slideout covers deteriorating

[5ER]

Hello to all,
Our slideout covers have been falling apart before my very eyes on our 03 3295RK. At the campground there are small pieces of white vinyl plastic all over the ground. On the large cover you can see through the cover and it kinda looks like a screen. Is this normal or do I have some inferior material? I would have expected them to last longer than less than four years. I know they are not cheap to replace, but seem like they are cheap in quality.

[H. John Kohl]

I guess the big question is how long have they been out in the sun. What is your usage?
Cheers,

[5ER]

They have been exposed to the weather about 50% of the time. For the past 9 months I have been working in N.C. and traveling home for weekends but prior to that sometimes in storage for 6 months.

[richfaa]

I have asked the same question now that we are long timers and the answer seems to be they last about 3 years with medium to heavy usage. My guess is that any warranty will not cover "normal wear and tear" and having them out would be normal so we plan to come back to Havasu City, Az when we see our awning begin to deteriorate and let the Az wind rip them off the camper....

[Sunshine]

I like the way you think Rich. Sounds like a plan to me!

[5ER]

Makes you think that maybe the slide awning covers may not be a worth while option??

[SlickWillie]

quote:Originally posted by 5ER

Makes you think that maybe the slide awning covers may not be a worth while option??

I just told DW this morning that I would not order slide out awnings if buying a new RV. I see no way they can last. The north wind has been howling here, and the awnings were popping so bad we couldn't sleep. I stuffed four beach rafts under the long one, and snugged it down with a rope. Some better now. I was almost to the point of taking a pocket knife to it!

[richfaa]

You have to condider the cost vs benefits. they aid in preventing any leaks in the slides. They prevent "stuff" from collecting on top of the slides and causing serious damage when brought in You would need to get up there and check all slide tops for "stuff" every times you brought the slides in. They act as a sun shade. IMO the benefits outweigh the cost and length of service.

[VanMan]

Don't know if this is an advantage or a disadvantage (depends on perspective, I guess) but they make wonderful protection for the birds to make a nest under !!! Birds - Advantage, People - Disadvantage.

[5ER]

I agree that they are very convenient, especially when you have been under a tree with falling leaves and stuff. But when you pay extra $ as an option and 3 years later I am guessing another $1000.00 or so to replace this can be an expensive option. I just think that they should last a few years longer. Use better material.

[fulltimedreamer]

5er,

We too, have an '03 coach which we purchased in '02. The large slide cover has delaminated and the top layer of vinyl has come off. The slide topper on the bedroom slide is still in good shape. From reading on rv.net and other forums it appears that Dometic had a bad batch of vinyl that has caused the delamination problem. I contacted them and they will not do anything to repair as the slide topper is out of warranty. I have checked with my dealer and I can purchase a replacement for the vinyl for $185.00. I will do that this spring and replace it myself. I do believe the slide toppers are a worthwhile option and would buy them again. It is unfortunate that Dometic did not step up and do the right thing about the defective vinyl. If we ever upgrade coaches my next slide toppers may come from another manufacturer. In my opinion Dometic is not very customer oriented as is also evidenced by their proposed "fix" for the refrigerator fire hazard. Rather than replace the cooling unit with one that won't fail, they intend to put a metal box around it to caontain the fire when it does fail. This is NOT ACCEPTABLE. But I digress...

[richfaa]

Just took a look at our extended Warranty contract.It is a "exclusionary contract" they list what is " excluded" if it is not listed it is "included". Of course normal wear and tear is excluded on everything..however in in 3 years or so if the awnings should be torn off the camper in a wind storm like the ones here in Az or maybe Texas..it appears the Warranty would cover. Sometimes thinking ahead is a good thing.

[bsmeaton]

5er,

I was looking at the A&E awning display at Camping World, and to me at least, the slide awning fabric does not seem to be nearly as heavy duty as the standard patio awnings. The mil thickness seems much thinner but I also believe the material is cheaper to replace than a standard patio awning.

I'm sure they catch more abuse with snow and debris laying on them as well as sticking to the underside of them causing premature deterioration.

We opted to not get them because of the winds we encounter, but I'm sure they are useful to some. My choice was reinforced a little last week at the Dealer when I saw a unit come in with the slide fabric draping over the superslide. Looks like it just rotted and came apart at the awning rail.

[sreigle]

Both our dealer and a Keystone service tech told not to expect more than 3 to 4 years out of them. We traded our prior Montana after 4 years and 1 month and the toppers needed replacing. They still worked but were showing light through some cracks and some of the top layer of material had peeled off. They looked pretty bad.

[Glenn and Lorraine]

Well guess I'm a day late and a bunch of dollars short. As I was less than 100% convinced I wanted/needed them and had I known the longevity of these slide toppers I now feel I should not have ordered them on my new rig. BUT as the new rig is sitting just down the road waiting for our PDI on Tuesday with delivery on Feb 3rd it's a bit too late.

[rickety]

Congratulations Glenn, Phyllis and I can hardly wait. Let us know how the PDI goes.
Rick

[sreigle]

Brad, I have not measured thickness but do believe our toppers are at least as thick, maybe more so, than our patio awning. They just get a whole lot more exposure to the elements. Ours are exposed anytime we're not driving down the road and are exposed to ice, snow, rain, heat, sunshine, and who knows what else. At four years of age they were pretty much shot. Those who weekend and vacation may get far more years out of theirs.

[tom41]

Glenn I have always had the slide out awnings even on my motor coach. It was a 1994 and I had the acrylic a&e awnings all around even windows, I sold it this past october, and all awnings including the slide outs still were in good shape and looked good as new. Maybe because they were acrylic material. My 04 monty has the orignal awnings on the slideouts, and they still look good and seems in good shape. But I do as I did with my other coach, wash and keep them clean free of mold and dirt or dust. when they do need replacing, I will get the acrylic A&E, cost a little more but much better quality then the vinyl .And I fulltimed in the motorcoach and now in the monty. So I would always have slide toppers.

[exav8tr]

Does anyone have the Carefree Slide toppers with the window awning? Are they a good buy? How about quality? Seems alot of folks have the A & E awnings. I would like to hear about the Carefree if anyone has them....

Thanks

Phil P.