Campers
Overland Expedition Camper Repair Serving Placentia, CA
Expedition builds get used harder than anything else we take in. We repair composite panel damage and delamination, reseal pass-through boots between cab and box, rebuild roof rack and awning mounts, chase dust and water intrusion, reinforce chassis mounting and service solar and lithium electrical for Placentia owners at our Yorba Linda shop, about ten minutes away.
How are composite overland panels repaired?
Overland boxes are usually foam-cored composite panels bonded at the corners rather than framed and skinned like a conventional RV. That construction is strong and light, but it means a repair is a bonding and core replacement job, and doing it as though it were a laminated sidewall produces a soft spot within a year.
We open the damaged area, cut out crushed or delaminated core back to sound material, scarf the skins so the new laminate has proper overlap, then rebond and restore the panel. Bonded corner joints are checked for separation at the same time, because impact energy travels along the joint even when the visible damage is in the middle of the panel.
Where a panel has taken a hit that compromised its structure, replacement can be the honest answer instead of a repair. We tell you which case you are in with photos rather than quietly filling something that will fail. Finish work with color matching happens in the booth afterward.
Why do pass-through boots, racks and awnings keep leaking?
Every hole in an expedition box is a compromise, and the three biggest ones are the pass-through between cab and box, the roof rack feet and the awning mounting rails. All three combine a penetration with a moving or vibrating load, which is the exact condition sealant is worst at surviving.
The pass-through boot has to accommodate constant relative motion between a flexing chassis-mounted cab and a torsion-isolated box. Boots harden, crack at the fold and pull away at the clamp ring. We replace the boot and rebuild the mounting flanges so the clamp seats on a flat, sound surface rather than on a deformed edge.
Rack feet and awning rails fatigue the panel around the fastener before the hardware itself gives up. Correct repair means restoring the core, installing proper load-spreading backing inside the panel, and rebedding with the right sealant, usually butyl at the mechanical joint with a Sikaflex-type bond where structural adhesion is wanted.
Dust intrusion is its own diagnostic problem. Fine desert dust finds paths water never will, so we pressure-check and smoke the box to locate the entry rather than resealing everything and hoping. Placentia owners running Anza-Borrego and the Mojave are the ones who bring us the most instructive dust problems.
What chassis and electrical work do expedition rigs need?
An overland build carries a lot of concentrated weight on a chassis that was engineered for a different load case, and it runs a solar and lithium electrical system that is closer to a small off-grid house than to a conventional RV twelve volt setup. Both need attention that a standard RV shop does not always provide.
On the chassis side we inspect and reinforce mounting points, address cracked brackets and fatigued subframe attachments, and correct suspension components that are working outside their intended range. Corrosion at dissimilar metal joints is checked everywhere steel meets aluminum, which on these rigs is many places.
Electrically, we diagnose solar arrays, charge controllers, lithium banks, inverters and DC-DC charging. Common finds include undersized wiring added during a later upgrade, corroded high-current terminations and a battery management setup that shuts down under load for reasons nobody has traced. Diagnostics run $285 per hour with a one hour minimum, applied as a credit toward the repair.
What is included
- Composite panel core replacement, skin scarfing and rebonding
- Bonded corner joint separation repair
- Cab-to-box pass-through boot replacement and flange rebuild
- Roof rack foot and awning rail remounting with backing plates
- Dust intrusion tracing by pressure and smoke testing
- Chassis mounting point inspection and reinforcement
- Suspension component assessment for expedition loads
- Galvanic corrosion correction at dissimilar metal joints
- Solar, charge controller, lithium bank and inverter diagnosis
- Color matched refinishing in the paint booth
Questions we get asked
Can a conventional RV shop repair a composite overland box?
Dust gets into my box even though it does not leak water. Why?
Do you work on lithium and solar systems on expedition builds?
Where is the shop and can I bring an oversize rig?
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.