Van and Camper Van Conversion Questions

Yes. Cargo Sprinters, passenger vans, shuttle and crew configurations, upfitted service vans and box body Sprinters all come through here. Van collision work runs $1,500 to $40,000 and up and covers sliding door and track damage, rear door and hinge pillar repair, rocker and quarter panel work, roof damage, and structural correction on the unibody. Body and paint labor is $210 per hour. What we do not do is Mercedes powertrain diagnostics or engine repair, which belongs at a Sprinter service center.

Usually yes, and the fix lives in the track and the opening rather than the door itself. A side impact bends the lower track, tweaks the center hinge roller bracket, or pushes the B pillar in enough that the door no longer follows its arc. We measure the opening, straighten or replace the track, reset the roller assemblies, and adjust the striker and latch so the seal compresses evenly. Guessing at adjustment without measuring the opening is how a door leaks afterward.

Yes. Van build out runs $5,000 to $80,000 and up. That covers insulation, wall and ceiling paneling, flooring, custom cabinetry and a bed platform, galley with sink and pump, fresh and gray tanks, 12 volt distribution, lithium and inverter systems, solar, a roof fan and windows, and heating. We fabricate cabinetry in house so dimensions actually match the van rather than forcing a kit into it. Electrical labor is $260 per hour and we document every component for your insurer.

Yes, and we usually find the flange rather than the fan. On a steel roof the fan sits in a cut opening on a butyl or sealant bed, and either the opening was not sealed correctly, the roof flexed and broke the bond, or the frame was mounted over ribs without a proper adapter. We pull the unit, clean the flange to bare metal, prime the cut edge to stop corrosion, rebed and reflash it, then water test. Roof vent and fan work runs $250 to $1,200.

That is a common failure on molded high tops and it is structural, not cosmetic. The corner radius takes flex load from the body every mile, so the gelcoat cracks first and then the laminate. We grind the crack out to a V, rebuild the laminate with glass and resin from the back side where access allows, refair the outside, and refinish with a color match into adjacent surfaces. Fiberglass repair runs $750 to $12,000 and we check the mounting flange bond while we are in there.

Yes, and Arctic White is genuinely one of the harder matches, because white ages toward yellow unevenly and the factory finish varies between panels built at different plants. We read the actual panel with a spectrophotometer rather than trusting the paint code alone, spray test panels, and blend into the adjacent panel instead of stopping at a body line. Full refinish runs $5,000 to $30,000 and color match blending on a partial repair runs $500 to $5,000 and up.

Yes, and on a van the design constraints are tighter than on a coach because roof area and cabinet volume are both scarce. A typical build is 400 to 800 watts of panel, a 200 to 400 amp hour lithium bank, a 2,000 to 3,000 watt inverter charger, a DC to DC charger off the alternator, and a properly fused distribution panel. Solar work runs $1,500 to $12,000 and up, batteries $500 to $5,500, inverters $750 to $4,500. Labor is $260 per hour.

That is the most common problem on conversion claims and it is fixable with documentation. We itemize the build as separate components with replacement costs: cabinetry, insulation and paneling, flooring, electrical including inverter, lithium and solar with serial numbers, plumbing and tanks, heater, windows and roof fan, seating and bed platform. Photographs of the finished interior and the builder invoice go in the same package. We cannot promise the outcome, only a file that is hard to overlook.

Yes, and it is a good share of our van work. The recurring problems are undersized wiring and missing fuses, roof penetrations sealed with the wrong product, cabinetry fastened into sheet metal with no backing, plumbing that traps water, and insulation installed in a way that holds condensation against the steel. We inspect and report before we touch anything so you know what is safe and what is not. Electrical corrections are worth doing first, because that is the fire risk.

Yes, all three platforms plus the older Chevrolet Express and GMC Savana. Each has its own quirks. Transit roof ribs sit differently, which changes how a fan or an air conditioner gets mounted. ProMaster has a wider, flatter floor and a front wheel drive layout that changes tank and battery placement. Sprinter has the most aftermarket support and the tallest roof options. Van collision runs $1,500 to $40,000 and up, and build out runs $5,000 to $80,000 and up on any of them.

Roof conversions we do with a manufactured high top designed for your platform, cut, bonded and mechanically fastened, then sealed and refinished. We do not fabricate a one off structural roof from scratch, because a home built roof is both a water problem and a crash safety problem. Wheelchair lifts and ramps, swivel seat bases and floor track systems we do install, with proper structural backing and reinforcement rather than fasteners through bare sheet metal. Fabrication is quoted per job after we see the van.

Usually, and it is worth checking before you have a loss. Many conversions on a cargo title are insured as commercial or personal auto rather than as a motorhome, which changes how the build gets valued and whether contents and appliances are covered at all. If the van is not registered as a house car, ask your agent about a stated value or agreed value endorsement with the build itemized. Bring us the declarations page and we will tell you what the estimate needs to show.