Diminished value on RVs and motorhomes

Two structures in one vehicle

A motorhome is commonly built in two stages: a chassis with the engine, frame and running gear, and a coach or house built on top of it, often by a different manufacturer. A towable trailer has a frame and a house without the drivetrain. Collision damage has to be assessed for each part, and repair of each part may be done by different shops. An appraisal needs records for both.

House structure

RV walls and roofs are built light, commonly as framed or laminated panels with a fiberglass or aluminum skin. An impact can crack a panel, separate its layers or shift the framing behind an intact-looking skin. Repairs range from patching and refinishing to replacing a full sidewall. Buyers and dealers look along the sides for waves, color differences and mismatched graphics, and they check that slide-outs, doors and compartments still fit squarely. Full-body paint and large graphics are hard to match on one repaired section, so a visible difference between old and new finish is common and is one of the first things a buyer notices.

Water intrusion

Water is the main fear of every used-RV buyer. A collision repair disturbs seams, windows, roof joints and sealant, and a leak that starts there may not show for months. When it does show, it appears as soft floors, stains or separated wall panels. For that reason a buyer treats a past body repair as a leak risk unless the records show otherwise. Ask the repair shop whether it performed a leak test after the repair, and keep the result. Photos taken during the repair, with the wall open, are valuable evidence that nothing was hidden. If the unit already had water damage before the accident, say so in your claim review. Pre-existing condition is part of the pre-loss value, and an insurer will raise it.

Long repairs and loss of use

RV repairs can take a long time. Parts may have to come from the coach builder, and fewer shops do the work. Time out of service is a separate question from diminished value. If you rented a substitute or lost planned use, ask your insurer or attorney what your state allows. Where the RV is used in a business, a loss of use appraisal may apply.

A small buyer pool

The market for a given class, length and floor plan is small and seasonal, and many buyers finance, which brings a lender’s view of the unit’s condition into the sale. Buyers of larger units commonly pay for a pre-purchase inspection, and an inspector who knows RVs will usually find a past body repair whether or not it appears on a history report. Comparable units are scarce, so an appraisal searches a wide area and adjusts for floor plan, chassis, options, mileage and condition.

Getting an appraisal

Autoloss appraises RVs and motorhomes. Send the repair invoices for chassis and coach, photos before, during and after repair, any leak-test or inspection report, and the unit’s year, make, model, floor plan and options. The fee for an RV is quoted during the free claim review. The steps are on our how it works page.

Related guides: commercial and fleet vehicles, for rental fleets and mobile businesses, and motorcycles.