Dave225 Posted February 15, 2015 Share Posted February 15, 2015 Just a general query regarding the ability to fit a wind out awning as an after fit to a coachbuilt motorhome. Do these come with fitting points as standard or if one wants one, then specifying at purchhase is the only option? A lot of vans currenlty come without it fitted as a standard deal, so either one coughs up at purchase, or looks to fit one later when the pennies have recovered. Any thoughts? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Had Enough Posted February 15, 2015 Share Posted February 15, 2015 Many people fit them after purchase. Some are easier than others to fit depending what's behind the wall that it's going on. You'll find many people advertising them and offering a fitting service. Just Google it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Billggski Posted February 16, 2015 Share Posted February 16, 2015 They are heavy, so motorhomes can have a higher payload without them. Experienced fitters can find the best size and fitting position. Omnistor and Fiamma are the main makes, although I had Prostor one, better price and I think better quality. You could look at what makes are original equipment on your model and shop around for the best price. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian Kirby Posted February 17, 2015 Share Posted February 17, 2015 Dave225 - 2015-02-15 7:59 PM Just a general query regarding the ability to fit a wind out awning as an after fit to a coachbuilt motorhome. Do these come with fitting points as standard or if one wants one, then specifying at purchhase is the only option? A lot of vans currenlty come without it fitted as a standard deal, so either one coughs up at purchase, or looks to fit one later when the pennies have recovered. Any thoughts? They are not, IMO, a DIY item, so unless you are familiar with them and how they should be fitted, you'll end up paying someone else to do the job. So, will you get the best price by buying with the van, or getting one fitted later? My hunch is that if you play your cards right, you should get the best price from the supplying dealer at the time you order the van. If he wants the sale, he may even throw one in at no extra cost. A further consideration is that only a relatively small area of the side wall is likely to be reinforced to take the wind-out. An aftermarket fitter should know how to locate this but, if the supplying dealer is franchised for the make of van you want, he will have the full details of how and where to fit what to that make. Relative to the cost of a van awnings are not that expensive, so my take is to get it fitted by the supplying dealer as part of your deal. Then, if anything should go wrong, you have only one bum to kick. Also, if the dealer is franchised, you should have no arguments should related leakage occurr within the water ingress warranty period. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flicka Posted February 17, 2015 Share Posted February 17, 2015 If retro fitting -There are sometimes offers at the Motorhome shows for free fitting. Some require pre-booking. John Cross comes to mind, but they are a long way from yourself. There may be others. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Billggski Posted February 19, 2015 Share Posted February 19, 2015 Have a thought about what size you need, some longer ones, around 5m, as well as being really heavy, can tend to sag in the middle and eventually be difficult to wind back. As said above, a dealer might include one to clinch a deal. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rayjsj Posted February 22, 2015 Share Posted February 22, 2015 Dave225 - 2015-02-15 7:59 PM Just a general query regarding the ability to fit a wind out awning as an after fit to a coachbuilt motorhome. Do these come with fitting points as standard or if one wants one, then specifying at purchhase is the only option? A lot of vans currenlty come without it fitted as a standard deal, so either one coughs up at purchase, or looks to fit one later when the pennies have recovered. Any thoughts? As Brian says, definately not a DIY job, for a start you need 6 hands ! I would get a professional to do it. Not sure if there are any mobile suppliers/fitters up in your area though? We always have an awning on our vans (must be part of the deal, with us) have had 2 Fiammas, and an Omnistore, all similar quality, The CRUCIAL part of the fitting is the placing of the Reinforcing plates, fitted inside the van, to take the strain of the awning (think Wind blowing, and awning securely strapped down !) on the sides of the van ! Good fitting plates are a MUST(as far as I know, the manufacturer does not fit these plates as standard, but I could be wrong). We consider an awning as an 'essential' accessory, would never be without one. How about a trip to a dealer to get one fitted, and stay overnight in his premises, a lot of dealers do that. Make a weekend of it. just a thought. And I would get several quotes. Ray Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave225 Posted March 12, 2015 Author Share Posted March 12, 2015 Many thanks for the comments and apologies for the delay in replying. New grandchild kinda got in the way....nicely. Yes, we are still looking at a motorhome, and yes, we would keep the caravan, but store it in Spain and just fly down for breaks. The caravan is at an age where the value is pretty much written off, although still in good shape and it would make a nice little 'pied a terre' in Spain. However, as with all things in life what we like we cannot afford and what we can, well you get the idea. The new Chausson's are appealing but I have the slight handicap that we really need an automatic gearbox so limited to the more expensive Fiat versions. That adds about £3 grand to the starting price.before we even delve into the options list. So the thought of delaying the awning until we have recouped a little of the costs was an attractive thought, but I recognise the sense of the comments made. We even started looking at PVC vans but after seeing some at a Show we realised (ok, I did) that space was just too limited and a low profile would be a similar price but more useful to us. We live in a city so the necessit of having a 2nd car is not important. However, as with all things events change and we are noticing that the Pound is rising nicely against the euro and property prices in Spain are still on the way down, so Plan D is to maybe have a look at buying a small apartment instead. Probably pay about the same as a motorhome and the annual costs would be about the same. Plus it gives the families somewhere to spin off to at short notice as flights are plentiful. A;lthough I did wish to visit some of the other parts of Europe again, and that is where the motorhome idea came in, I also am getting tired with the congestion on the roads, having to book sites in the UK at least, and that after 10 years or so, I am left with an older motorhome of low'ish value. Plus I can always fly off if I wish. So, it is still all thoughts and options for us. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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