# Collision Repair for RVs, Vans and Trucks > Collision repair covers impact damage from a scraped rear cap through a full rebuild. At OCRV Center the range is $1,000 to $150,000 across 5 to 800 hours of labor. Written collision estimates carry no charge and insurance walk ins are always welcome. Every job starts with photo documentation and teardown before the final scope is set. Source: https://ocrv.biz/services/collision-repair/ Business: OCRV Center, 23281 La Palma Ave, Yorba Linda, CA 92887. (949) 799-3387. Serving Tustin, California. Ballpark range: $1,000 to $150,000. Posted rates at https://ocrv.biz/prices/ ## What happens in the first hour after you bring it in? Documentation, then teardown planning. Before anything is disassembled the vehicle is photographed from every angle, including the undamaged side, because a carrier reviewing a supplement three weeks later needs to see what the vehicle looked like on arrival. Then the estimator walks the impact path. Impact energy does not stop where the paint is broken. On a body-on-frame coach, force applied to a front cap travels through the cap mounting flange into the sidewall band, into the roof edge trim, and often into the entry door opening on the same side. The visible damage might be a cracked cap. The related damage might be a door that no longer latches without lifting. Panel gaps get measured. Slide rooms get cycled. Compartment doors get opened and closed. Anything that does not sit square goes on the sheet. On chassis damage, control point measurements are taken against manufacturer specification before any decision about pulling is made. That initial estimate carries no charge and is written in the format adjusters read: labor operations separated into body, paint, mechanical and frame, parts listed with part numbers and prices, paint hours calculated with materials at $55 per paint hour. It is deliberately conservative, because the supplement after teardown is where the real number lands. Rates are posted on the [price sheet](/prices/). ## Why does the estimate change after teardown? Because laminated construction hides its damage. This is the single most common source of friction between owners, shops and carriers, and it is entirely predictable once you understand the wall section. A typical sidewall from outside in: gelcoat or painted fiberglass skin, structural adhesive, luan plywood, block foam insulation with aluminum or wood studs, another luan layer, interior wall covering. When something hits that wall, the outer skin flexes and may not crack. The adhesive bond behind it shears. The stud behind that may crease. From outside you see a shallow dent and a paint scuff. Pull the interior panel and you find a stud folded, insulation compressed and a two foot square of adhesive released. That released bond is delamination, and it will keep spreading outward from the damaged area because every flex cycle down the road works the boundary. Repairing the dent without addressing the bond produces a bubble in the sidewall within a year. Supplements are documented with photographs taken during teardown, tied to the labor line they justify. Carriers who write large vehicles expect this. The ones who do not get educated, and the documentation is what does the educating. The insurance side of the process is covered in more depth under [insurance help](/insurance/). ## How does the work scale from minor to full restoration? Three tiers, and they are separated by what has to come apart rather than by how big the dent is. - [Minor Collision Repair](/services/collision-repair/minor-collision-repair/): damage confined to a panel or a bolt-on component. Bumper, fender, compartment door, mirror, a scraped section of skin. Cab body repair band runs $750 to $12,000 across 5 to 60 hours. - [Major Collision Repair](/services/collision-repair/major-collision-repair/): damage that crossed into framing, into a cap, or into more than one structural zone. Teardown is extensive and the paint operation usually spans multiple panels. - [Full Vehicle Collision Restoration](/services/collision-repair/full-vehicle-collision-restoration/): rollover, severe front or rear impact, or accumulated damage on a unit worth restoring. This is where the 800 hour end of the labor band lives. Where the frame or chassis moved, the job also runs through [frame and structural repair](/services/frame-structural-repair/). Where a cap or a laminated panel is involved, it runs through [fiberglass repair](/services/fiberglass-repair/). Those three lines sit together under [collision and structural services](/services/collision-structural/) for exactly that reason. ## What about sensors, cameras and ADAS after the repair? Anything that moved a mounting surface probably moved a sensor. Forward radar lives behind or below the grille. Cameras live in the windshield, in mirrors, in the rear door and along the sides. Blind spot sensors live inside the rear bumper cover. Replacing a bumper cover on a modern van moves two sensors even when nothing looks disturbed. Recalibration is not