You backed into a post, someone clipped you on I-25, or a low overhang caught the roof edge. Now you have a cracked cap, a caved sidewall, or a gouge running down a rig you still owe money on, and the two auto body shops you called both said no. That is normal. They are set up for unibody cars, their bays are not tall enough, and they have no idea what is behind an RV wall.
Mile High RV Works is the RV service side of Mile High Food Trucks. We build custom food trucks from bare chassis, so welding, framing, panel work, and paint are what we do every week, not a favor squeezed in between oil changes. We serve the Front Range from one shop, Denver, Boulder, Fort Collins, and Colorado Springs, and we take motorhomes, fifth wheels, travel trailers, and toy haulers. Everything else we do is on the RV repair shop hub.
Why RV body work is not auto body work
A car panel is stamped steel bolted to a structure engineered to absorb impact. An RV wall is a sandwich: thin fiberglass skin, luan, rigid foam with aluminum or wood framing through it, then interior paneling, all vacuum bonded into one piece. The skin is not structural on its own. It is glued to what is behind it.
So when something hits an RV sidewall, the visible dent is the smallest part of the problem. The impact breaks the bond between layers around the strike. Six months later the owner sees a bubble or a wave that was not there when the repair was finished, because water got in or the bond kept letting go. Skim filler over the crack and paint it and the failure is coming anyway.
The roof is the same story. It is one piece of EPDM, TPO, or fiberglass tucked under trim on every edge, with no seam to cut back to, so touching it usually pulls in a cap and the whole top trim run. More on our RV roof repair cost page.
The damage we see most, and what it costs
Real Front Range ranges. Anything with structure behind the panel pushes past the top.
1. Cosmetic scrapes and gouges ($600-$2,500)
Cart hits, branch scrapes, a mirror strike that peels gel coat. If the damage stops at the skin, this is grind, glass, fill, block, and blend.
2. Rear cap damage from backing ($1,800-$9,000)
The most common RV collision we see. A cracked corner with nothing behind it lands near the bottom. Break the ladder mounts, rear window frame, or cap seam and it climbs fast. A one-piece cap is often $5,000 before paint, if it is still made.
3. Sidewall puncture repair ($1,500-$5,000)
We cut back to sound lamination, replace crushed foam and broken framing, bond in new substrate, glass the skin, and refinish. The size of the hole matters less than how far the delamination travels from it, which we map before quoting.
4. Full sidewall section replacement ($6,000-$20,000+)
Once delamination covers most of a wall, patching is throwing money away. Replacing the panel means pulling windows, doors, awning rails, and slide trim. Some manufacturers sell a skin, some will not, and the adhesive is often not sold retail.
5. Roof strike from low clearance ($2,000-$15,000)
Drive-throughs, gas canopies, parking garages, the tree at the end of a driveway. AC units and vents shear off, the membrane tears, and the hit usually rolls the front cap seam. If water sat up there, add decking.
6. Slide-out damage in a collision ($1,200-$8,000)
A side impact can bend the slide box, tweak the rails, or crack the slide face. A slide that will not seal is not cosmetic, it will leak on the next storm. See RV slide-out repair.
7. Hail damage across the unit ($3,000-$25,000+)
Dented siding, cracked skylights and vent covers, punched AC shrouds, torn membrane, and crazed gel coat all at once. Hail gets written as a whole-unit scope, not a spot repair.
8. Frame or structural damage ($5,000-$40,000+)
Bent trailer frame, twisted A-frame, damaged outriggers, or a motorhome hit hard enough to move the body on the chassis. We cut, straighten, and weld in house instead of subbing it out and adding a month.
| Severity | Typical cost | Time in shop |
|---|---|---|
| Cosmetic only | $600-$2,500 | 3-7 days |
| One panel or cap | $2,500-$9,000 | 2-4 weeks |
| Multiple panels or structure | $9,000-$25,000 | 4-10 weeks |
| Frame or full sidewall | $25,000+ | 10 weeks or more |
Those times assume parts show up. For shop rates and non-collision work, see the 2026 RV repair cost guide.
Parts are the schedule, not labor
Owners assume the body work takes the time. It does not. Our hands-on hours are a fraction of the calendar. The delay is a molded cap, a compound-curve skin, a window, or a slide component that only comes from the manufacturer, and RV manufacturers do not stock the way automakers do. Generic parts arrive in days. Molded parts for a discontinued floorplan can take six to twelve weeks, and on an older unit may not exist at all.
When that happens, either we fabricate the piece or the repair does not pencil, and we tell you which. Ask any shop before you sign: has the part been ordered, and what is the lead time in writing.
