 and up. The build side depends entirely on what has to come out and go back. Custom build out work ranges from $5,000 to $80,000 and up at 40 to 400 hours, and a partial removal and reinstall is a fraction of that.
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.
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Last reviewed by the OCRV Center shop team.