Unfortunately, someone ran into my trailer at a light. They ran a red light as I was turning through the intersection and caused some damage to my travel trailer. It is a small 2015 Wildwood X lite only 19ft.I bought the trailer used in 2016 for $7500. I know nothing about the cost of trailer repair. It seems the front corner is crushed in, the awning is damaged as well as the heater cover. Surprisingly, it held up very well.I have some pics. Does anyone know how much this could cost to repair? Also, should I be worried about water getting in through the damaged sections? I am sure it will be weeks or months before I get the money from his insurance company to repair, and are worried about water damage in the meantime.Hoping someone here has experience.

Was there a police report? Witnesses? Pin everything down as much as possible ASAP. People will and do change their stories. You are responsible to mitigate your own damages so you need to protect it from any further damage. Tarp and tape over the damaged areas. First I would take it to the shop of your choice and get an estimate. Keep that in your back pocket for when the other persons adjuster shows up. Most adjusters have no experience with RV's and many will just tell you to get an estimate. No need to tell them how much you paid for it. That has no bearing on what it is worth now. You may have gotten a great deal and it could be worth much more. Damages add up quickly and you don't want them to automatically total it based off of what you paid for it a year ago. RV repairs are not cheap and the demand is high for good repair services. It will be in the thousands especially with the damage to the awning and if there is structural damage under the shell. If you have collision coverage and don't have time to deal with it you may consider just having your own insurance carrier handle it and subrogate to get the damages back along with your deductible.

I wouldn't rely on anyone's "guesstimate". Contact your insurance company if you haven't. You can get their evaluation then decide if you are going to file a claim or not. From the pics it doesn't look too bad but you don't know what's underneath or if there's hidden or unseen damage. Definitely file a police report and find out of the other driver was cited.

You really need to get this camper to a shop that makes these kind of repairs for an estimated cost. You may have to pay for the estimate, but this would be the only way to get a proper evaluation so the other guy's insurance can pay up. You could have damage beyond what we can see from your pics online. You may find out it could as much as you paid for the camper. This is more of a specialty shop repair, not a MAACO job.

Yes police report, yes I have a witness that saw him run the red light. I hope it is not thousands, as it would most likely be totaled and I do not want another RV. Took me a while to find the exact configuration I liked.I don't have insurance on the camper, so my carrier will not fix. I need to go after his insurance company, hence why I am concerned the trailer will sit for weeks and months with the damage.

So the metal panels can be easily replaced. However it appears that the supports underneath the Aluminum are broken, as well as the inside wall. And yes. He hit you. His insurance should cover it.

Collision damage...repair questions | Good Sam Community

Turtle_n_Peeps
Explorer
Nov 07, 2017
My guess? About 4 to 5 grand total if no water gets in.
FLY_4_FUN
Explorer
Nov 07, 2017
Just the damage to the awning alone will likely run $1000-1200
I hope it all gets repaired to your satisfaction
STBRetired
Explorer
Nov 07, 2017
TenOC wrote:
Trailer repair are expensive because not a lot of people do them. The insurance co may total it. If so take the money and keep the trailer as is.

My MH was rear-ended in August. Took it to an RV sales/repair facility and was given a $9600 repair estimate. Took it to an independent shop that does fiberglass repairs on RVs, boats and hot rods and am getting it fixed for $5000. The point is, if the insurance company totals your trailer, there might very well be places other than RV dealers that can repair your trailer for less money. My insurance adjuster did not have a clue what it would cost to repair the MH, so he left it up to me to go get estimates. Be prepared for that.
westend
Explorer
Nov 07, 2017
I'd suggest to observe how the crease under the marker light effects the seal of the light to the siding. From the picture, it appears that you may have a gap under the light and that could be a potential leak spot.

Bottom line, anywhere there is an opening into the trailer from the exterior needs to be sealed. The sealing can be a temporary affair until the siding is repaired or replaced.
mobilefleet
Explorer
Nov 07, 2017
easy repair. water heater cover about 30 bucks on ebay, and one siding panel to replace. Since the panels are interlocking and installed from the top downward, the lower a damaged area is on a trailer the easier it is to repair, and this one's on the lowest run of siding. just remove the front trim corner piece, unscrew the lag bolts that hold the awning bracket to the side of the trailer, and remove the damaged lower panel, cut and slide in new piece and staple in place. The top edge of the siding simply slides under the piece above it, and the lower edge gets stapled using wide crown staples. The front of the trailer isn't even bad enough to mess with and can prob just be tapped out better with a mallet. It will also be accessible once the corner trim is removed. Another good thing is that you only have to work with a short piece that runs to the entry door. An entire piece the length of the trailer is where it gets interesting and sometimes need a few people to help hold a piece up.
d3500ram
Explorer III
Nov 07, 2017
Terryallan wrote:
So the metal panels can be easily replaced. However it appears that the supports underneath the Aluminum are broken, as well as the inside wall.
....

^^-- This!
It might be perspective of the photo, but the first image looks as if the tire might be askew? I would make sure that the axle alignment is true as part of the estimate... it might very well be more than only skin damage.

Bummer as it looked like a decent trailer you got for a decent price. Best wishes on a good outcome.
TenOC
Nomad
Nov 06, 2017
Trailer repair are expensive because not a lot of people do them. The insurance co may total it. If so take the money and keep the trailer as is. If there is water damage it will be years before it rots the trailer to cause problems.

You need to replace/repair the awning since the two (2) arms are bent. You can go online and get an idea of the cost. Replacing the arms is a DIY job if you have any skill at all.
Terryallan
Explorer II
Nov 06, 2017
So the metal panels can be easily replaced. However it appears that the supports underneath the Aluminum are broken, as well as the inside wall.

And yes. He hit you. His insurance should cover it.
95jersey
Explorer
Nov 06, 2017
Yes police report, yes I have a witness that saw him run the red light. I hope it is not thousands, as it would most likely be totaled and I do not want another RV. Took me a while to find the exact configuration I liked.

I don't have insurance on the camper, so my carrier will not fix. I need to go after his insurance company, hence why I am concerned the trailer will sit for weeks and months with the damage.
jerryjay11
Explorer
Nov 06, 2017
You really need to get this camper to a shop that makes these kind of repairs for an estimated cost. You may have to pay for the estimate, but this would be the only way to get a proper evaluation so the other guy's insurance can pay up. You could have damage beyond what we can see from your pics online. You may find out it could as much as you paid for the camper. This is more of a specialty shop repair, not a MAACO job.