Unfortunately the loud thud was the ramp hitting the front corner of our r-pod.  It completely bashed in the corner breaking the fiberglass, the wood underneath (on both the side wall and front wall), the front diamond plate, etc.  I can actually stick my finder through the cracks into the interior of the camper.  The ramp also put a small dent into the lower side of the camper in front of the passenger side camper wheel.  

I have Geico insurance on the camper and have already started the claim process.  I've been doing some research on whether damage like this is repairable?  It looks like it is, but I'm concerned about quality.  I want to make sure that I end up with a "good as new" camper and not some type of "cobble job" repair.  

Has anyone else been through an insurance claim like this?  Any advice on how to proceed?  

Thanks!

As long as the damage did not bend/break the aluminum frame, it could be repaired. The bad news is that it will likely have to go to the factory for repair if the frame was damaged because it would mean the whole side would need to be replaced. The roof might need replacing also if that was damaged. Ours had one side and the roof replaced at the factory. The other side was repaired. It had damage similar to what I see in the picture.

If you got information about the truck that lost the ramp, your insurance should file a claim with the truck owner's insurance ror rapair/replacement of your RPod. I have a dash camera in my Frontier for such situations as this. I hope the police (you did report this, didn't you?) will be helpful in locating the truck that lost the ramp.

Here's my concern: Geico is going to send out an adjustor to take a look at the camper.  You mentioned that you had roof damage, frame damage, etc..  How do we know the extent of the damage from an adjustor "eye balling" it in my driveway?  in your situation, who made the decision to send it back to the factory?  My concern is that we are not seeing all of the damage.  What if they repair the front and side damage, and then next time I take it out, the roof leaks?  

There is an RV repair shop in my hometown that all of the dealerships send their repairs to.  I did proactively make an appointment for next week to have them take a look at it.  

I damaged the roof of our 195 requiring a new roof.  RV place quoted about $10000 (obviously absurd as it turns out because FR quoted $3850 for a factory replacement).  Insurance paid $5800.  Beware local shops!!

The $10,000 quote was obviously an "I don't want this job" quote. Take some more pictures, both of the inside and outside of the damage and contact Forest River's warranty repair department. Even though it is outside of warranty, that is the place to contact.

One thing to consider is that the local shop would need to have a rather large sheet of fiberglass shipped in if that is needed, and that is very expensive. Forest River has the materials on hand.

If you want to see the extent of the damage our RPod had, look at this topic:  http://www.rpod-owners.com/forum_posts.asp?TID=9133&PID=86002&title=i-wrecked-our-escapod#86002 - http://www.rpod-owners.com/forum_posts.asp?TID=9133&PID=86002&title=i-wrecked-our-escapod#86002

The photo of the slide-side front end shows damage similar to what you have. That was repaired at the factory. I can tell that the section in front of the water heater was painted and not the original gel coat, but the color match is excellent. I can also see where the front was rebuilt on the inside as well, but that is not visible unless I lift up the bed platform.

That being said, I think it is repairable. I would be inclined to cut back the damaged fiberglas, build out the tube to the original curved shape with some wood, and patch in the damaged panel. Is there visible damage in the interior that needs to be dealt with or is it just in the storage area? 

Ideally the rpod would be totaled and you could buy it back cheaply enough that it would be worthwhile taking the time to fix it. 

Why are we concerned about roof leaks?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QXNYA73rCNE - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QXNYA73rCNE

Here's the latest:  I talked to a Forest River dealership about the repair.  basically they told me that they would repair the wood damage, check to make sure the frame / axle isn't bent, etc.  They would then hire out the fiberglass and painting repair to a body shop.  They said this is a common approach to repairing this type of damage.  

You can see some of the damage from the interior in the corner by the bed, and from the storage area.

This would be a different approach than replacing the front and side panels.  Does this approach sound reasonable?  

Is fiberglass repair standard practice vs. replacing the fiberglass panel?  Does this sound like they are on the right track?

If there was preexisting leakage from the roof, then the insurance company would not be obliged to fix that damage.  If roof lost its waterproof integrity due to the impact, then the insurance company is responsible for putting it back into its pre-accident condition.  If the dealer is making statements like the one you quoted without even seeing the damage, I'd start looking for another repair shop.  They can improperly influence the judgment of the adjuster who may or may not be well versed in travel trailer collision damage.  You don't need a dealer trying to undercut you and giving your insurer an excuse to deny coverage.  

+1 Looking at the damage in this case I don't see much if any risk of roof leaking, Of course, the damaged corner will need to be resealed after repair, but that shouldn't be difficult.

