Original research

What RV owners paid: half the systems have a median near $500, and A/C and engine work run about $1,000

We read 59,738 Google reviews of RV repair shops and mobile techs and kept every dollar amount written next to a single system, such as an A/C or a slide-out. 801 amounts qualified. Six of the 12 systems have a median near $500; A/C ($1,000) and engine and chassis work ($1,100) run about twice that.

By the RV Repair Centers research desk · Published October 25, 2026

Key findings

  • Half the systems cluster near $500. Refrigerator, awning, electrical, tires and brakes, generator and roof amounts all have medians between $496 and $516.
  • A/C and engine work cost about twice as much. The median A/C amount is $1,000 (n = 55) and engine and chassis is $1,100 (n = 61).
  • Engine and roof amounts vary the most. The middle half of engine and chassis amounts runs from $300 to $6,500; roof and leak amounts run from $249 to $2,500.
  • Plumbing, furnace and water heater amounts are lowest, with medians of $370 (n = 21), $400 (n = 23) and $410.50 (n = 52).
  • Owners quote a median labor rate of $151 an hour (n = 135), with the middle half between $139 and $197.

The amounts, system by system

Each dot is the median amount owners wrote near that system. The bar shows the middle half of amounts, from the 25th to the 75th percentile, so a long bar means owners reported very different bills for that system. The n next to each label is the number of dollar amounts, not the number of shops.

Dollar amounts owners wrote near each system: median, with the middle half of amountsEngine & chassis (n = 61): $1,100; Air conditioner (n = 55): $1,000; Slide-outs (n = 36): $758.50; Generator (n = 38): $516; Electrical & batteries (n = 156): $510; Tires, brakes & bearings (n = 132): $500; Roof & leaks (n = 107): $500; Awning (n = 48): $500; Refrigerator (n = 72): $496; Water heater (n = 52): $410.50; Furnace & heat (n = 23): $400; Plumbing & frozen lines (n = 21): $370Engine & chassis (n = 61)$1,100Air conditioner (n = 55)$1,000Slide-outs (n = 36)$758.50Generator (n = 38)$516Electrical & batteries (n = 156)$510Tires, brakes & bearings (n = 132)$500Roof & leaks (n = 107)$500Awning (n = 48)$500Refrigerator (n = 72)$496Water heater (n = 52)$410.50Furnace & heat (n = 23)$400Plumbing & frozen lines (n = 21)$370
801 dollar amounts from 59,738 reviews, 2009 to October 2026. Amounts from $40 to $25,000.

Six systems have medians between $496 and $516, so a $500 figure is a fair middle for a typical single-system job in these reviews. The spread is what differs. A roof repair can mean a tube of sealant or a full membrane, and the roof range runs from $249 to $2,500. Engine and chassis work spans $300 to $6,500. A/C repair has a $1,000 median, and the range from $200 to $1,600 likely reflects the gap between a repair and a replacement rooftop unit.

Dollar amounts written near each system
Engine & chassis61$300$1,100$6,500
Air conditioner55$200$1,000$1,600
Slide-outs36$277.50$758.50$2,662
Generator38$200$516$1,525
Electrical & batteries156$237$510$1,226
Tires, brakes & bearings132$200$500$1,000
Roof & leaks107$249$500$2,500
Awning48$250$500$1,625
Refrigerator72$177.50$496$1,268
Water heater52$200$410.50$1,150
Furnace & heat23$100$400$650
Plumbing & frozen lines21$200$370$800

An amount counts toward a system only when exactly one system keyword appears within 90 characters of it. Percentiles are interpolated, so some fall between round numbers. Download this table (CSV)

The hourly labor rate owners mention

$151median hourly rate quoted in reviews
$139–$197middle half of rates
135rates found (n)

We separately pulled amounts written as an hourly rate, such as "$150 an hour" or "$175/hr", between $60 and $300. The median is $151 an hour. Mobile techs often add a trip or call-out fee on top of the hourly rate, and some shops bill by a flat-rate book rather than the clock, so ask how the job will be billed.

What it means for you

  • Get the estimate in writing before work starts. Many states require a written estimate on request and limit how far the final bill can go over it. See our guide to repair estimate laws by state.
  • Ask what the diagnostic fee covers and whether it is credited toward the repair if you go ahead.
  • Ask for parts and labor on separate lines. For an A/C or a refrigerator, ask whether the price is for a repair or a replacement unit; that choice drives most of the gap between a $200 bill and a $1,600 one.
  • Compare two shops for jobs above the median. For a slide-out, roof or engine job, the middle half of amounts runs into the thousands, so a second quote is worth the time. A mobile tech can be cheaper for appliance work because there is no shop overhead, but check the call-out fee.
  • Know your rights if the bill is disputed. A shop can hold an RV for unpaid work in most states. Our mechanic's lien guide explains how that works.

