Awning material creasing

[Dodge1311]

Well finally manned up and wound it in. Stopped every half turn to release the tension at the front and back by giving it a little pull towards the van. Stopped the worst of it, shall wait and see what it looks like when it is next unwound.

 

[Dodge1311]

Mines defiantly seems to pull towards the front side. It’s very strange, its only a couple of months old but has never performed that way before. I would think a California could withstand the rigours of the North East of England’s sunshine.

 

[andyinluton]

Mines defiantly seems to pull towards the front side. It’s very strange, its only a couple of months old but has never performed that way before. I would think a California could withstand the rigours of the North East of England’s sunshine.

If it is winding in quicker on one side rather than the other it could mean that the folding arms are not 100% equidistant from each other at both ends.
This could be because either the bolts are not done up tight enough where the arms meet the rails or that an arm has been pulled slightly out of alignment by using awning sides & tensioning them too much.

Another cause is if the awning has had rainwater pooling on it & the fabric has stretched this would normally result in creases in the middle as there will be a surplus of material there when compared to the edges of the canopy.

 

[Jabberwocky]

We have had exactly the same issue as Kris with the awning creasing as it is retracted. Tried loads of different things like closing on a sunny day, overcast day and with slight tension with no joy.

I ended up taking it in to VW Lancashire and they were really good and replaced it under warranty. I'll see what happens with the new one over time.

Hi @sebh31 , do you have an update? I have exactly the same problem.

 

[The Pox]

Mine has developed a nasty crease. The awning is being replaced under warranty.

 

[Dodge1311]

Mine has developed a nasty crease. The awning is being replaced under warranty.

View attachment 81697

Hi,

Mine turned out ok after being wound back in, then wound out again a few days later no more creases.

 

[Jabberwocky]

Seems more of a problem in hot weather so I played the hose on the fabric and mechanism from on top to cool it all down (cooling and a slight lubricant?). Result? Very much fewer creases if any when winding in. Lets see what tomorrow brings.

 

[ArunAlec]

After this week’s temperatures it’s about time we had a few posts about the welds splitting. Touch wood mines still intact!

 

[The Pox]

Hi,

Mine turned out ok after being wound back in, then wound out again a few days later no more creases.

With mine there are other issues with the awning. It has started fraying at the far edges and there is a tear in the material caused by the sharp edge of the arm. I have to say I am totally unimpressed by the quality of the awning and wonder why VW carry on using Thule... Just a thought - has anyone found a more suitable awning than the rubbish one that is supplied by VW?

 

[Jabberwocky]

Well its quite cool here this morning so I decided to open the wind out awning fully after winding it in two days ago. (see post https://vwcaliforniaclub.com/threads/awning-material-creasing.24672/post-532049 )
I had to wipe off remaining water to get a good idea how successful my idea had been. I can still see where the creases were but much reduced and to a level that normally you would not notice. Here are before and after pics. Hope this helps
Before

After

 

[Perfectos]

Nice work Jabberwocky,

the appliance of science !

 

[sebh31]

Hi @sebh31 , do you have an update? I have exactly the same problem.

Hi sorry for the delay.

Lancashire VW replaced it under warranty

 

[BugglePopples]

Currently in Spain and when putting the awning away in mid 20 temperatures but direct sun the awning wouldn’t go in properly.

My wife tried to pull it tight as I slowly wound it in.

But we have ended up with these creases which were unavoidable.

 

[Jabberwocky]

Hi sorry for the delay.

Lancashire VW replaced it under warranty

Was the replacement trouble free?

 

[Neil Porley..]

Update - awning replacement has finally been approved. I went through customer services, who contacted the dealer (who had already rejected the claim for a warranty replacement), who then contacted me. Customer services required the dealer to take their own pictures of the issue. My pictures were, surprisingly, not sufficient evidence.

I duly visited my dealer yesterday, because it was a predictable sunny day, which was necessary to "warm" the awning and therefore demonstrate the problem. Unfortunately, it was quite chilly, so it was a poor demonstration. The creasing was quite minimal.

It seemed that one of the reasons for the claim being approved was, in addition to the images, the dealer was satisfied that I was handling the awning correctly and the issue was not caused by "owner abuse".

Hello.
Please forgive my forwardness.
Please can you assist me.
I have the creased awning problem with my 6.1 Cali which is still under warranty. I read and always followed the California booklet for winding the awning in and out.
I noticed the problem after a hot spell whilst we were in France and reported it when I got back asking for a warranty claim. I asked if I could speak to the warranty team before they looked at it to explain the issue but this was refused and they reported it as ‘ user error’.
I then asked them to explain what the user error was but they were unable to do so.
I’m currently fighting this with VWFS and they have said it would help my cause if I found someone who had had a replacement under warranty for this same issue.
They will probably want a name, reg number and place of replacement, are you able to assist me please?
My mobile number is 07798 667536
Many thanks
Neil Porley