Vehicles
Fifth Wheel Repair and Body Work Near Placentia, CA
Fifth wheels fail differently than any other RV. The pin box loads the front of the box, the upper deck flexes over the truck bed, and water finds the seams at the front cap radius. We repair delamination, slide mechanisms, roofs and collision damage for Placentia owners at our 35,000 sq ft Yorba Linda shop, about ten minutes away via Imperial Highway.
Why do fifth wheels fail in places other RVs do not?
A fifth wheel hangs a heavy upper deck out over a truck bed and transfers that load through a pin box bolted into the front of a laminated box. Nothing else in the RV world carries load that way, and the failures follow that geometry.
The pin box mounting plate spreads load into the front cap area through a welded or bolted structure tied to the main frame rails. Every launch, stop and driveway transition works that joint, and over time the fasteners loosen, the sealant at the front cap seam opens, and water starts tracking down behind the fiberglass skin.
Once water is behind the skin, the luan or Azdel substrate stops bonding to the fiberglass and you get delamination. On luan cores the plywood swells, softens and turns dark. Azdel does not rot the same way, but the adhesive bond still lets go and the panel bubbles just the same.
Slide corners are the second common origin point. A slide opening cuts a large hole in a stressed laminated wall, so the corners of that opening concentrate stress and crack the sealant line. Placentia owners often notice the wall bubbling above or below a slide long before they find the actual leak path.
What fifth wheel repairs does OCRV Center handle in-shop?
Structure, skin, paint, roof, slides, chassis and interior all happen under one roof at the Yorba Linda facility. That matters on a fifth wheel because a single water intrusion usually damages three or four trades at once and splitting the job wastes weeks.
On the body side we do full sidewall skin replacement, filon and gel coat repair, front and rear cap replacement, crack repair at corner radii, and collision structural work when a coach has been hit or has separated from the pin during a hard stop.
On the systems side we rebuild Schwintek in-wall drive assemblies, replace Lippert through-frame and rack-and-pinion slide rams, reseal roofs in EPDM and TPO with Dicor and Eternabond products, service Dexter axles and Nev-R-Lube bearings, and correct suspension and spring hanger damage.
Interior work follows the structure. If we open a wall to replace substrate, we put the cabinetry, wall board, flooring and trim back the way it left the factory, and we document every layer with photos so an insurance supplement has something real behind it.
How does the estimate and insurance process work?
We write documented photo estimates and bill carriers directly. Most fifth wheel damage is worse than what shows on the surface, so the first number is rarely the final number, and we handle supplements as the teardown reveals what is actually behind the skin.
OCRV Center works direct with Progressive, GEICO, State Farm, AAA SoCal, Mercury, Allstate, American Family, Wawanesa, National General, Foremost and Liberty Mutual among others. We are licensed under California BAR ARD00288521 and EPA CAL000367879.
An RV systems estimate runs $150 and is applied as a credit toward the repair. A one hour diagnostic is $285, also applied as a credit. Body and paint labor is $210 per hour, mechanical and electrical is $260 per hour.
Drop-off and pickup happen at 23281 La Palma Ave in Yorba Linda, a short drive from Placentia. Call (949) 799-3387 to schedule a bay. We stand behind our work.
What is included
- Sidewall delamination diagnosis and substrate replacement
- Pin box, king pin and upper deck structural repair
- Schwintek and Lippert slide mechanism rebuild and alignment
- EPDM, TPO and fiberglass roof membrane replacement
- Front and rear cap crack repair, replacement and blending
- Dexter axle, spring hanger and Nev-R-Lube bearing service
- Documented photo estimates and insurance supplement handling
How the work runs, step by step
- 1
Intake and moisture mapping
We walk the coach, meter the sidewalls and roof seams, and map every soft spot before quoting anything.
Same day, about 60 to 90 minutes
- 2
Documented photo estimate
You get a written estimate with photos of each damaged area, part numbers and a labor breakdown by trade.
Usually within 2 business days
- 3
Carrier approval and supplements
We submit directly to your carrier, then supplement as teardown exposes damage the surface photos could not show.
Depends on carrier response
- 4
Teardown and structural repair
Skin comes off, wet substrate and framing come out, and new structure goes in before any cosmetic work starts.
Typically 4 to 15 shop days
- 5
Skin, paint and seal
New skin is bonded and clamped, gel coat or paint is blended, and every seam is resealed with butyl and Dicor.
3 to 8 shop days
- 6
Function test and pickup
Slides cycled, roof water tested, systems verified, then you pick the coach up at our Yorba Linda facility.
Final day
Fifth Wheels we repair
Standard Fifth Wheel
Standard fifth wheel repair near Placentia: delamination at the pin box, Schwintek rail sag, front cap cracking, EPDM roof and Dexter axle service.
Toy Hauler Fifth Wheel
Toy hauler fifth wheel repair for Placentia owners: ramp door hinges and cables, torque box cracking, garage tie-downs, fuel station and generator work.
Bunkhouse Fifth Wheel
Bunkhouse fifth wheel repair near Placentia: rear bunk slide rebuilds, second door frame racking, bunk window leaks, half-bath plumbing and slide toppers.
Luxury Fifth Wheel
Luxury destination fifth wheel repair near Placentia: full-body paint blending, hydraulic slides and six-point leveling, tile, hardwood and roof AC work.
Park Model RV
Park model RV repair for Placentia owners: shingle and metal roofs, wall framing rot, deck and awning attachment, single-piece windows and transport damage.
Ultra Lite Fifth Wheel
Ultra lite fifth wheel repair near Placentia: thin laminated sidewall punctures, aluminum superstructure, fiberglass cap cracks and weight-conscious repairs.
Questions we get asked
How do I know if my fifth wheel sidewall is delaminated?
Can you repair a fifth wheel front cap crack without replacing the whole cap?
Do you work on fifth wheels for owners who live in Placentia?
How long does a fifth wheel slide-out 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.
Typical range
$1,400 to $26,000+
Typically 4 to 20 shop days depending on scope
See the full posted rate card