RV Lighting Repair

Can you fix RV lighting if I'm parked at a campground or boondocking?

Yes - we're mobile, so a campground hookup site, a dry-camp spot, or a dispersed boondocking location all work fine. Most lighting repairs happen on-site in a single visit: we carry common LED fixtures, ballasts, wiring connectors, and switch hardware on the truck.

For diagnostics we start at the power source - breaker or fuse, then the switch, then the fixture itself - so we're not pulling things apart we don't need to touch. If a fixture or control module has to be ordered, we'll source it and schedule a return visit, usually the next day. The one thing that helps us is shade and a clear path to your electrical panel - beyond that, we don't need a bay or a dealer lot.

Why is my 120V working but all my 12V lights are dead?

When shore power is live but every 12V light is dead at once, the converter is almost always the culprit - it takes 120V AC from the pedestal or generator and steps it down to the 12V DC your lights, fans, and slides run on. If the converter fails, those circuits go dark even though your microwave and outlets still work fine.

We start by metering the converter's DC output at the unit and at the battery terminals; a working converter should read 13.4-13.8V under load. If it's putting out nothing or less than 12V, we pull it and swap in a WFCO or Progressive Dynamics unit ($400-$650 depending on amperage rating). Before we close up, we confirm output voltage and cycle the lights to make sure the fuse block downstream wasn't damaged by the failure.

How much does a lithium battery upgrade cost instead of replacing my old battery?

A Battle Born 200Ah lithium runs about $1,200 for the battery plus $250 labor, while an AGM or lead-acid replacement comes in at roughly $400-$600 total installed. The lithium job takes longer because we also verify your converter or inverter-charger is compatible - older chargers set to a lead-acid profile will undercharge a lithium bank and shorten its life.

We also check your battery management system settings and, if your rig lacks a BMS-compatible charger, talk you through the upgrade path before we proceed. On the performance side, lithium gives you usable capacity down to about 20% state of charge versus 50% for AGM, so a 200Ah lithium effectively delivers more runtime than a 200Ah AGM in real dry-camping conditions. Most customers see the cost difference absorbed within the second year when they stop replacing flooded batteries every two to three seasons.

What if my RV lighting goes out while I'm traveling through a state where you don't operate?

If your lighting fails while you're outside our our covered metros service areas, we dispatch through our nationwide certified-tech partner network to get a qualified tech to your location. Call us and we'll match you to the nearest partner based on where you are and what's wrong - whether that's a failed converter causing total 12V light loss, a bad ground in one zone, or a blown fuse feeding your slide-out lighting circuit.

The partner techs follow the same diagnostic sequence we do: power source first, then the distribution panel, then the circuit run, then the fixture itself. We vet the shops in our network on parts quality and diagnostic standards, so you're not rolling the dice on whoever comes up first in a search.

Will fixing my lights affect my warranty with my RV's original manufacturer?

Lighting and 12V coach-side electrical work sits outside the scope of most RV manufacturer chassis warranties, so having us repair or replace lights, fixtures, or wiring on the coach side generally won't touch your original coverage. Most manufacturer warranties exclude converter, battery, and interior 12V system service from the start - check your original paperwork and you'll likely see those carve-outs listed.

Many of our techs hold RVIA and RVDA certifications, and the rest bring years of hands-on RV repair experience, so the work is done to a standard that holds up if a dealer ever reviews it. The one area to watch is if your rig is still under a dealer-administered warranty with specific approved-service requirements - in that case, ask us before we start and we'll walk you through what the paperwork needs to show. Either way, our 90-day labor warranty covers what we do, separate from anything the manufacturer provides.

How do I know if I need a converter replacement or just a battery recharge?

The quickest way to sort this out before we arrive is to check whether your 120V appliances - your microwave, air conditioner, outlets - are working normally while you're plugged into shore power. If they are, the converter is receiving power but may not be pushing it out to the 12V side, which points to a converter failure.

If everything is sluggish or dead even on shore power, the problem is more likely upstream - a tripped breaker, a bad shore power connection, or a converter that's failed completely. A dead or severely sulfated battery can complicate the picture, because a battery that won't accept a charge looks similar to a converter that won't output one.

When we arrive, we meter the battery at rest, then measure converter output voltage at the terminals on shore power - a healthy converter should read 13.4-13.8V. That sequence tells us whether you need a converter repair, a battery replacement, or both.

Can you install auxiliary lighting (extra reading lights, exterior fixtures) while you're fixing my main system?

Yes, we can handle auxiliary fixture installs on the same visit, and it usually makes sense to do it then since the panel is already open and we know exactly what load headroom your 12V system has. The process involves sizing the new circuit or tap point, running the wire through existing conduit or a new chase where needed, mounting the fixture, and confirming the breaker handles the combined load without nuisance tripping.

We quote the upgrade separately from the repair since it's additive work, not warranty-covered diagnosis - budget $200-$400 for two to three new fixtures plus labor. If your panel is already near capacity, we'll walk you through the tradeoff between adding a dedicated breaker versus sharing an underloaded circuit before we pull any wire.

What's the difference between the WFCO and Progressive Dynamics converters you mentioned?

WFCO and Progressive Dynamics are both reliable converter lines, but they're built for slightly different use cases. The WFCO 55-amp unit is straightforward, durable, and costs around $380 installed - it handles the load well on a standard lead-acid or AGM setup and is a direct drop-in for most factory converter bays.

The Progressive Dynamics 60-80 amp units run $420-$500 and add a charge wizard feature that cycles through bulk, absorption, and maintenance charge stages automatically, which matters more if you're running lithium batteries or spend long stretches on shore power. When we quote you, we look at your battery bank type, your total draw, and whether your rig's wiring can support the higher amperage before recommending one over the other. We stock both on the truck, so whichever direction we go, the job doesn't wait on a parts order.