Side impact on a camper van with a silver metallic that had to blend
Sprinter 170 camper van conversion, Walnut owner
Short answer. A vehicle struck the sliding door side while parked. The door skin was creased, the track was spread at the center roller, the latch would not engage reliably, and the rocker below showed a long crease. The owner had been told by two shops that a silver metallic on a large flat van panel could not be blended invisibly and that the whole side would need to be repainted at considerably higher cost.
What the job involved
- Scanned the vehicle for stored fault codes and documented pre repair ADAS status
- Repaired the sliding door skin, replaced the center roller and corrected the spread track section
- Replaced the latch assembly and adjusted the striker so the door engages cleanly under its own weight
- Repaired the rocker crease with proper metal finishing rather than filling to depth
- Sprayed let down cards and evaluated the silver metallic against the van in natural light before committing
- Refinished the door and rocker with blends into the adjacent quarter and front door panels
- Performed ADAS scan and recalibration after repair and documented the result
How it went back out
The blend held under direct sun at every angle, which is the only test that matters on a large flat metallic panel. Blending into the adjacent panels rather than hard edging at the body line cost more paint hours and saved the owner an entire side repaint. The estimator also caught that the impact had tweaked the rear step mount, which was added by supplement with photographs before the work proceeded.
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.