# Class A Diesel Pusher Repair for Tustin Owners

> A diesel pusher carries its engine behind the rear axle on a Freightliner XC or Spartan chassis, rides on air bags, and wears full body paint over a heavy rear cap. OCRV Center handles pusher body, structural, basement bay, paint, interior and coach systems work in shop. Engine and drive system repair is not performed here.

Source: https://ocrv.biz/vehicles/rvs-motorhomes/class-a-diesel-pusher-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 is structurally different about a pusher?

Weight distribution. The engine, the radiator and the exhaust all sit behind the rear axle, so the rear cap on a pusher is not just a shell, it is a structure carrying and enclosing a lot of mass and a lot of heat. Rear caps on these coaches are heavier, thicker and much more expensive to replace than a gas coach cap, and they are full of service access doors that all have to line up when the job is finished.

Underneath, the chassis is a Freightliner XC or a Spartan K2 rail with air bag suspension at all corners. The basement between the rails is a full width storage structure with slide out trays, bay doors and, on many coaches, the generator on a slide. That basement is a structural element, not an afterthought, and a curb strike or a low speed side hit loads directly into it.

Air ride changes ride height, which changes where the body sits relative to the ground. A coach with a leaking bag sits low on one corner, drags a skirt, and starts wearing through the lower body. Air bag suspension repair is posted at $500 to $4,500 across 2 to 18 hours.

## Why is full body paint the deciding factor on a pusher?

Most diesel pushers left the factory with full body paint rather than gel coat and decals, and that is the single biggest cost driver on any body repair. On a decal coach you repair a panel and replace a decal. On a full body paint coach you are matching a multi layer scheme with mica, pearl or candy layers that reads differently depending on the angle of the light, and you have to carry it across a panel that is 40 feet long.

That is why blending matters. Color match paint blending is posted at **$500 to $5,000** across 4 to 25 hours, and on a pusher it is almost never optional. Stopping a repair at a panel edge on full body paint gives you a visible line down the coach. Full paint refinish, when a coach is far enough gone to justify it, runs **$5,000 to $35,000** across 40 to 250 hours. Both are listed on the [prices page](/prices/).

Paint supplies are calculated at $55 per paint hour, which on a large refinish is a substantial and entirely predictable line. Nothing about it is hidden.

## What goes wrong with basement bays and compartment doors?

The basement is where owners feel the damage first, because it is where they interact with the coach every day. Common findings:

- Bay door hinges pulling out of the door frame, usually because the door has been loaded and left open in wind.
- Gas struts failing, letting the door drop and crease at the lower edge.
- Latch misalignment after a body flex event, so a door that used to shut now needs a shove.
- Slide tray rails bent by an overloaded tray, jamming the tray part way out.
- Seal failure around the door frame letting road spray into the bay, which then finds the wiring loom running through it.

Compartment and baggage door repair or replacement runs $200 to $1,800 across 1 to 10 hours. Entry, baggage and compartment door work as a broader category sits at $400 to $4,500 across 2 to 20 hours.

## Which coach systems are handled in house?

On a pusher the systems are more involved than on any other motorhome class, and they are all in scope here. Hydraulic leveling from HWH, Power Gear, BigFoot or Lippert is posted at $350 to $6,500 across 2 to 25 hours. AquaHot and hydronic heat service, which is close to unique to this class, sits at $750 to $8,500 across 3 to 35 hours. Generator service on Onan and Cummins units runs $400 to $8,500 across 2 to 35 hours.

Electrical is the other big one. Inverter and charger replacement on Magnum, Xantrex or Victron equipment is $750 to $4,500 across 3 to 14 hours, and house battery replacement including lithium conversions is $500 to $5,500 across 2 to 10 hours. If it is not obvious which system is at fault, the RV systems evaluation is $150, applied as a credit against an authorized repair, and an in depth diagnostic is 1 hour at $285, also applied as a credit.

## What is outside the scope on a diesel pusher?

The engine and the drive system. That boundary is firm and it is stated on the posted price sheet. OCRV Center performs body, paint, structural, interior, coach systems and equipment work. A pusher with a turbo fault, an aftertreatment fault or a transmission complaint goes to a chassis specialist, and the shop will tell you that on the first walk rather than after the coach is in a bay.

What is in scope is everything the house does and everything the body does, plus suspension, leveling, brakes at the wheel end, tires and chassis lube. On most collision files that covers the whole job. [Request a Quote](/contact/) and bring the coach in.

## Questions

### My coach leans to one side overnight. Is that a body problem?

It is usually an air suspension or leveling problem rather than a body one, and both are in scope. A bag, a height control valve or a hydraulic jack that will not hold will drop a corner. The concern for the body is secondary damage: a coach sitting low grinds a skirt or a bay door on the ground.

### Can you replace a damaged rear cap on a pusher?

Yes. It is a large job because the cap houses engine access doors, lighting and often the ladder and hitch mounts, all of which have to be transferred and aligned. Front and rear cap replacement is posted at $4,500 to $25,000 across 30 to 120 hours, and the paint work on a full body coach is quoted alongside it.

### Will you work with my insurer on a pusher claim?

Yes, and it is most of what the collision side does. Files are billed direct to Progressive, State Farm, GEICO, Mercury, Allstate, Liberty Mutual, Foremost and others. Insurance billed jobs may be written at carrier negotiated labor rates that differ from the posted retail rates.

## Related

- [RVs and Motorhomes](https://ocrv.biz/vehicles/rvs-motorhomes/)
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- [Luxury Class A Motorhomes](https://ocrv.biz/vehicles/rvs-motorhomes/luxury-class-a-motorhome-repair/)
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- [Paint and Refinishing](https://ocrv.biz/services/paint-refinishing/)
- [Electrical Repair](https://ocrv.biz/services/electrical-repair/)
- [Generator Repair](https://ocrv.biz/services/generator-repair/)
- [Prices and Posted Rates](https://ocrv.biz/prices/)