2020 Precept 34G - Carefree Marquee OtD Awning - Heads up (literally)
Howdy Campers. Just a heads up and something to check on yours... Mine is a 2020 Precept 34G, but I assume other models could have the same issue that I found... here goes...
On a week-long vacation to the Gulf Coast, I noticed that our Carefree Marquee Over-the-Door Awning wouldn't open. Good news: it was stuck closed.. So, we just didn't use it so to look at it when we got home...
At home, I manually opened the awning about 10 inches, prepped for correct safe removal of the unit from the C-channel bracket (the bracket is fixed to the coach with 10 screws). Remember this part!!!
Next, I removed the 3 screws that hold the awning assembly flush to the coach. The design of the C-channel bracket is such that the awning bracket sits in the C-channel and is supposed to carry the weight of the awning, while the 3 screws simply keep the awning stable and flat against the coach...
When I removed the last of these 3 screws, the awning slipped out of the C-channel and nearly knocked me off the 8 foot ladder. Thanks to God, and my cat-like reflexes, I ditched the screwdriver, grabbed the awning, while keeping my balance, while also not crashing the awning into my fancy coach paint job. Great success...
I thought, man, that's not right, so I grabbed the online Carefee install and parts manual and looked closely at the C-channel. Yup, the factory installed my C-channel bracket upside down.
When installed correctly, the offset slot in the channel bracket sits at approx 2 o'clock allowing the awning bracket to angle-into the channel and rest securely in the channel. Installed incorrectly, the slot sits at approx 5 o'clock, hence the awning will slide out of the channel very easy and knock you on your a$$ if not careful, and crucially the awning isn't securely fastened putting most of the awning's weight on the 3 screws...
The issue with my awning was a seized motor (warranty part and easy fix). I didnt want to impound my coach to the dealer for weeks to repair this, so I just got the replacement motor from Carefree (awesome customer service by the way) and replaced it myself. The bigger issue was removing the upside down C-channel, fiberglass/filling/painting the 13 incorrect holes in my coach, then correctly installing the C-channel (correct means, the C-channel the awning attaches to should be at the top, screws below that).
Now, it's all working perfectly and is correctly attached. My peace of mind preserved.
I wanted to share this in the event that others' brackets were installed upside down. If those 3 screws came loose on the freeway, then the awning would fall and do plenty of damage to your awning and rig as it dangled by the power cable...
To check yours', if you can see the 10 screws that attach the C-channel to your coach, then the bracket is installed upside down and you probably should get it fixed.
I'm not sure if this was a wronginstall on just my coach, or if it may apply to others so I wanted to post this as a heads up...
This has been literally the only issue on our new pre-covid coach to date... still loving our coach, and still very happy with the build quality of this model despite one "RTFM-awning-installer" issue.
Cheers and Happy Trails,
Ed
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2020 Jayco Precept 34G Otter-Rock FBP, Modern Farmhouse
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