How to Prep an RV Before You Drop It at the Shop
Published March 10, 2026 · 6 min read
Short answer. Prepare a coach the way you would prepare a house before contractors arrive. Empty the affected areas, remove valuables and personal effects, document the condition, bring keys and codes for every lock and system, and write down exactly what you want looked at. That hour saves days on the repair.
Why preparation changes the length of a repair
Every hour a technician spends moving your belongings is an hour not spent on the repair, and it is charged at a technician rate. On a coach that arrives loaded, that adds up quickly and it delays the point at which the actual damage is exposed.
There is a second effect that matters more. A coach that arrives ready can be torn down on day one, which means any supplement gets written and submitted early. A coach that needs a day of clearing pushes teardown back, which pushes the supplement back, which pushes carrier approval back, and every one of those delays lands at the end of the job.
The third effect is trust. Personal property in a coach during a repair is a source of friction for everybody. Removing it removes the issue entirely.
Budget an hour for a small trailer and two or three for a loaded motorhome. It is the cheapest time in the whole process.
What comes out of the coach entirely
The rule is simple. If losing it would upset you, it does not stay in the coach.
- All valuables, documents, electronics and anything with sentimental weight
- Firearms, medication and anything that must be secured or refrigerated
- Food, including dry goods, because a coach sitting for weeks attracts pests
- Bedding, towels and soft furnishings from any area near the work
- Everything from the compartments on the side being worked on
- Anything mounted to a wall or ceiling in the affected area, if you want to remove it yourself
- Aftermarket accessories that are not part of the repair and could be damaged
- The contents of any slide room that has to be operated during the work
Clearing the work zone specifically
Beyond the general emptying, the specific area being repaired needs to be genuinely accessible. If a sidewall is coming off, the interior of that wall needs to be reachable, which means furniture pulled away and cabinets emptied.
If a slide is involved, the room has to be operable and empty. A room that cannot be cycled because it is full is a room that cannot be diagnosed.
If the roof is involved, remove anything you have added up there that is not part of the repair, or tell us about it clearly. Owner installed solar panels, antennas, racks and mounts are common and they change how roof work is sequenced.
Interior panels that you removed yourself at some point and reattached loosely are worth mentioning. We would rather know than find out by pulling a panel that comes away in an unexpected way.
Documents, keys, codes and access
Bring every key. Entry door, compartment locks, fuel and water fills, hitch locks and any padlock on the coach. A compartment we cannot open is a compartment we cannot inspect, and cutting a lock is nobody's preferred outcome.
Bring codes and passwords for anything electronic: keypad entry, alarm systems, tracking devices, and any app controlled system on the coach. Modern coaches have several and a system that cannot be operated cannot be tested.
Bring the paperwork. Registration, insurance information, the claim number and the adjuster contact if there is one, and any prior repair records relevant to the area being worked on.
Tell us about aftermarket work in writing. Solar, lithium banks, inverters, added wiring, custom cabinetry and any previous repair that was done outside a shop all change how the work is approached, and finding them mid teardown costs time.
Documenting the coach as it arrives
Walk the coach with your phone before you hand over the keys. Photograph every side, the roof if you can see it safely, the interior room by room, and the odometer or hour meter.
This protects both parties. It records pre existing damage that has nothing to do with your repair, so it never becomes a discussion later, and it records the condition of things that are fine, so there is no ambiguity about what changed.
Note fuel and propane levels, and note anything that was already not working. A step that was sticky before, a light that was out, a latch that never quite closed. Those get written down at intake anyway and your list makes that faster and more accurate.
Save the set somewhere you will still have it in two months. Repairs on RVs take longer than car repairs and memories fade.
Writing down what you actually want looked at
The most useful document you can bring is a written list of symptoms in your own words, in the order they matter to you. Not diagnoses, symptoms.
Write what you observed, when it happens and what makes it better or worse. A slide that binds only when the coach is warm, a leak that only appears in a driving rain from one direction, a noise that started after a specific trip. Those details are diagnostic gold and they are easily lost in a verbal handover at a counter.
Separate what is claim related from what is not. If you also want the roof resealed and a compartment latch fixed while the coach is here, say so at intake so it can be scheduled rather than squeezed in.
Be clear about your deadline. If the coach has to be back for a specific trip, say that on day one rather than in week three. It changes how the job is sequenced and sometimes it changes what we recommend.
The drop off itself and getting to Yorba Linda
Arrive with time to do a walk around together rather than handing over keys and leaving. Fifteen minutes at intake prevents most of the misunderstandings that show up later.
Bring the coach with the tanks in a reasonable state. Empty black and grey tanks if there is any chance the work involves the underbelly or the plumbing, and expect to be asked. Nobody wants to open a floor over a full tank.
Plan your ride home. West Covina to our Yorba Linda shop is usually thirty to forty five minutes on the 10 or the 60 west to the 57 south, then the 91 east to Imperial Highway, and Carbon Canyon Road to the 71 when the 57 backs up. There is no way around that drive, since we do not offer mobile service and every repair happens in the shop.
Shop hours are Monday to Friday 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM and Saturday 9:30 AM to 3:00 PM. Call (949) 799-3387 to confirm your intake time, and ask what the estimate policy will be for your specific job so there are no surprises at the counter.
Questions on this
Do I have to empty my RV completely before a repair
Not completely, but empty the affected areas thoroughly and remove everything you would not want lost or damaged anywhere in the coach. Food should come out regardless, since a coach sitting for weeks attracts pests. The specific work zone needs to be genuinely accessible, which usually means clearing cabinets, pulling furniture away from the wall and emptying any slide room that has to be operated.
What should I bring with me when I drop off an RV
Every key including compartment and hitch locks, codes and passwords for keypads, alarms and app controlled systems, registration and insurance details, the claim number and adjuster contact if there is one, prior repair records for the area involved, and a written list of symptoms in your own words. A compartment or system we cannot open or operate is one we cannot inspect.
Should I photograph my RV before leaving it at the shop
Yes, and it protects you as much as it protects us. Photograph every side, the interior room by room, the roof if you can safely see it, and note fuel and propane levels along with anything that was already not working. That record establishes what was pre existing and what was not, so nothing becomes a question later. Save the set somewhere you will still have it in two months.
Will the shop move my belongings if I leave them in the RV
We will move what has to move to reach the work, and that time is technician time on the job. More importantly it delays teardown, which delays any supplement, which delays carrier approval, and all of those push out the completion date. An hour of your time before drop off routinely saves several days on the calendar. Anything valuable should not be left in the coach at all.
Should I mention aftermarket modifications when I drop the RV off
Always, and in writing if you can. Owner installed solar, lithium banks, inverters, added wiring, roof mounted equipment and custom cabinetry all change how a repair is sequenced and how safely a panel or a roof can be opened. Finding a modification mid teardown costs time and occasionally causes damage that better information would have avoided. It also matters for the claim if any of it is involved in the loss.
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Ready to get a written estimate
We write estimates at the shop and bill your carrier direct. 30 to 45 minutes from West Covina on the 57 and the 91.