Body damage can happen to any RV; dealing with the repair quickly is the most important thing. Whether your RV was in an accident or something else caused the damage, repairs need to happen right away, so the damage does not get worse. The best thing you can do is to take the RV to a body shop that works on them and have them evaluate and repair the damage for you.
Evaluating the Damage
The first priority after any damage occurs to the body of your RV is to assess the damage and see how bad it is. Your insurance company may send someone out to estimate the damage to the unit, but it is vital that you get an estimate for the repairs from a third-party body shop that does not have any ties to the insurance company.
The estimate needs to be thorough and includes everything that needs repair so that you can present it to the insurance company. If the insurance company does not agree with the estimate, they may ask for a second one from another shop to verify all the damage listed in the first estimate. If both shops agree on the damage found, the insurance company will more than likely pay the claim.
Making Repairs
It is essential that you get the RV into the shop for repair as soon as you can. If the damage to the body allows any moisture inside the RV, water damage and mold can quickly become an issue. Since the water damage is not part of the original damage, the insurance company is not going to pay for additional repairs that were not part of the initial accident.
If there is going to be a delay in getting the RV repairs completed, store the RV inside if you can or cover it with a shed roof and a tarp to keep water and critters out. If you are making some of the repairs yourself, get the exterior stuff done by the body shop first, then you can take your time on the interior or other minor repairs because the shell or body of the RV is tight and weatherproof.
Fiberglass Bodies
If the RV is made with a fiberglass exterior, the body shop will most likely cut off the damage and replace the panels with premade repair panels, or they may form custom panels for your rig.
In either case, working with the fiberglass and making sure the structure is sound takes some experience, so make sure the body shop you are working with has the tools and expertise to do the job correctly.
Contact a company like RV Service Center Of Santa Cruz to learn more.