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Awning material creasing

Wrinkly Ninja

Wrinkly Ninja

VIP Member
Messages
280
Location
Wiltshire...Nr Castle Combe
Vehicle
T6 Ocean 204 4Motion
Morning all
Our Ocean is 12 months old and for the first time I have noticed when unfurling the awning that there is a crease in the material running diagonally.
I have tried opening and closing a few times giving it a gentle strightening pull to the sides to taughten it a little but couldn't get it to stop creasing in the middle as it winds onto the roller.
Has anyone had this happen?
Could it be because of the fairly hot weather recently?
 
It could be that it got hot, but as the material is reinforced I doubt that is the issue.

Have a look at the edges on both sides when it is fully wound out. Check there is nothing lumpy stuck to one edge. This can make the material go skewif when rolling it in and cause the crease. You could give the edge a firm wipe down the length with a damp cloth.

The lump doesn't need to be very big as the subsequent crease caused will emphasise its size. It could also be on the end of the metal roller in the casing.

If all else fails it is off to the dealer and a warranty claim.

Alan
 
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We've noticed a crease in our awning as we've wound it in today. It was out all morning and we wound it in before leaving the site and it was very hot. We've wound it out again at home (still very hot) and can't see anything along the edge which may have caused the crease. To be fair, it may have been creased before and we'd not noticed it but if anyone else has any ideas, please let me know.
 
Just back from a week in the lakes. The weather was hot and sunny everyday, but now the awning creases quite badly. It's not all that hot here today, but it looks like it has expanded, possibly permanently.

I'm not happy about living with it. My previous van never did that, even after six weeks in Spain.

Did you previous posters with this issue find that it resolved itself?

Anyone called it in as a warranty issue?

Awning1.JPG
Awning2.JPG
Awning3.JPG
Awning4.JPG
 
Just back from a week in the lakes. The weather was hot and sunny everyday, but now the awning creases quite badly. It's not all that hot here today, but it looks like it has expanded, possibly permanently.

I'm not happy about living with it. My previous van never did that, even after six weeks in Spain.

Did you previous posters with this issue find that it resolved itself?

Anyone called it in as a warranty issue?

View attachment 35456
View attachment 35457
View attachment 35458
View attachment 35459

This is very interesting as we had been in the Lake District in hot weather when I noticed ours had creased and submitted the Post.
Also, your creasing seems to start in the middle of the awning when retracting which is the same for me.
Since then I have tried various things such as going more slowly when winding out and back and easing the material to one side or another when winding back...none of which has worked.
There is a minor Recall on T6 California for some gearbox anti chafing requirement so I am going to get the dealer to look at the creasing problem and submit a warranty report (including in the report that others have had the same problem) for replacement as I don't believe that our recent weather has been more extreme than the Factory should anticipate for the awning and I am not prepared to live with it and have it ultimately affect the resale value (Don't tell anyone that I may never sell my Cali...I'm just working out how I can ultimately be buried in it!)
If anyone else speaks with their dealer about this can they please post the result on this thread?
 
I've just wound it in after leaving it in the shade. Temperature is about 17 degrees. It does not crease as badly, so it looks like a heat issue. Is the T6 material different to the T5?
 
Noticed ours creased when we wound it in last weekend. Will wind it out this weekend and see what its like. Will keep an eye on this thread.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk
 
Noticed ours creased when we wound it in last weekend. Will wind it out this weekend and see what its like. Will keep an eye on this thread.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

Well, wound the awning out this weekend - still creased. Wound it back in when it was much cooler - still creased.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk
 
I now have the same thing. It’s been good for the first days/nights but two days with 30-something degrees on a camping site in Sweden we now have creases forming in the middle. Not as bad as the picture above but still.

As I saw this thread before I got the the van I’ve been careful and trying to keep an eye out while rolling in/out the awning.

It feels like it’s not made for California-like weather. This hurts my brain a lot because I’m very careful with all my stuff and now have two (presumably) heat related issues with a less than a month old Cali.
 
721C7F4F-87FF-42D4-A555-5DFDEE42342C.jpegsame here. Not sure how temperature dependent it is though... seems to happen all the time and is leaving a permanent crease in the material.
 
I added a post to the awning seal thread, but ours did the same thing 2 weeks ago when it was very hot.
When I opened it last Weds when we were away camping, but the temperature was lower, the creases had got a lot smaller and less conspicuous. When we left the site yesterday morning it was quite hard to see. Same pattern as in the photos above, almost as though the awning had expanded sideways and no longer fitted in the space and had to crease in order to fit in.
 
Same here with our 2018 Cali. Definitely seems to be a problem when the awning material expands with the heat.
 
Awning update...

Visited dealer (Bristol). They examined, tutted a lot, took photographs, referred to the Warranty claims manager...and agreed it should be replaced.
New one being fitted today.
Hope this sets a precedent for any of you who are concerned about yours.
Wrinkly (Ninja...not awning :))
 
Noticed mine was creasing too weekend before last. Put it out at home to make sure it was dry after an early morning pack-up and it was creasing in the middle like the others.
Another thing to add to the list...
 
Just back from a week in the lakes. The weather was hot and sunny everyday, but now the awning creases quite badly. It's not all that hot here today, but it looks like it has expanded, possibly permanently.

I'm not happy about living with it. My previous van never did that, even after six weeks in Spain.

Did you previous posters with this issue find that it resolved itself?

Anyone called it in as a warranty issue?

View attachment 35456
View attachment 35457
View attachment 35458
View attachment 35459

Hi
Have look at my post from this morning...might help you.
 
Awning update...

Visited dealer (Bristol). They examined, tutted a lot, took photographs, referred to the Warranty claims manager...and agreed it should be replaced.
New one being fitted today.
Hope this sets a precedent for any of you who are concerned about yours.
Wrinkly (Ninja...not awning :))
My wrinkle was on a list of things for SMG Tonbridge to smooth out under warranty. The claims manager said "No". They did the other items: all three door seals, a broken safety net clip in the roof, a broken chair.
 
My wrinkle was on a list of things for SMG Tonbridge to smooth out under warranty. The claims manager said "No". They did the other items: all three door seals, a broken safety net clip in the roof, a broken chair.
Surely an awning that's designed to provide protection from the sun should be able to function in the sun's heat, without creasing or splitting!
 
My wrinkle was on a list of things for SMG Tonbridge to smooth out under warranty. The claims manager said "No". They did the other items: all three door seals, a broken safety net clip in the roof, a broken chair.
Door seals? What went wrong with those Tom?
 
I've also got mine replaced by the dealer under warranty.

Edit: They actually changed their mind and didn’t swap it.
 
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Have experienced the same awning crinkling on our current holiday when temperatures have been up to 34C.
After 15 months of ownership this is the first time this has occurred.
 

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