Awning material creasing

[BayCatOne]

That’s a really good question that I didn’t get a proper answer to. I referred to this thread and others but I think that they didn’t take it seriously and also the Swedish market for Calis is way smaller than say the UK so my general impression so far is that they don’t have as much to compare to and so on.

My local dealer, the seller himself has got a Cali and is very helpful but the others are not that uptodate. There’s one guy on the service side that’s pretty good too so I get by but yeah. I haven’t contacted VW Sweden myself but if it gets worse this summer I will do that.

 

[Wrinkly Ninja]

That’s a really good question that I didn’t get a proper answer to. I referred to this thread and others but I think that they didn’t take it seriously and also the Swedish market for Calis is way smaller than say the UK so my general impression so far is that they don’t have as much to compare to and so on.

My local dealer, the seller himself has got a Cali and is very helpful but the others are not that uptodate. There’s one guy on the service side that’s pretty good too so I get by but yeah. I haven’t contacted VW Sweden myself but if it gets worse this summer I will do that.

I would advise that you bypass the dealer if they don't sort it for you and contact the Importer for Sweden.
There have been a number of problems in the UK with awnings creasing in fairly hot sunny weather...but that is Exactly what the awning is there for!
I threatened my local dealer that I would go direct to the UK Importer if he didn't resolve mine - which was then replaced under warranty
Your Ocean has a 3 year warranty and you didn't pay for a creased awning.
Technically it is a Manufacturing fault.
If you don't get a result from the Importer for Sweden then contact Customer Services in Hanover.

 

[Kris Emery]

Met a fellow T6 Ocean owner who showed me his creased awning and he was getting it replaced later that week under warranty (note this is in Switzerland which may be different from the UK). He indicated that VW had said they had a "bad batch" in 2018 which his van had had fitted. This is hearsay on his part...

I have since been very wary winding in the awning to prevent possible creases. Two things I do:
1) make sure that the poles are both set to the same height to ensure and even roll.
2) watch for any sign of incipient "bubbles" or creases as it rolls - if any spotted then wind back a bit and
smooth by hand and watchfully rewind.

 

[Jabberwocky]

Be sure to remove all twigs, leaves etc before winding in too.

 

[deccauk]

My dealer declined to replace the awning. He said there was no fault, despite my pictures as shown earlier in this thread. Not happy about that. They suggested contacting VW customer services. Is that likely to prove successful I wonder?

 

[Wrinkly Ninja]

Met a fellow T6 Ocean owner who showed me his creased awning and he was getting it replaced later that week under warranty (note this is in Switzerland which may be different from the UK). He indicated that VW had said they had a "bad batch" in 2018 which his van had had fitted. This is hearsay on his part...

I have since been very wary winding in the awning to prevent possible creases. Two things I do:
1) make sure that the poles are both set to the same height to ensure and even roll.
2) watch for any sign of incipient "bubbles" or creases as it rolls - if any spotted then wind back a bit and
smooth by hand and watchfully rewind.

Hi
Have a look at my response above to BayCat1

If your Cali is less than 3 years old it id under Manufacturers warranty againd defect in materials...that is exactly what a creasing awning material is.

 

[Amarillo]

Covered with bird poo this morning.

 

[westfalia]

Covered with bird poo this morning.

Sh1t happens.
The problem is that you might not be able to remove it all and then it ends up on
the underside also, well stained a bit at least.
I have jet washed mine a few times and give it a spray with G101 first, its
possible to jet wash it without blowing it away.

 

[paradise city]

Interesting thread. I had a similar issue this summer after our holiday in Italy. Initially I thought I had stretched the material as we had heavy rain a few nights before and had a bit of standing water on the awning the next morning.
I had the awning out for an hour or so on the driveway in the cooler climes of North London this evening and it's much better now although still a little wrinkly.

Would be interested to know if anyone in the UK has had theirs successfully replaced under warranty.

Sent from my CLT-L09 using Tapatalk

 

[Ocean Spirit]

My dealer declined to replace the awning. He said there was no fault, despite my pictures as shown earlier in this thread. Not happy about that. They suggested contacting VW customer services. Is that likely to prove successful I wonder?

Have you tried this yet?

I think the more photos on this thread the better. So they can be used to show that this is a collective issue where miss use is not likely.

 

[deccauk]

Have you tried this yet?

I think the more photos on this thread the better. So they can be used to show that this is a collective issue where miss use is not likely.

Not yet - been busy. I will though, and report back.

 

[deccauk]

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".

 

[paradise city]

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".

Thanks for that. Please keep us updated with how the new awning material behaves when you get it fitted.

Sent from my CLT-L09 using Tapatalk

 

[Theodora]

I too bought mine from SMG Tonbrifge in March (new) and now have similar problem. They are not local to me, so do you know if I can go back to a different dealer (as Amarillo above didn't get much luck with claims manager there). Do you think my photos demonstrate a reasonable claim - or is this 'normal' to experienced users? It's only 7 months old, with only one major trip to Spain in September. Never got that hot. Rained on a few occasions, and so if we wound it in if wet when set-off lunchtime it was wound-out a few hours later and dried-out completely that same day. The fabric isn't at a stage yet of folding totally over itself (mainly because I wind-it in slowly to avoid this) but it's not far off. Any advice would be appreciated as what to say to dealership - whichever one I go back to. e.g. Do I show them this thread for starters. Many thanks

 

[Amarillo]

I too bought mine from SMG Tonbrifge in March (new) and now have similar problem. They are not local to me, so do you know if I can go back to a different dealer (as Amarillo above didn't get much luck with claims manager there). Do you think my photos demonstrate a reasonable claim - or is this 'normal' to experienced users? It's only 7 months old, with only one major trip to Spain in September. Never got that hot. Rained on a few occasions, and so if we wound it in if wet when set-off lunchtime it was wound-out a few hours later and dried-out completely that same day. The fabric isn't at a stage yet of folding totally over itself (mainly because I wind-it in slowly to avoid this) but it's not far off.

