Cost of repairing RV

The shop I retired from just raised it's hourly repair rate for mechanical issues to $140 per hour not including parts. RV's are a PITA to work on no matter what the issues are....

Friends of ours had the rear cap of their Solitude replaced when they hit a ballard at a gas station........insurance paid 16K to have it fixed.

Seeing that the OP is from MI, I'd suggest having it done at the factory if at all possible, especially if its a laminated trailer.

In that case (laminated) I would not want some kind of half assed patch job from some mobile RV guy, or a body shop. If it's a laminated trailer and you boogered up the end of the sidewall, insist that the insurance company has the factory replace the entire wall. That's how its done, manufacturers install new sidewalls for delam issues under warranty all the time, and they all have service departments. It is not a band aid fix.

When getting estimates include an estimate from a Mobile RV Repair.

I think you will find them to be the lowest. Many of them have their own little shops they work out of and bring in RV's for larger repairs.

Just remember you do NOT 'have' to take it to an RV Dealership to be repaired. Any local body shop, repair shop, or RV mobile repair CAN fix your RV they all have phones and can order an RV part just like a dealership can. :W


....and at a FAR LOWER price than a RV dealership.

My "approximate" guess is about 3 times the amount what a normal person think it should be.

I just recently found out how expensive it can be. Tail swing getting out of a tight spot caught the curb side corner of the rear cap on a post and pulled it back about two feet tearing the fiberglass cap in three places. Pulled away from the rear window, but did not break it. And some scrapes on the side panel. Rear cap had to be completely removed to repair the damaged fiberglass and then painted. Then reinstalled, recaulked, and new decals/graphics. Washed entire 5er including roof and awning. Final tally about $16k! But they did a fantastic job handling the estimate, coordinating with my insurance, and completing the entire process in 3 weeks. Rear cap looks better than new.

Might have found a cheaper shop somewhere, but my insurance had no problem with the number and paid in full, no questions asked. Your damage may not be as bad.

Nobody could possibly answer this without at least some pictures showing the extent and location of the damage.

What is the wall constructed of? Is it fiberglass or aluminum sided? Are there windows? Is it a scratch, crack, small or large hole? Is it just a patch job or would it require the entire rear wall being replaced? Are the side walls or roof affected? See where I'm going with this?