Wait time is part of the cost too. Our RV Repair Wait Index finds a 21-day median stated wait in reviews that mention one.

The infographic

What RV owners paid · 2026Fridge, roof, awning, generator: $500.A/C and engine work: about $1,000.Median dollar amount owners wrote near each system, with the middlehalf of amounts. 801 amounts from Google reviews, 2009 to Oct 2026.$500median for six of 12 systems$1,000median A/C amount (n = 55)$151/hrmedian labor rate quoted (n =135)Dollar amounts owners wrote near each system: median, with the middle half of amountsEngine & chassis (n = 61): $1,100; Air conditioner (n = 55): $1,000; Slide-outs (n = 36): $758.50; Generator (n = 38): $516; Electrical & batteries (n = 156): $510; Tires, brakes & bearings (n = 132): $500; Roof & leaks (n = 107): $500; Awning (n = 48): $500; Refrigerator (n = 72): $496; Water heater (n = 52): $410.50; Furnace & heat (n = 23): $400; Plumbing & frozen lines (n = 21): $370Engine & chassis (n = 61)$1,100Air conditioner (n = 55)$1,000Slide-outs (n = 36)$758.50Generator (n = 38)$516Electrical & batteries (n = 156)$510Tires, brakes & bearings (n = 132)$500Roof & leaks (n = 107)$500Awning (n = 48)$500Refrigerator (n = 72)$496Water heater (n = 52)$410.50Furnace & heat (n = 23)$400Plumbing & frozen lines (n = 21)$370Source: RV Repair Centers analysis of 59,738 Google reviews of US RV repair shopsand mobile techs, 2009–Oct 2026. Amounts written in reviews, not quotes.rvrepaircenters.com

How we did this

  • We took every Google review with text for the RV repair shops and mobile techs in our directory: 59,738 reviews dated 2009 to October 2026, collected in October 2026.
  • We found every dollar amount from $40 to $25,000 (excluding amounts written as hourly or monthly rates) and looked 90 characters either side of it for the same system keywords used in our RV Breakdown Calendar. An amount was kept only when exactly one system matched, so "$800 for the A/C and the fridge" was dropped. 801 amounts qualified.
  • Each amount counts once, so a review that mentions two amounts near the same system adds two. Systems with fewer than 15 amounts were left out. We report the median and the 25th and 75th percentiles rather than an average, because a few very large bills would pull an average up.
  • Hourly rates are amounts from $60 to $300 written with "an hour", "per hour", "/hr" or "/hour" (n = 135).
  • We did not adjust for inflation, region or rig size, and we cannot tell whether an amount was a quote, a final bill or a part price. We don't name shops.

Sources

  1. Google reviews of RV repair shops listed on RV Repair Centers, collected via DataForSEO, accessed October 20, 2026
  2. RV Repair Centers analysis, October 2026

Cite this: RV Repair Centers, "What RV owners paid: half the systems have a median near $500, and A/C and engine work run about $1,000," October 25, 2026, https://rvrepaircenters.com/what-rv-owners-paid-for-repairs/

Spotted an error or have newer data? Tell us and we'll check it and update the page.

Questions people ask

How much does an RV repair cost?

In the 801 dollar amounts we found in RV repair reviews, half the systems had a median near $500, including refrigerators, awnings, electrical, generators and roofs. A/C amounts had a $1,000 median and engine and chassis work $1,100. These are amounts owners wrote, not quotes, so get a written estimate.

How much do RV repair shops charge per hour?

The median hourly rate written in our reviews is $151 (n = 135), and the middle half of rates falls between $139 and $197. Mobile techs often add a trip charge, and some shops bill from a flat-rate guide rather than actual hours.

How much does it cost to fix an RV air conditioner?

A/C amounts in our reviews have a median of $1,000, with the middle half between $200 and $1,600 (n = 55). Reviews do not always say what was done, but a range that wide likely spans small repairs at the low end and replacement rooftop units at the high end.

Why are these numbers different from repair quotes?

They come from what owners chose to write in reviews. An amount might be a deposit, a part, a diagnostic fee or a final bill, and people with unusually high or low bills write about them more often. The samples are small, from 21 to 156 amounts per system.

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