I think your dealer has a reasonable handle on approaching this as a "cosmetic" repair, meaning that the internal construction of the trailer won't be "good as new" but the appearance ought to be fine. The reason I asked about the visible internal damage is because that will probably be more noticeable than any exterior repairs, or at least more bothersome if its not perfect. 

As to how you proceed, you seem to really value your trailer's pristine condition. If it was me, I'd refuse to accept a proposal for cosmetic repair from the insurance company and base the decision on getting a quote for complete structural repair if you can find someone to provide that. If that results in totaling it  I'd get a buyback figure from them and decide if its worth doing that and then having the trailer "cosmetically" repaired. As part of that I'd check the rules on branded titles on trailers in your state, but personally I wouldn't worry much about that if I got a low buyback number from the insurance company. 

If a full and complete repair means that it's more costly to fix the trailer than its fair market value, then take the money and buy a new one.  OG is right.  You can buy the salvage, once GEICO has paid you, and you can fix the trailer any way you want, cosmetic or otherwise.  But, you will get a salvage title and that will adversely affect the resale value.  If you plan on keeping the trailer for a very long time, that won't make much difference, but if you find that you want a new one in a few years, you may find that you'll have a difficult time getting rid of the salvage titled trailer.  When I first started looking for an r-Pod in our area (basically NV and CA) I found several salvage title units.  All had asking prices at about 50% of a clean titled trailer and were languishing in the want-ads for a very long time.  Some end up going to travel trailer heaven.

I'm thinking about taking the trailer in to the dealership and setting the standard of "I want no sign of the accident visible internally or externally".  Does that sound like a reasonable standard?

I worry about the tone of the dealership and how it could influence the insurance adjustor.  The insurance adjustor doesn't know anything about campers and is going to lean on the opinion of the dealership.

As with any totaled vehicle, one can repair, indeed, make it better than it may have been before the total loss, but the salvage title stigma remains forever.  If the the trailer is repaired with a patch and hide scope of work, certainly, any future buyer should be told.  If the trailer is totaled and repurchased as salvage from the insurance company, then it will carry the salvage title no matter what the brand, and that's until it goes to travel trailer heaven.  That is the case even if the repairs rendered a trailer far better than the original.  Salvage title is salvage title and it cannot be escaped, absent some kind of fraud.   The reality is that in a market flooded with new trailers at bargain prices, a used salvage titled trailer don't command very good prices, absent some extraordinary circumstances.

Bottom line, if tsherv, wants to go through the hassle of buying the salvage, assuming a total loss, and fixing it, the effort may be cost effective if they plan on keeping it for a very long time.  If they are like many in the RV world, in a few years it'll be time to sell it and trying to unload a salvage titled trailer may come back to haunt them.  Few travel trailers become collectors' items like an Edsel.

At this point it remains unclear whether tsherv's trailer is reparable for less than the fair market value or is a total loss.  It doesn't do any good to fret about repurchasing the salvage until that issue is cleared up.  The trailer can be restored to it's pre-accident condition.  That is without doubt.  It's just a question of the cost.  Tsherv is entitled to a full restoration of the trailer to its pre-accident condition or to receive a check for the fair market value.  All the other stuff is speculation at this juncture.

Branded title = Salvage title. 

I even looked it up and found a more complete definition that includes a lot more than just salvage.  It can also include: rebuilt, hail and flood damage, a lemon, bad karma, ex-police car, odometer rollback, and maybe even poltergeists.  Here's a handy link:   http://www.everquote.com/blog/car-insurance/branded-title/ - https://www.everquote.com/blog/car-insurance/branded-title/   

Stigma is in the eye of the beholder. If you get to own a vehicle you really like at a great price and know the resale will be low, then you're not going to care about that branded title. 

You don't have to be a gifted physicist to fix the box of a travel trailer. in fact I would unequivocally state that it would not help at all. It ain't rocket science, just get in there and make it look pretty again. That is assuming that the frame is straight, which requires some specialized skills, but not ones you learn in physics class..

Glad you're getting out and enjoying camping LA, hopefully the CA Covid spike won't result in another round of closures there 

I hope the damage for tsherv's Pod is repairable for a reasonable price and that it gets back on the road soon.  Summer is going fast.

Jersey? California? Either way you're yankees. None of y'all learned how to talk right. 

Originally posted by lostagain I had a camper shell on a Dodge Ram 1500 when I moved to New Jersey.  I learned there that we don't speak proper English out west.  They dutifully informed me that it was a "topper."

You mean a truck cap?

We call it a shell. 

Boy has this topic drifted off the original issue.   

The trailer may not be totaled, but the topic has been totaled.