Awning Disaster!
One of the things we love about the USS Dutch Star are the awnings. These awnings are huge, gorgeous and run along the length of the coach. They also have LED lighting so at night they really look awesome! However, they weren’t as reliable in the wind as I thought. They have motion sensors that get triggered if the wind causes the awnings to “bounce”. Once they are triggered, the awnings come in automatically.
We had our Girard Nova awnings out one evening and a burst of wind blew them over the coach. Yes – OVER THE COACH! This caused major damage to the awnings to the point where we couldn’t even bring them in! It was very disappointing and I couldn’t understand why the motion sensors didn’t kick in and retract the awnings automatically. I have seen this happen several times, even in strong winds, so I had a lot of confidence with the sensors.
So we end up in Austin for a month which is not what we had planned, but had no choice due to the awning damage.
Covered by Warranty?
So it was a long shot but I started a concall with Girard and Newmar to see if this could be covered under warranty. Girard refused to cover anything because they believe it was a micro burst which is not covered under warranty. Newmar argued the winds weren’t that strong and really fought them but in the end, Girard wouldn’t cover it. I told them if that’s the case, you need to redesign these awnings where they don’t blow over the coach! The fact is the motion sensors never kicked in which is why this happened! That went nowhere but it made me feel better.
Work the problem…
We knew in committing to the “Full Time RV” life, things will happen and we just need to be patient and work the problem. Rather than be upset over things we couldn’t control, we just laughed and said “Ahhh, the RV life!”. Fortunately there is an RV service in Austin that is mobile and will come to you. They are called RV Specialists and they work on Girard awnings!! Rick (the owner) came out and inspected the damage. He actually has seen this before with these type of awnings and it is a lot of work. He suggested to call our insurance company to get the ball rolling. We worked with Progressive and had no issues! Rick gave them an estimate ($8K) and they approved it all in the same day. However it will take 3 weeks to get the parts and the lead rail painted.
3 weeks later….
We did a lot in Austin and the surrounding areas (I will post soon) but it was hard to wait 3 weeks with torn awnings for everyone to see. I think we did a great job being patient and finding things to do. When the day came, Rick and his crew (Steve and Dustin) came for the big job. It was immediately evident Rick had done this before and took a slow, methodical approach. He did a great job directing his guys and I was able to help out when needed. It took them 6 hours but they did a great job and the awnings look like new!
Note – This was completed on 8/24 and we left Austin the next day (heading to Shreveport LA) and just missed the heavy rain from Harvey.
Hello. impressive job. I did not anticipate this.
Thanks Augustine!
What’s up, after reading this awesome piece
Thanks Carey!
I got what you mean,saved to fav, very decent site.
Thanks Angelyn!
Thanks for sharing excellent informations. Your web-site is very cool. I am impressed by the details that you’ve on this web site. It reveals how nicely you perceive this subject. Bookmarked this web page, will come back for extra articles. You, my pal, ROCK! I found just the info I already searched all over the place and just could not come across. What a perfect web-site.
Thanks Shayne!
FYI:
I have a 2016 Dutch Star, multiple issues with the awnings. . The rear awning would always close way before the longer front (which has 3 support arms. The dealer replaced both wind sensors in Florida. In Texas we had the rear awning fly right up onto the roof and the front one never moved ! Newmar replaced it under good will because I had so many issues with the awnings.
After speaking with the techs at the factory my awning probably failed while closing ! The front never closed. As these awnings close they become exponentially weaker !!
Knowing this now I believe that the rear shake sensor (not wind sensor) should be set to LESS sensitivity.
I found this page searching to see if the Nova awnings can be staked down after turning them off.
Sounds like our issues as well. We use the awnings sparingly and when we do, we have the remote in arms length just in case we need to close them right away!
As a Master Certified RV Technician, I see this all to often. In my opinion the wind sensor gives people false sense of security.
It should only be used as a last resort. RE: if the coach owners forget to retract the awning before leaving the RV unattended . If it starts getting windy and you are at the RV, retract you awnings. All it takes is 1 large gust of wind and your awing is gone, before the wind sensor has time to react, regardless of the sensitivity setting. I preach this to my customers all the time. Electronic gadgetry does not replace common sense.
Amen Darryl!