Rear Fiberglass Cap Damage

[TechWriter]

Had a very bad day when our Jeep toad apparently kissed our RV's rear end during a hard stop. No interior damage, just the outer fiberglass skin (and ladder).

Estimated cost to repair ???

[WHSouthwind]

Did the jeep pivot up without disconnecting. Looks like that’s what happened. High impact point. There’s a website you could search for used parts. But if it was me. I would just have it patched and painted. This route should be most cost effective. I run around without brakes on my jeep and would not imagine this could happen.

[amosnandy]

Originally Posted by TechWriter

Had a very bad day when our Jeep toad apparently kissed our RV's rear end during a hard stop. No interior damage, just the outer fiberglass skin (and ladder).

Estimated cost to repair ???

As an insurance adjuster, just from the pictures I would estimate between $20,000 &$25,000.

The cap needs to come off, repair both sides and there is likely damage to the inner structure.

[Flyer15015]

JMHO, I don't see it as that bad.
Rear caps are usually anywhere from 6 -8 inches from the rear wall of the coach. Plenty of room to go in and work there.
If the seal at the sides seem to be O.K., any good body shop (or boat yard) can jack the back out, lay some fiberglass inside and repaint the damaged area.

Mike in Colorado

[Ray,IN]

amosnandy is right, unless the rear cap is irreparable. If that is the case, the only option is to locate a good used rear cap somewhere. If one cannot be found you're looking at the MH being totaled.
Don't let your damaged cap get worse or "lost/missing" almost anything made from fiberglass can be duplicated by the right body shop.
MH mfgrs. do not keep a spare supply of obsolete body parts, nor the molds used, when body styles change. (or so I was told by a large MH body repair shop owner)
He said he has a customers 2017 MH with a busted up front cap in his lot since Sep. 2021 while hunting a used front cap.


an aside; amosnandy, the estimate on my front cap is $34k. Still awaiting Progressive to decide, repair/total.

[Tha_Rooster]

That is bad luck. Just to clarify you can stop hard enough that the front end of jeep came up and hit the back of MH?

[TechWriter]

Here's more info on HOW the accident happened and HOW we plan to repair the damage. Thanks!

The Safari Solution

[jacwjames]

Thanks for the follow up.


I guess it shows how important is to have a properly working supplemental braking system on your toad.


The fix will definitely hide the damage but I'd also make sure the cracks are sealed so you don't have unintended water intrusion.

I guess this is one way of making lemonade out of lemons. I'm sure the end result will look good based on the photo you provided of the mural.

[TechWriter]

Originally Posted by jacwjames

I'm sure the end result will look good based on the photo you provided of the mural.

Hope so. It's an over-the-winter project. I'll repost in Spring.

[Argosy]

Are you going to do any repair to the cap? That's a good sized crack through an area of the cap (the inset for the tail lights) which provides strength to a large vertical surface.

Why 3/4" plywood? That would be the last thing I bolted to the rear of any vehicle. Why not metal or UV resistant plastic? I just bought a piece of flat aluminum .062" thick and 3 x 4 feet for about $100. You could use half that thickness if you did some repair to strengthen the break.

Have you gotten underneath the rear cap and looked up? If it's open between the cap and body that's a good place to do repair without it being seen. With the damage done and location of the damage you need to do more than bolt plywood to it and expect it to last.

[Cumminsfan]

Just for kicks I'd find a used DP grill and fasten it to the plywood and trim it with something to give the MH a DP look.

[TechWriter]

Originally Posted by Argosy

Are you going to do any repair to the cap? That's a good sized crack through an area of the cap (the inset for the tail lights) which provides strength to a large vertical surface.

Currently, Eternabond tape is doing the trick. However, the fiberglass on either side of the split does not line up. So a temp solution for now.

Originally Posted by Argosy

Why 3/4" plywood? That would be the last thing I bolted to the rear of any vehicle. Why not metal or UV resistant plastic? I just bought a piece of flat aluminum .062" thick and 3 x 4 feet for about $100. You could use half that thickness if you did some repair to strengthen the break.

3/4" plywood is cheap, strong, and durable enough for several years.

Yes, a plastic or aluminum sheet would be better, and I think I could do some butt ugly fiberglass repair that would strengthen (and flatten) the damaged areas. But it would still need to be covered.

- One 1/4" 4' x 4' aluminum sheet + Two 1/4" 1' x 2' ("filler") = $964 delivered
- One 1/8" 4' x 4' aluminum sheet + Two 1/8" 1' x 2' ("filler") = $447 delivered

We'll see. Tx for the suggestion.

Originally Posted by Argosy

Have you gotten underneath the rear cap and looked up? If it's open between the cap and body that's a good place to do repair without it being seen. With the damage done and location of the damage you need to do more than bolt plywood to it and expect it to last.

The gap between the rear fiberglass cap and the RV's back wall is between 6 - 8". Too small to work in.

[okkhmbldr]

Originally Posted by TechWriter

Hope so. It's an over-the-winter project. I'll repost in Spring.

I've done several fiberglass repairs over the years, and I'm no expert. If you mess it up, just sand it off and do it again.
Why don't you look around for a guy that specializes in bumper repairs for car dealerships? Those guys can fix and repair badly damaged bumpers so your rear cap would be easy for them, and it wouldn't look like you tried to coble the fix.
Call the used car manager and see if he can recommend someone.

[TechWriter]

Originally Posted by okkhmbldr

Why don't you look around for a guy that specializes in bumper repairs for car dealerships?

You live in Oklahoma City (pop 650,000), right? Lots of dealerships I'll bet.

I live in the rural foothills of CA. No such local options.