Repair damage to siding on Cherokee Grey Wolf

[tlw109]

Hello all... We purchased a brand new 2014 Cherokee Grey Wolf a few months ago and unfortunately, a bonehead move by me caused a nice little scratch and gash on the door side of the camper. The gash is approximately 8 - 10 inches long and an inch or so wide. The camper caught on a "knob" sticking out from a pole while I was trying to park it in storage. The knob pushed in on the camper and caused a split in the siding in 2 places. I called a local RV shop and the guy told me I would need to have the panel replaced. I was hoping I could patch the hole up with something and maybe paint it to match or possibly cover it up with a sticker or light fixture or something like that.

Any ideas?

[Kuba]

If this was my trailer, i would fill it with rv sealant, and get a nice piece of aluminum diamond plate to cover it up. Possibly even paint it with a similar paint color to match the color of siding

[dj3spots]

If it were me I'd have the panel replaced. Being the DW of a 5ver owner(who drop said 5fver in the truck bed) and since the TT is new; do it now before it gets ugly and leads to something worse. Your DW will like that much better than a patch.

[GJCrawford]

I'm a perfectionist, so with a brand new trailer like yours, I'd definitely have the panel replaced. I owned a trailer that took a tire hit to the front siding before the days of diamond plate. They shipped an exact replacement aluminum panel and it was installed in less than an hour. This was about 5 years ago, but it cost me somewhere around $100 for materials and $150 for the labor. It looked brand new when it was done.

[Brother Les]

Replace the panel

[Oakman]

I would replace the panel. However, a patch job will always be there to remind you of your bonehead move and, depending on your personality, that could be good or bad.

[tlw109]

Thanks for the replies. The local shop said around $125 for the panel and another $200 to have it crated and shipped. I haven't had a chance to swing it by there so not sure how much more labor will add to it. It's starting to sound like an expensive mistake.