I wouldn't think of removing them if they were mind. as for noise in the wind, they are either not tensioned properly or something. I have had three rv's now with slide toppers, and my latest 5th wheel it is a huge one and none have ever made any noise in the wind. I would replace the fabric, and check to see how tight it is when they are extended, the material should be fairly tight and ridged along the edges. if you are getting a shop to replace the material maybe ask them to check the tension and tell them its because the constantly make noise in the wind.
