Autocraft Paint & Body Works

Autocraft Paint & Body Works is an auto body and collision shop based in Yakima, Washington. RV work is not its main trade. You bring the RV to its shop on South 3rd Avenue, and it lists service in Yakima, Union Gap, Terrace Heights, Parker, Naches and Wapato, plus the surrounding area.

The RV work Autocraft names is frame repair. It lists RV and motorhome frame repair, and its frame straightening machines serve "all makes and models of personal and commercial vehicles, ranging from small cars to Class A motorhomes." The frame racks are "capable of multiple pulls," which it calls critical to returning a vehicle to factory specifications. A bent frame can change how a rig handles, so that is the first thing to ask about. It also lists "RV, Motorhome and Bus Repair," but gives no detail beyond frame work, and it does not say whether its 57-foot paint booth, built "for larger vehicles," paints RVs.

Autocraft publishes no hourly rate, RV price or trip fee, so get an estimate before you commit. It offers "Free Computerized Estimates" and says it can arrange towing "if the vehicle is not driveable," so ask what towing costs. Hours are Monday through Friday, 8:00am to 5:30pm, and no after-hours or emergency service is listed, so a weekend breakdown waits until Monday.

Its "highly skilled team of I-CAR and ASE certified technicians" is "prepared to work on" RVs and motorhomes, along with cars and trucks. I-CAR is training for collision repair and ASE is a national certification for auto technicians, and neither is specific to RVs, so ask whether the tech on your rig has worked on motorhomes before. Its work is "all backed by a limited lifetime warranty," but no terms are given, and none are given for RV work. It does not say whether it is licensed, bonded or insured, so ask before you hand over the keys.

This is a good fit for an RV owner in Yakima or nearby towns with a motorhome that has frame or collision damage and can get to the shop on a weekday. A traveler stranded farther away should know the shop does not come to the campground, though it can arrange towing if the rig will not drive.