Is my solar and lithium system covered by my RV policy?

Only if it is declared and documented, and frequently only up to a sub-limit that is lower than you expect. Standard policies cover the vehicle as manufactured. Permanently installed additions may fall under a customisation or custom equipment provision with a cap, commonly a few thousand dollars, which on a substantial off-grid system is a fraction of the actual value. Check your specific limit rather than assuming.

How do I prove what was in my build?

Photographs and receipts, kept somewhere other than in the vehicle. Photograph every cabinet, the electrical panel, the battery bank, the controller, the inverter, the water system and the heater, including labels and model numbers. Keep the build invoice if it was professionally converted and receipts for anything added afterwards. This takes an afternoon and it is the difference between covered and not.

Does a lift kit or custom bumper affect my claim?

It can, in two ways. The modification itself needs to be declared and covered or it is settled at nothing. And repair on a modified vehicle costs more, because a frame has to be measured against a specification that assumes a factory configuration, and structural work frequently requires the modification to be removed for access. Both are legitimate costs and both need documenting to be paid.

Should I tell my insurer about a van conversion?

Yes, and it matters more than most owners realise. A cargo van converted to a camper is a materially different vehicle from the one on the policy: different value, different use, different risk. Failing to declare it can give a carrier grounds to reduce or deny a claim on the basis of misrepresentation, which is a considerably worse outcome than paying a slightly higher premium.

Insuring RV Aftermarket and Custom Build Work

If you have modified your vehicle, this is the page on this site most likely to save you money, and the action it asks for takes one afternoon.

The problem, stated plainly

Standard vehicle policies cover the vehicle as the manufacturer built it. Everything added afterwards falls into a separate category with separate rules, and those rules usually involve a sub-limit and a documentation requirement.

So the recurring outcome is an owner with $40,000 of solar, lithium, cabinetry and off-grid systems receiving a settlement calculated on a base cargo van, because the carrier had no basis to value anything else and the owner had no paper to establish it.

This is the single most common uncovered loss we see, and it is almost entirely preventable.

What routinely gets valued at nothing

Solar arrays and charge controllers. Lithium battery banks, which alone can be five figures. Inverters and DC to DC chargers. Lift kits and suspension upgrades. Custom bumpers, recovery points and roof racks. Interior conversion builds including cabinetry, insulation and wall systems. Upgraded appliances. Auxiliary heating. Water systems and tanks. Drawer systems and storage. Awnings and exterior equipment.

On a well-executed conversion that list frequently represents more value than the vehicle it is attached to.

What to do, in order

1. Photograph it now, while it is intact. Every cabinet, the electrical panel, the battery bank, the solar controller, the inverter, the water system, the heater. Photograph labels and model numbers, not just general views.

2. Inventory it. A simple list: item, brand, model, approximate cost, date fitted. A spreadsheet is fine.

3. Keep the receipts somewhere other than in the vehicle. Cloud storage, or a folder at home. Receipts that burn with the van prove nothing.

4. Declare it to your insurer. Ask specifically what your custom equipment limit is and whether it covers your actual build value. Most owners discover the limit is a few thousand dollars.

5. Add coverage if the limit is short. Custom equipment endorsements, agreed value policies and specialist RV or conversion policies all exist. The premium difference is usually small against the exposure.

Declaring a conversion is not optional

A cargo van converted into a camper is a different vehicle: different value, different use pattern, different risk profile.

Not declaring it is not a clever way to keep the premium down. It gives the carrier grounds to reduce or deny a claim on the basis of material misrepresentation, which is a far worse outcome than the premium you avoided.

The same applies to a coach used for full-time living rather than recreation, or a vehicle used commercially rather than personally.

Repair on a modified vehicle costs more, legitimately

Two reasons, and both need documenting to be paid.

Access. Structural repair on a converted van needs access to the shell, so the build comes out and goes back. Cabinetry, insulation, wiring, plumbing, tanks, solar and battery banks all removed, stored and reinstalled. On a professional conversion that labor can approach the cost of the structural work itself, and it is the line most frequently missing from a carrier's first estimate.

Specification. Frame measurement assumes a factory configuration. A lifted or modified vehicle needs reference points established against what it actually is, which takes longer.

We photograph and document all of it at teardown and submit it as a supplement. That works considerably better when you can also produce receipts, which is the whole reason for step three above.

If you are buying a modified vehicle

Ask the seller for the build documentation and receipts before you buy, not after. A conversion with a full paper trail is worth more than one without, precisely because of everything on this page, and a seller who cannot produce any documentation has handed you the problem.

Agreed value versus actual cash value

Worth understanding before your next renewal, because it is the single decision that most affects what you receive on a total loss.

Actual cash value is the default on most policies. The carrier pays what the vehicle was worth immediately before the loss, calculated from comparables and depreciated. On a modified vehicle this systematically understates, because the model has no way to price your build.

Agreed value fixes the payout figure at policy inception. You and the insurer agree what the vehicle is worth, usually supported by an appraisal and documentation, and that is what gets paid. No depreciation argument, no comparables dispute, no build valued at nothing.

Stated value sits between the two and is worth reading carefully, because some stated value policies still pay the lesser of the stated amount and actual cash value, which gives you the premium of one and the payout of the other.

For anyone with a substantial conversion, a restored vintage coach or a heavily equipped overland build, agreed value is usually the right answer. It costs more and it removes the argument you would otherwise be having at the worst possible moment.

Getting an appraisal

An agreed value policy generally needs an independent appraisal, and a good one is a document you will be glad to have regardless of what you do with your insurance.

It records specification, condition, modifications and value at a point in time, with photographs, from a third party with no interest in the number. That is exactly the evidence that is hard to assemble after a loss and easy to assemble before one.

We can provide a documented condition and specification assessment as part of a pre-purchase inspection or as a standalone job, which serves the same purpose for a vehicle you already own.

Bring us the job the other shop turned down

We work on all years, all makes and all classes, from Class A diesel pushers down to enclosed cargo trailers. Estimates are $150 and are credited back against an authorized repair, so the money goes toward the work rather than to a shop that never touches your vehicle.

23281 La Palma Ave, Yorba Linda, CA 92887 | (949) 799-3387

Aftermarket and Custom Build Coverage