Paint and Body
Dent Removal and Body Repair for RVs, Vans and Fleets
About 10 min left
OCRV Center removes dents from aluminum, steel and fiberglass vehicle panels using paintless techniques where the finish is intact and conventional repair with refinish where it is not. Dent and body repair runs $300 for a single accessible dent to $12,000 for multi panel damage across a large coach or commercial body.
Dent repair on recreational and commercial vehicles is a materials problem before it is a technique problem. An Airstream skin, a box truck side panel and a motorhome fiberglass cap all dent, and not one of them responds to the same approach.
Aluminum work hardens and will crack if you push it back too fast. Fiberglass does not dent at all, it fractures. Steel is the most forgiving of the three and is also the one most likely to have rust behind the damage on a fleet unit that has been in service ten years.
Paintless Dent Removal and Its Limits
Paintless dent removal works the metal back from behind with specialized rods, and when conditions are right it is the best possible outcome: original finish preserved, no refinish, lowest cost, fastest turnaround.
Conditions are right when the finish is unbroken, the metal has not been stretched past recovery, and there is physical access to the back of the panel. On recreational vehicles that last condition eliminates a great deal of otherwise suitable damage, because the back of a sidewall is a laminated sandwich with no access at all.
When Conventional Repair Is the Correct Call
A creased dent has stretched the metal, and stretched metal has to be shrunk or filled, neither of which happens from behind with a rod. Damage on the paint edge, or on a double walled section, is also conventional work.
We will tell you which category your damage is in before quoting, because the price difference is substantial and the expectation should be set honestly.
Aluminum Panel Work
Aluminum skinned trailers, Airstreams and many commercial bodies require a slower approach. Aluminum work hardens as it moves, so pushing a dent out in one motion produces a crack instead of a repair. Correct technique is many small movements with periodic heat to relieve stress.
Aluminum also cannot be welded with the same process as steel and it corrodes galvanically where it contacts dissimilar metals. Repairs have to account for both, which is why aluminum panel work carries a higher labor number than the equivalent damage in steel.
Panel Replacement Versus Repair
The decision point is labor hours against parts cost. A panel with damage across more than roughly 40 percent of its surface, or with multiple creases, generally costs more to repair correctly than to replace, and the replacement gives a better result.
On coaches where the panel is discontinued that math inverts, because there is no replacement to buy at any price and repair becomes the only path. We source what is available and fabricate what is not.
Corrosion Found Behind the Damage
On fleet vehicles past about eight years of service, a dent is frequently hiding rust. The impact broke the coating, moisture got in, and the corrosion has been advancing quietly ever since.
We cut back to sound metal rather than covering it, treat the remaining surface, and reprime before any filler goes on. Filling over active corrosion buys about eighteen months before it lifts, and by then it has spread.
What Is Included
- Material and access assessment to determine paintless versus conventional repair
- Paintless removal preserving original finish where conditions allow
- Aluminum worked with staged movement and stress relief to prevent cracking
- Corrosion cut back to sound metal and treated before any filler
- Filler blocked flat rather than sanded to shape
- Color matched refinish and blend on any panel that required paint
Our Process
- 1
Damage Assessment
Panel material, access from behind, finish integrity and metal stretch all evaluated before a method is chosen.
- 2
Method Selection
Paintless, conventional repair, or panel replacement selected and priced with the reasoning explained.
- 3
Access Preparation
Trim or interior panels removed where rear access is required and available.
- 4
Metal Work
Dent worked out in stages with heat or shrinking as the material requires, corrosion cut out and treated.
- 5
Filler and Block
Minimal filler applied and blocked flat across the full panel, not feathered locally.
- 6
Refinish
Sealed, color matched and blended into adjacent panels where paint was required.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can you fix a dent in my RV without repainting it?
Sometimes. Paintless dent removal preserves the original finish, but it requires three things: unbroken paint, metal that has not been stretched into a crease, and physical access to the back of the panel. On motorhome sidewalls that last requirement rules out a great deal of damage, because the back of the wall is a bonded laminate with no access. We assess all three before quoting so you know which method your dent actually needs.
How much does dent repair cost on a commercial truck?
A single accessible dent with paintless removal runs $300 to $700. A conventional repair with filler and refinish on one panel runs $700 to $2,500. Multi panel damage across a box body or a service body runs $3,000 to $12,000. On units past about eight years of service, expect the estimate to allow for corrosion behind the impact, because on fleet vehicles that is more often present than not.
Why does aluminum dent repair cost more than steel?
Aluminum work hardens as you move it, so it cannot be pushed back in one motion the way steel can. Correct technique is many small staged movements with periodic heat to relieve stress, which takes considerably more labor time. Aluminum also requires a different welding process and is prone to galvanic corrosion where it meets dissimilar metals, both of which add steps that steel repair does not need.
Should a badly dented panel be repaired or replaced?
The rule of thumb is damage across more than about 40 percent of the panel, or multiple creases, makes replacement both cheaper and better. The exception is coaches with discontinued panels, where there is nothing to buy at any price and repair becomes the only option regardless of hours. We check parts availability before recommending, because that availability changes the answer more than the damage does.
Dent Removal and Body Repair is performed in shop at OCRV Center, 23281 La Palma Ave, Yorba Linda, CA 92887, serving Long Beach, California and the surrounding region. Call (949) 799-3387 to discuss your vehicle.
Get Your Vehicle Looked At Properly
Call the shop, describe what happened, and we will tell you what the realistic scope and timeline look like. All work is performed in shop at our 35,000 square foot facility.