Working with your insurance company
Photograph everything before anything moves. Wide shots from all four corners, then close-ups with something for scale. Shoot the inside too, cabinet faces, ceiling seams, and slide surrounds, because interior movement is evidence of structural impact.
Get your own estimate. The adjuster writes what they can see standing next to the coach, sometimes only from photos. An estimate from a shop that opens things up is a stronger document.
Expect a supplement. The first estimate covers visible damage. Once we pull the panel we often find broken framing, crushed foam, wet decking, or a bent slide rail nobody could see. We photograph it and send it for approval. Supplements are routine on RV claims, not a red flag. What matters is that your shop submits them instead of cutting quality to stay inside the original number.
You generally choose the shop. In most states, including Colorado, the owner picks the repair facility and an insurer can recommend but not require one. Policy language and state regulations vary, so confirm with your carrier and the Colorado Division of Insurance. Read your declarations page too, because wind and hail losses here often carry a percentage deductible instead of a flat dollar amount.
Gel coat, paint, and the color match problem
This is where a good repair goes wrong. A three-year-old coach with solid gel coat matches well. A twelve-year-old coach that has sat in Colorado sun at 5,300 feet does not match anything, because the color has faded and chalked and the factory formula no longer exists on that panel. UV is harsher up here and gel coat oxidizes faster for it.
The options are blending into adjacent panels, refinishing the full side, or repainting the unit. Full repaints run roughly $6,000 to $12,000 standard and $15,000 and up on a large Class A with multi-color graphics, which are their own line since a discontinued decal set often has to be recut from photos. We tell you what the finish will look like before work starts, including when a match will still show.
Colorado is hard on RVs
Hail. The Front Range sits in one of the most active hail corridors in the country, and an RV parked outside is a big flat target. It is also the claim written too light most often, because dents in a white roof are hard to see from the ground.
Low clearance and rock strikes. Older mountain-town underpasses, tunnels, and gas canopies were not built for a 13 foot 6 inch coach. We also see rock strikes on front caps and lower skirting off I-70 and the canyons.
Wind. Gusts on I-25 and the eastern plains shove a high-profile rig around. The classic one is an entry door caught at a rest stop and folded back against the sidewall, taking the door, the hinge, and the wall it hit.
Wildlife. Deer and elk strikes are common on 285, US 40, and the rural stretches north of Fort Collins. On a motorhome that means the front cap, the steps, and often the cooling package behind it.
Coming from the metro, see RV repair in Denver. From the north, RV repair in Fort Collins.
When repair stops making sense
Not every damaged RV should be fixed. Colorado’s salvage threshold is high compared to many states, generally requiring repair costs to reach the full pre-loss value of the unit, so an insurer may still write a repair on a rig you would rather walk away from. Confirm the statute and your policy language with your carrier.
Practically, think hard when the estimate passes roughly 70 percent of what the unit is worth today, when the frame is bent on a trailer with an already soft floor, when the cap you need is discontinued, or when delamination has spread past one panel on a unit over fifteen years old. Often the smarter move is taking the settlement, or repairing to weathertight instead of perfect. We would rather lose a job than hand back a $30,000 repair on a $28,000 trailer.
Get a real quote
Call 720-209-2653 and we will get you on the schedule. Bring the unit in, or send photos first so we can tell you if it is worth the drive.
We inspect before we quote, every time. Hidden structural damage behind a panel is the rule on collision work, not the exception, and a number off a photo is a guess. We check the panel bond around the impact, probe for moisture, look at the framing, and see whether the slides and doors still sit square. Then you get a written estimate we can defend to an adjuster. If we find more once it is open, you and your carrier hear about it with photos.
Frequently asked questions
Will my insurance let me use your shop?
In most cases the owner chooses the repair facility, and insurers can recommend but generally cannot require one. We work directly with adjusters. Confirm with your carrier, since policy language and state rules vary.
How long will my RV be in your shop?
Light cosmetic work is usually under a week, a cap or single panel two to four weeks, structural jobs four to ten weeks or more. Parts decide it, not labor.
Can you fix delamination, or does the whole wall come off?
A contained area near an impact can be injected and re-bonded. Once it covers most of a wall or the substrate is wet, panel replacement is the only lasting repair.
Should I file a claim or pay out of pocket?
If the estimate is close to or below your deductible, paying out of pocket usually makes more sense, especially with hail deductibles written as a percentage of value. We give you the estimate first so you can decide.
What if the part for my RV is discontinued?
We fabricate. Building truck bodies from bare chassis means we can form, weld, and finish a part that no longer exists as a catalog item.
Can I use my RV while it waits on parts?
Sometimes. If the damage is cosmetic and the unit is weathertight, we can seal it temporarily and give it back until the parts land. If the structure or roof is open, no.
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