New TT, damaged power awning
My dayghter and son-in-law bought their first TT, a Jayco SLX 287BHSW (they have 4 little kids) early this year and it has been a bumpy ride !
On their second or third trip out, it rained overnight. They had left the awning up and had not tilted it (rookie mistake). The result was one severely bent arm. They got it straightened out enough to close the awning, but that is the way it has stayed since then.
The awning is a Carefree Longitude, which is listed as an "OEM Only" model. The bent arm can only be replaced as an entire "assembly". The dealer said that they would have to replace the whole awning for about $700. I did find another RV dealer that said they could get the right/front arm assembly for $400. Looking at the bent arm, I think it can be repaired (grind off some rivets, straighten and reinforce bent area, bolt back together) but my SIL is not very handy.
The next model up is the Travel'r. It has very similar arms. They actually sell the arms on Amazon for about $600 per set.
So, do you ...
On their second or third trip out, it rained overnight. They had left the awning up and had not tilted it (rookie mistake). The result was one severely bent arm. They got it straightened out enough to close the awning, but that is the way it has stayed since then.
The awning is a Carefree Longitude, which is listed as an "OEM Only" model. The bent arm can only be replaced as an entire "assembly". The dealer said that they would have to replace the whole awning for about $700. I did find another RV dealer that said they could get the right/front arm assembly for $400. Looking at the bent arm, I think it can be repaired (grind off some rivets, straighten and reinforce bent area, bolt back together) but my SIL is not very handy.
The next model up is the Travel'r. It has very similar arms. They actually sell the arms on Amazon for about $600 per set.
So, do you ...
- Rube Goldberg a repair
- Buy a complete Longitude arm assembly
- Buy the upgraded Travek'r arm set
- Buy a whole new "better" quality awning (brand?)
