Paint & Body
RV Body Panel and Dent Repair in Placentia, California
RV body repair handles the damage that stops short of structure: dents, creases, punctures, torn aluminum siding, cracked corner moldings and loose trim. Most jobs run $750 to $12,000 at $210 per hour with body supplies at $5 per body hour. Work is performed in-shop in Yorba Linda, roughly ten minutes from Placentia via Yorba Linda Blvd.
Is aluminum siding repaired differently from fiberglass?
Completely differently. Aluminum siding is a thin skin over framing, and once it has been stretched by an impact it will not return flat, so the panel or the affected run is replaced. Fiberglass and filon panels are usually repaired in place with fill and lamination.
On aluminum, the practical unit of repair is the sheet between seams. Replacing a full run and re-seaming produces a flat side, while trying to work a dent out of stretched aluminum leaves an oil can that shows in every reflection and in every side light.
On filon, a puncture or crack can be ground back, laminated with matched cloth and resin, faired and refinished so it disappears under paint. That path only works when the luan behind it is dry, which is why every body job starts with a moisture check.
Why do corner moldings and trim keep leaking?
Because they are fastened through the wall and sealed with a bead that ages. Every screw in a corner molding, awning rail or clearance light is a hole through the exterior skin, and the butyl or lap sealant over it hardens, shrinks and eventually cracks in the Southern California heat.
When we reinstall trim, fasteners are bedded in fresh butyl and the exposed edge is sealed with a compatible product rather than whatever tube is closest. Mixing incompatible sealants is a common field repair mistake that produces a joint which looks sealed and is not bonded at all.
Screw holes that have wallowed out get treated rather than reused. A fastener spinning in soft, wet luan holds nothing, so the substrate is repaired or backed before the trim goes on, otherwise the same molding is loose again within a year.
What is included
- Dent, crease and puncture repair on filon and fiberglass panels
- Aluminum siding panel and full run replacement with re-seaming
- Corner molding, drip rail and trim replacement bedded in fresh butyl
- Compartment door, hinge and latch repair or replacement
- Substrate moisture check before any cosmetic repair is committed
- Filler work, fairing and color matched refinish into adjacent panels
Questions we get asked
Can you fix a dent without repainting the whole side?
My compartment doors sag and no longer seal. Is that body work?
How long does a typical body repair take?
We Can Help! Contact Us Today.
Bring it to the shop and we will assess the damage, document it properly for your insurer, and tell you exactly what the repair involves. Serving Placentia and the surrounding area from our 35,000 square foot facility.
All work performed in-shop. We stand behind our work.