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Stolen roll out side awning

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.
Maybe just after the canvas to replace a split one. Done to order I guess by an unscrupulous Cali owner. Hope it is no one on this site.
 
Damn, you got me!

No, my awning is fine. But you must really be mental very ill do damage a van, and if you are lucky, damage the thing you steal, so it's useless on it's own.
Too bad they will never be caught. Unless someone should have seen anything, and even then.
 
Stolen spare wheels, stolen awnings, stolen bike racks, where will it all end
 
I had both headlights and front indicators knicked of a Disco, 150 miles from home and the car was parked up to a brick wall, no soco availble to come and have look...
 
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?
Nextbase have a new add on cam that covers side windows, they have two versions for rear view, both (separately) can be added on to the front facing unit. One is for looking straight out the back, the other is a more fish eye type that could, I believe show the side windows of the Cali...not tried that so don't hold me to it. rearview2.jpg
https://i1.adis.ws/v/washford/video_product_159094/mp4_720p

rear1.jpg
 
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.
Agreed.
 
Really sorry to hear of your theft.... but if those old brackets are destined for the bin - I’d like to see if I could make use of them for another project. Please do PM me if you might be able to help. Thanks!
 
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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Im amazed at what lengths people will go to. Im so sorry
 
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?
THinkware camera will do that job F770 F800pro
 
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.
No the alarm did not go off strangely...
 
Just FYI everyone. My insurance has an auto £250 xs for theft plus a voluntary £250. I priced a replacement VW wind out awning (no labour - just parts) at £886 including new brackets and 5% discount. The equivalent Fammia is £598 - so its a bit of a no brainer to buy the Fammia and preserve my NCB.
 
Just FYI everyone. My insurance has an auto £250 xs for theft plus a voluntary £250. I priced a replacement VW wind out awning (no labour - just parts) at £886 including new brackets and 5% discount. The equivalent Fammia is £598 - so its a bit of a no brainer to buy the Fammia and preserve my NCB.
Did you contact your insurance company to discuss and then realised the excess implications etc? If you did discuss it with them, they've probably already amended your file. If that is the case then you might as well put it through your insurance.
 
Did you contact your insurance company to discuss and then realised the excess implications etc? If you did discuss it with them, they've probably already amended your file. If that is the case then you might as well put it through your insurance.
Thanks, but I am wise to that trick and did NOT discuss it with them!
 
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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Ironic indeed; in many years of truck driving throughout Europe, the only place the vehicle was broken into was just off the M25!
 
Really sorry to hear of your theft.... but if those old brackets are destined for the bin - I’d like to see if I could make use of them for another project. Please do PM me if you might be able to help. Thanks!
Sorry for very slow reply but I still have the damaged brackets if you are still interested.
 
Same has happened to me x2 over the last 12 years (Bristol x2 different addresses) .....In each case those vagabonds have cut the brackets off the roof ...I now store my awning in the garage when not in use .
 

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