The test they undertook to decide if it was a warranty issue was to wind it fully out and wind it fully in. If it did both correctly without folding, they said, it was not a warranty issue.

 

[Theodora]

Thanks. I'll try it myself tomorrow (if dry). Might depend on how quickly one winds it in/out? e.g. currently I'm doing in very slowly and diligently so as not to risk a creased 'fold-over'). But that's not 'normal' in my book. So I'll have a go at what could be considered 'reasonable' normal speed (and post back my result). I

Also, if I end-up winding normal speed and do get a crease then I can just take it to the dealer in that state. Then when they unwind they can't deny what they can see for themselves.

 

[Amarillo]

Thanks. I'll try it myself tomorrow (if dry). Might depend on how quickly one winds it in/out? e.g. currently I'm doing in very slowly and diligently so as not to risk a creased 'fold-over'). But that's not 'normal' in my book. So I'll have a go at what could be considered 'reasonable' normal speed (and post back my result). I

Also, if I end-up winding normal speed and do get a crease then I can just take it to the dealer in that state. Then when they unwind they can't deny what they can see for themselves.

Mine has a noticeable crease which occurs in hot weather but not cooler weather.

 

[Theodora]

Thanks. Is yours under 3 years old Amarillo? I think I'd push for a replacement (going on other people's experiences here) even if not totally folding-over yet. The worse thing would be to see it gradually getting worse (but still be denied a replacement due to not folding over), only for it to actually get to that point just a few months out of warranty.

I assume I can take it to any dealer - not just the one I bought it from (as they're not the closest)?

 

[Amarillo]

Thanks. Is yours under 3 years old Amarillo? I think I'd push for a replacement (going on other people's experiences here) even if not totally folding-over yet. The worse thing would be to see it gradually getting worse (but still be denied a replacement due to not folding over), only for it to actually get to that point just a few months out of warranty.

I assume I can take it to any dealer - not just the one I bought it from (as they're not the closest)?

I have a five year warranty. I might start pushing for a replacement after 4 1/2 years. But I think I'd be pushing my luck. The most serious damage to the canopy is two neat rows of evenly spaced holes, caused after I wound the canopy in with two bits of sharp gravel on it, lobbed there by my then three year old son. I'm sure that one day I'll be able to source a nearly new canopy at a fair price.

 

[Kris Emery]

Interesting thread - I have also had folding and then creasing in my awning - despite careful handling.

As you can see there is an "up and down" crease (right hand side of pic) and also diagonal folds emanating from it.
This was a new VW awning this season and it has seen some 75 nights of use in 30 different locations i.e. significant use but not excessive.

I took took the issue to the VW main dealer, who had supplied and installed it. I claimed it was a material defect, he photographed it and said he would get back to me. A week later he called me back and said the he had contacted VW and also the awning supplier and both were unhelpful. But he, the dealer, would replace it - which they have done - thank you very much - good customer relations.

I still believe it to be a material defect/issue and I have tried to hypothesise what is happens in a sketch below:

Apologies for the scrawl but I hope it shows what I think maybe happening. The material is under tension vertically from the spring arms but horizontally it is only constained at the top by the roller, and at the bottom by the rail.

In warm weather it expands and when rolled in starts to fold on the roller. The folds are sort of OK but you can see when rolled out where they have and it creates a sort of "weakness". Good one should try to roll in when it is cool - but not always possible in sunnier climes. Eventually these folds develop into creases which will never come out. This is why I beleieve the material does not have enough hoprizontal resistance to creasing and is defective in ths respect. NB this is my personal belief and hypothesis.

Now I guess if this is the case VW will try to resist claims - and it would be a hard case to prove against them and their suppliers - and they would then get all of claiming new awnings. However, if one is persistent they do seem to have some flexibility.

 

[Doorbundle]

These awnings are merely developing character. In a venerable, valued piece of furniture they would be termed 'distressed'. But that's just the owners. Apparently.

 

[sebh31]

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.

 

[Kris Emery]

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.

I have found that winding it in when it is cool and dry pevents the creasing. S

 

[Dodge1311]

Hi,

I am trying to retract my awning now and its starting to crease. Not sure what to do to be honest, if i bring it all the way in it will surly be permanently damaged, and I don’t want to have a “user error“ discussion with VW, but it seems silly to call them out for something like this.

 

[LucyYorkshire]

Hi,

I am trying to retract my awning now and its starting to crease. Not sure what to do to be honest, if i bring it all the way in it will surly be permanently damaged, and I don’t want to have a “user error“ discussion with VW, but it seems silly to call them out for something like this.

Hi there. I feel your pain and hope you get it sorted. We’ve just come back from our first ever trip in our new Ocean and have experienced the exact same problem. Wasn’t particularly warm (16 degrees) and wasn’t wet. We had to retract the awning in order to come home but are wondering what causes it as we’ve had similar awnings before and never experienced this. Fingers crossed they get yours sorted quickly.