Paint and Body
Panel Replacement
In short: Panel replacement introduces a new sealed joint on every edge, so the thing that determines whether it lasts is not the panel but the sealing detail, which is where most replacement work fails two years later.
- Typical range
- $900 to $15,000+
- Labor hours
- 5 to 70 hours
- Updated
Panel replacement is a joint-making exercise disguised as a parts-swapping exercise. The panel is straightforward. The perimeter where the new panel meets the old structure is where the job succeeds or fails, and it fails on a two to three year delay that makes the connection easy to miss.
Repair or replace
Replace when:
- Damage exceeds roughly sixty percent of the panel area
- There are several separate damage zones that would each need a repair and blend
- The panel is creased rather than dented, meaning the material has stretched
- It has been repaired more than once already
- The substrate behind it has failed across most of its extent
Repair when the damage is confined and what is behind it is sound. A repaired panel keeps its original factory bonding and sealing at every edge. That is worth more than it sounds, because those edges were sealed under factory conditions and have already proven themselves for however many years the vehicle has been on the road.
Materials, and why they change the job
Fiberglass and filon. Most coach sidewalls and caps. Bonded rather than fastened, so replacement is an adhesive and lamination job. Covered in depth under fiberglass panel replacement.
Aluminium. Trailer skins, van panels, some coach roofs. Riveted or bonded. The complication is galvanic corrosion where aluminium meets steel fasteners or structure, which requires isolation at every contact point or you have designed a corrosion problem into the repair.
Steel. Commercial truck cabs, some van panels, structural sections. Welded, which means heat, which means distortion control and corrosion protection at every weld.
Composite panels. Reefer bodies, some modern box bodies. Bonded and often structural, requiring the manufacturer's adhesive system rather than a general-purpose one.
The sealing detail
This is the part worth being pedantic about, because it is where replacement work goes wrong.
Every new panel creates a perimeter joint plus a penetration at every fastener, light, window, compartment door and accessory. On a coach sidewall that can be sixty or seventy discrete sealing points.
Each one needs the correct sealant for the substrate pair, applied to a clean prepared surface, with the correct joint geometry so it can move without tearing. Panels flex. A rigid sealant in a joint that flexes cracks, usually in the first summer, and then water enters a wall that was rebuilt three months ago.
We also reseal everything that comes off rather than reusing existing sealant. Old sealant that has been disturbed does not reseal, it just looks like it has.
How the work runs
Remove. Trim, lights, windows, compartment doors, accessories. Sealant cut rather than prised, because prising damages the substrate the new panel has to bond to.
Inspect what is behind. With the panel off, the framing and substrate are visible for the first time. Moisture metered, corrosion assessed, rot found. Panel replacement is frequently where hidden water damage finally surfaces.
Repair the structure. Framing, substrate and corrosion addressed before anything new goes on. Fitting a new panel over compromised structure is putting a lid on a problem.
Fit. Dry fit, trim, verify mounting points and gaps.
Bond or fasten. Per the original construction method, clamped or riveted, with isolation where dissimilar metals meet.
Seal. Every joint, every penetration, every fastener.
Reinstall and reseal accessories.
Fair, prime, paint and blend.
What it costs
| Panel | Typical range | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Small van or truck panel, aluminium or steel | $900 to $2,500 | 5 to 14 |
| Trailer skin section | $1,500 to $4,500 | 8 to 25 |
| Coach sidewall panel | $2,500 to $7,500 | 15 to 40 |
| Large section or cap | $7,500 to $15,000+ | 40 to 70 |
| Fabricated panel, discontinued | Quoted after assessment | Varies |
Body labor is $210 per hour with supplies at $5 per body hour, and paint at $210 with supplies at $55 per paint hour. Parts over $100 carry 35 percent markup. Special order panels require a non-refundable deposit at order because a made to order panel cannot be returned. Full terms on the pricing page.
Fabrication for discontinued panels
Most vehicles needing a panel are old enough that the panel is not made any more. We fabricate rather than declining the job: a mould from the surviving original or the mirrored opposite side for fiberglass, or forming from flat stock for aluminium and steel.
This is routine on vintage coach restoration and on commercial vehicles that have outlived their manufacturer's parts support, which happens sooner than owners expect on specialty bodies.
Estimates are $150 and credited back against an authorized repair.