--- title: "Fiberglass, Composite and Delamination" source: https://fleetrepairshops.com/services/fiberglass-composite business: OCRV Fleet Repair Shop location: Yorba Linda, CA serves: Irvine, California phone: (714) 909-1844 --- # Fiberglass, Composite and Delamination Fiberglass and composite repair restores cracked, punctured, or delaminated panels on molded caps, composite bodies, and laminated walls. Repair rebuilds the laminate structure rather than filling the surface, because a cosmetic fill over a structural crack reopens. Fiberglass and composite panels fail differently from metal. Metal dents and stays dented. Composite cracks, and the crack propagates from stress and vibration until it runs the length of the panel. Delamination is the other characteristic failure: the outer skin separating from the core beneath, usually because water got into the laminate through an unsealed penetration or a seam. It appears as a soft or bubbled area and it spreads. Both are repairable, and both require rebuilding the laminate rather than filling the surface. A filled crack looks correct for a season and then telegraphs straight back through the paint. ## Services in this category ### Fiberglass Crack and Puncture Repair Fiberglass repair rebuilds cracked and punctured laminate by grinding back to sound material, laying new glass and resin in a tapered scarf, then fairing and refinishing. The repair restores the panel's structural continuity rather than only its appearance. Range: $750 to $12,000 and up ### Delamination Repair Delamination repair reattaches an outer skin that has separated from its core. Localized areas are injected and clamped to rebond. Larger areas are opened, the wet or degraded core replaced, and the skin relaminated before refinishing. Range: $1,500 to $20,000 ### Composite Panel Repair and Replacement Composite panel work repairs and replaces the bonded laminated panels used on modern dry van bodies and trailers, restoring both skins and the core with the correct adhesive systems for the specific panel construction. Range: $750 to $12,000 ### Front and Rear Cap Replacement Cap replacement removes and installs the molded front or rear cap on a body, including the structure behind it, seam bonding, and refinishing. It is the answer when impact damage exceeds what laminate repair can restore. Range: $4,500 to $25,000 and up ### Aluminum Skin Repair and Replacement Aluminum skin work repairs and replaces the riveted or bonded aluminum sheet used on trailer and body sidewalls, including panel sectioning, rivet line restoration, and corrosion treatment at dissimilar metal contact points. Range: $2,500 to $25,000 ## Questions **What causes delamination?** Water entering the laminate, almost always through an unsealed penetration, a failed seam, or impact damage that cracked the outer skin. Once water is between the skin and the core, freeze cycles and flexing separate them progressively. **Can delamination be repaired or does the panel need replacing?** Localized delamination is repairable by injecting and rebonding, or by cutting out and rebuilding the affected area. Widespread delamination across most of a panel is usually better replaced, because the repair area would exceed the sound area. **Will a fiberglass repair be visible?** Done properly, no. The laminate is rebuilt, faired, and refinished into the surrounding surface. A repair that shows later usually means it was filled rather than laminated. **How long does a fiberglass repair take?** Four to sixty labor hours depending on the area and whether structure has to be rebuilt. Cure time between laminate stages is part of the calendar and cannot be rushed. --- OCRV Fleet Repair Shop, 23281 E La Palma Ave, Yorba Linda, CA 92887. Phone (714) 909-1844. All work is performed at our Yorba Linda facility.