optional on those systems, and it is not accomplished by clearing codes. Static calibration requires targets placed at measured distances on a level floor. Dynamic calibration requires a road procedure at specified speeds. Some vehicles require both. ADAS scan and recalibration runs $275 to $1,800 across 1 to 7 hours. Pre-scan and post-scan are also part of a properly documented collision job. The pre-scan records what fault codes existed on arrival, which protects both the owner and the shop. The post-scan confirms the vehicle leaves with the systems reporting healthy. ## What does a deposit schedule look like on a large job? Jobs over $2,000 take a 50 percent deposit at authorization. Jobs over $10,000 take an additional 25 percent when parts arrive. Final balance is due at pickup, and no vehicle leaves the property until it is paid in full. Credit card payments over $1,000 carry a 3.5 percent surcharge, which passes through the merchant fee on high ticket work. Special order parts require a full non refundable deposit at order. On collision work that usually means caps, windshields and body panels for models the manufacturer no longer supports. A front cap pulled from a mold on order cannot be sent back, and the mold shop wants payment before it runs. On insurance billed work the mechanics differ. The carrier pays their portion directly in most cases and the owner is responsible for the deductible and for any betterment or non-covered items. Insurance billed jobs may be written at carrier negotiated labor rates rather than the posted retail rates, which is normal and appears on the estimate. We stand behind our work. ## How this job runs 1. **Arrival documentation**: Full photographic walk around including undamaged panels, panel gap measurement, slide and door function check, and a written record of pre existing condition before anything is touched. 2. **Initial estimate**: Written in adjuster format with body, paint, mechanical and frame labor separated, parts listed with numbers, and paint materials calculated per paint hour. No charge, and insurance walk ins are welcome. 3. **Teardown and supplement**: Panels and interior finish come off in the damage zone. Hidden damage is photographed against the labor line it justifies and submitted as a documented supplement before work continues. 4. **Structure, substrate, surface**: Frame and framing are corrected first, laminated panel bonds restored second, cosmetic body and refinish work last. Reversing that order is what produces repairs that open a seam months later. 5. **Scan, reassembly and verification**: Post repair scan and ADAS recalibration where equipped, reassembly of trim and hardware, seal verification, function check on slides, doors and lighting, then a final walk with the owner. ## Questions ### Do I have to use the shop my insurance company recommends? No. California law lets the vehicle owner choose the repair facility. Carriers may suggest a network shop, and a suggestion is all it is. Work here is done direct with every major carrier including Progressive, GEICO, State Farm, Mercury, Allstate and Liberty Mutual. ### How much does an RV collision estimate cost? Nothing. Written collision estimates carry no charge and insurance walk ins are always welcome. Systems faults are different: those start with a $150 RV systems estimate or a one hour diagnostic at $285, both applied as a credit against an authorized repair. ### My RV was hit while parked and the other driver is at fault. What now? Bring it in for a written estimate and photo documentation regardless of which carrier ends up paying. The estimate is the document that establishes damage scope, and having it in hand before the other carrier sends an appraiser puts the owner in a much better negotiating position. ### Can you repair a coach that has been declared a total loss? Often yes, if the owner retains it. Total loss is an economic determination comparing repair cost to actual cash value, not a statement that the vehicle cannot be fixed. A rebuild estimate and a structural assessment are what that conversation should be built on. ### How long will my vehicle be in the shop? Labor ranges from 5 to 800 hours. Calendar time is usually set by parts rather than by labor, particularly caps, windshields and discontinued body panels. The estimate includes an expected timeline, and it gets updated when a supplement changes the scope. ## Related - [Collision and Structural Services](https://ocrv.biz/services/collision-structural/) - [Frame and Structural Repair](https://ocrv.biz/services/frame-structural-repair/) - [Fiberglass Repair](https://ocrv.biz/services/fiberglass-repair/) - [Minor Collision Repair](https://ocrv.biz/services/collision-repair/minor-collision-repair/) - [Major Collision Repair](https://ocrv.biz/services/collision-repair/major-collision-repair/) - [Full Vehicle Collision Restoration](https://ocrv.biz/services/collision-repair/full-vehicle-collision-restoration/) - [Insurance Help](https://ocrv.biz/insurance/) - [Prices and Posted Rates](https://ocrv.biz/prices/)