Stolen roll out side awning

[Michael Meade]

Hi - I was wondering if anyone else may have suffered the same fate as we did very recently. Someone appears to have stolen our roll out side awning by yanking it off the brackets that secure it to the roof of the van (see photos). This must have required extreme force/brute strength. Our VW dealer who has never seen anything like it, queried whether it could had been smashed into by something. We know we were not driving the van when this happened but it leaves it as a possibility (but I doubt it) that somehow someone perhaps in a truck driving past managed to knock it off without causing any other damage to our van (including wing mirrors that stick out further). Our Cali is parked in the street day and night so if this was done at night then that person may have had plenty of time to yank/saw/bend/snap. We do not know exactly when or where this happened because we only noticed it having driven it 100 miles and stopped to check why the driving seemed so noisy. On that journey the van was only left for a short time at Warwick Uni campus and a motorway fuel station. I've taken the brackets off now and fortunately there is no damage to the rails, roof or other parts of the van. I've included a photo of the whole of the two brackets below as well. Any thoughts would be appreciated. I obviously want to replace the awning but am worried that it will happen again. I've been told by VW that a new awning from them will cost c £650. I could go for an alternate brand but not sure of quality etc so thought here also welcome.

Thanks

PS It's ironic that we took the van around Europe (including Serbia, Albania, Bulgaria, Romania etc) for 16 weeks this Summer without a single hitch and within two weeks of being back in the UK this happens!

 

[westfalia]

Yep.
That has defo been nicked.
B@$!@rds........

 

[Whistler]

I feel for you. It looks like theft. Is the rear bracket cut through at the front and back?

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[T6 CFO]

That sucks. From what you say it sounds like it’s been nicked whilst off street parked.

I now have to do the same. Nicking the Cali with a low loader would be difficult/impossible where i leave it. I already had a Back2you tracker on it and sleep sounder knowing that the shock alarm on it would activate if someone messed with it.

Gone off twice, once was a massive clap of thunder and 2nd time was the council grass cutting very close. Was worth the inconvenience to check out the false alarms.

Picked up mine a couple of years ago on a Black Friday deal.


Mike

 

[Michael Meade]

I feel for you. It looks like theft. Is the rear bracket cut through at the front and back?

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Yes I think it looks as though it may have been cut through.

 

[Michael Meade]

Back only.

 

[JerryB]

Must have damaged the awning ripping it off. Lucky no damage to the van.

 

[paradise city]

Bloody hell, that's awful! Can you claim off insurance or is it not worth it for £650?

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[Loz]

Shocking!

 

[TripleBee]

Bloody hell, that's awful! Can you claim off insurance or is it not worth it for £650?

Don't forget to add the new brackets!

OT: Who would ever do such a thing?
Are you sure you have no damage to the van?
They must at least have been with 2, otherwise the van would have been smashed all over the place.
On the other hand, if there is no damage to the rest of the van, then that is the lucky part. Still stays the gutted feeling you must have, and all the misery for insurance, new parts, not being able to leave the van unworried...

I can't know what you must be going through right now.

 

[WelshGas]

They must be real plonkers because the way the awning has been cut off means it is now seriously damaged and couldn't be fitted to anything without some serious repairs such as a new case. May have been taken for spares.

 

[MattBW]

Hi - I was wondering if anyone else may have suffered the same fate as we did very recently. Someone appears to have stolen our roll out side awning by yanking it off the brackets that secure it to the roof of the van (see photos). This must have required extreme force/brute strength. Our VW dealer who has never seen anything like it, queried whether it could had been smashed into by something. We know we were not driving the van when this happened but it leaves it as a possibility (but I doubt it) that somehow someone perhaps in a truck driving past managed to knock it off without causing any other damage to our van (including wing mirrors that stick out further). Our Cali is parked in the street day and night so if this was done at night then that person may have had plenty of time to yank/saw/bend/snap. We do not know exactly when or where this happened because we only noticed it having driven it 100 miles and stopped to check why the driving seemed so noisy. On that journey the van was only left for a short time at Warwick Uni campus and a motorway fuel station. I've taken the brackets off now and fortunately there is no damage to the rails, roof or other parts of the van. I've included a photo of the whole of the two brackets below as well. Any thoughts would be appreciated. I obviously want to replace the awning but am worried that it will happen again. I've been told by VW that a new awning from them will cost c £650. I could go for an alternate brand but not sure of quality etc so thought here also welcome.

Thanks

PS It's ironic that we took the van around Europe (including Serbia, Albania, Bulgaria, Romania etc) for 16 weeks this Summer without a single hitch and within two weeks of being back in the UK this happens!


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The muppets clearly dont know what they are doing, as it could have been removed without all that damage. Hopefully just a stupid opportunist, Ive never seen it before. Sorry to see, hope you are ok. Did the alarm not go off?

Probably stolen to order but also probably damaged now so may not be of much use to them now.

 

[MattBW]

I have a fiamma F45s and the quality is great.

 

[B J G]

Looks like a classic case of a battery powered angle grinder used to cut one bracket and then brute force to rip off from the other bracket. Not a lot of noise.

Small consolation being that no body or paint damage done.

 

[Gary&Heather]

Total scumbags, thieving gets, low lives I hope they rot in hell

 

[Perfectos]

That’s definitely been nicked, photo 2 shows the white stress marks in the anodised colour where the aluminium front bracket has been repeatedly bent to detach it

I bet they broke the rear pop rivets first, broke the rear bracket then pulled at the front until it broke / came free.

Any CCTV where you parked the Cali ?

I Feel for you, there are some low life’s out there


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[MattBW]

Keep an eye on facebook marketplace and gumtree locally...

 

[LemonDrop]

Unbelievable, you must have been dumbstruck when you realised.

Slightly off topic but does anyone know if there are any dash cams available that are movement or sound activated that could pick this sort of thing up, or is it more of a CCTV thing?

 

[MattBW]

Many now have parking camera feature. Even my cheap dashcam comes on with movement, even when not plugged into power.

 

[Borris]

That's apauling.

What it does show is anyone with no morals, no respect for other peoples property and enough brass neck will nick anything. The only good thing is that very often those types usually end up suffering from a big dose of Karma. Lets hope I'm right.

 

[T6 CFO]

Unbelievable, you must have been dumbstruck when you realised.

Slightly off topic but does anyone know if there are any dash cams available that are movement or sound activated that could pick this sort of thing up, or is it more of a CCTV thing?

They do. Mine does but problem is keeping it powered for any length of time. Fine for short periods, I believe 12 hours for mine so I leave it on in car parks etc.


Mike

 

[WelshGas]

They do. Mine does but problem is keeping it powered for any length of time. Fine for short periods, I believe 12 hours for mine so I leave it on in car parks etc.


Mike

Will only really help Front and/or Rear not Sides.

 

[Calimili]

I can't really understand how they could have taken it without removing the torx on the front bracket. As Welsh Gas said, they must have destroyed the case by ripping it off. I'd be happy that there's no damage to the van, considering..

 

[2haw]

When i sold an awning on here from my previous Beach early last year, the guy had bought it to replace his one that had been stolen. His brackets were still on the van undamaged. I think whoever nicked it must of fully unwound it, removed the fixing bolts, wound it back in and walked off with it.

 

[MattBW]

Agree, that's what makes me think the folks that stole didnt know what they were doing.