Sullivan Auto Body

Sullivan Auto Body is an auto body shop based in Newton, Iowa, at 1400 S 5th Ave East. Its main trade is collision and paint work on cars, trucks and motorcycles, and it calls itself "a one-stop-shop for all auto body repair work." It also restores RV and camper roofs. You bring the rig to the shop for that work.

The RV work is roof restoration only. The shop does a full roof inspection, cleans and preps the roof, then applies its "proprietary coating system." The coatings are "engineered to resist UV degradation," and they "adhere aggressively to common RV roof substrates including EPDM rubber, TPO, fiberglass, and aluminum." The work covers everything from "light recreational campers" to "full-size Class A motorhomes." UV, standing water and temperature swings wear a roof down, and water that gets past a worn roof can rot the framing and floor beneath it, which costs far more to fix than the roof.

No RV roof price is published, and no trip fee is either, so ask about both when you call 641-792-2006. The shop offers a "FREE estimate." It is open Monday through Friday, 8am to 5pm, and closed on weekends. The one warranty line it gives is "Ask about getting a lifetime WARRANTY on all workmanship & paint," and no RV-specific warranty terms are stated, so ask what the roof coating covers.

It has been "serving Newton and Central Iowa since 1984," and its roof work draws on experience in "surface prep, coatings, and finishing." No RV certification is named, so ask what training the roof work requires.

This is a good fit for an RV owner around Newton who can drop the rig off on a weekday and wants a worn roof sealed before water gets in. A traveler stuck on the road should look elsewhere, since the work happens at the shop in Newton.