Community Forums

RonLC · 08-04-2019, 05:38 PM

Push extend. Makes noise of motor running but does not move. Noise stops at about the time it would take to extend.

Push retract and it makes noise for about the time it would take to actually retract if it were out.

It has been adjusted twice for alignment problems but never for this one.

Has not been used in a couple of weeks.

Any ideas?

netjam · 08-04-2019, 06:41 PM

Have a Verona with a Carefree freedom freestyle ( different from yours on the LE). Mine started doing that after about 6 months....not everytime but frequently. At 1 year it stopped altogether....just running motor like you. Had a Carefree tech look at it twice ( 2 different techs at different places) and was advised it was worn out and needed a total replacement. Quoted almost $3000 so have lived without for more than a year.
I can if needed get up on a ladder and yank on the awning as someone presses the extend button and it will go out. If you then press retract it will return til its about 8” out and stop. I can then force it to close. A real hassle that I choose not to do. The techs told me that manual yank out and push in to return was about all they could suggest if I wasn’t going to replace it.

RonLC · 08-04-2019, 10:21 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by netjam

Have a Verona with a Carefree freedom freestyle ( different from yours on the LE). Mine started doing that after about 6 months....not everytime but frequently. At 1 year it stopped altogether....just running motor like you. Had a Carefree tech look at it twice ( 2 different techs at different places) and was advised it was worn out and needed a total replacement. Quoted almost $3000 so have lived without for more than a year.
I can if needed get up on a ladder and yank on the awning as someone presses the extend button and it will go out. If you then press retract it will return til its about 8” out and stop. I can then force it to close. A real hassle that I choose not to do. The techs told me that manual yank out and push in to return was about all they could suggest if I wasn’t going to replace it.

I tried to get it going a few minutes ago and now it is stuck 3' out in the front and 6" out in the back. The fabric is all bunched up in the back. I am going to call Carefree and Renegade tomorrow about cutting the fabric off so I can retract the arms. This is a safety issue.

https://www-odi.nhtsa.dot.gov/VehicleComplaint/?

I am still under warranty.

rescue duct · 08-04-2019, 10:23 PM

Ok we are working a deal on a new coach as we speak. Its a 19 VERONA 36VSB, we use our current awning alot. Can we get these replace and not screw with it. Or Renegade taken a hard line on it.. I mean it goes straight out how much sun protection does it really have? I would like it replace with a different awning one that you can drop down to protect the side of the coach from the sun.

RonLC · 08-04-2019, 11:08 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by rescue duct

Ok we are working a deal on a new coach as we speak. Its a 19 VERONA 36VSB, we use our current awning alot. Can we get these replace and not screw with it. Or Renegade taken a hard line on it.. I mean it goes straight out how much sun protection does it really have? I would like it replace with a different awning one that you can drop down to protect the side of the coach from the sun.

I wish I knew the answer to your question. Some of us are getting pretty serious about finding a permanent answer. No one is going to be let up until that happens.

netjam · 08-05-2019, 08:35 AM

Like I said, my Verona is different from the LE but think twice about cutting the fabric. On mine it appears the fabric is what holds the outside rail to the coach. If there were no fabric I think the arms would not be held against the coach. In other words the mechanism would fully extend. I’m certainly no expert, but on the Verona I think without fabric you would have to remove the awning totally to travel.

RonLC · 08-05-2019, 09:52 AM

I got it moving in and out... first at a severe angle then it looked straight so up it went and when it tried to go into the cover it sounded like a shotgun. Drew a crowd in the campground. What happened is that the rear guide bent into a U shape. The front is out about 3" Calling Carefree in a few minutes.

RonLC · 08-10-2019, 09:16 AM

I hired the handyman at the last campground and we got it up and wire tied on both ends. Safe to travel to IWS for a better fix. Before we got it up and flush with the housing we had to put a rope on the back end to help it come out even the the front. That took two or three tries. Then it was wadding up the fabric in the front and jamming. We left the rope on the back end and starting pulling it forward because it looked like it had slipped toward the back. Finally got it to roll up and go in. This went on for two hours. At one point in this frustrating project I thought about cutting the fabric off but did not have to.

I am still in warranty so Carefree is sending new parts to IWS that will be there when I do.

Got me thinking...How long is the warranty on a piece of equipment that has to be repaired over and over?

I think a small decal between the wire ties saying "Carefree of Colorado" would add some panache.

netjam · 08-10-2019, 01:53 PM

Best of luck at IWS. Wish I had taken mine somewhere in the first year.

Doug Darby · 08-11-2019, 09:49 AM

Carefree of Colorado sent an updated roller mechanism and cloth to my dealer in early April. Based on the then Service Manager's description it was a design change that reduced the diameter of the material rolled up on the ends where the material is twice as think as it is sewed back on it self. That change seemed to help however we still had issues with getting it to release from the locked position and return to the locked postion. At that point Carefree of Colorado provided the 6 degree mounting brackets to change the mounting position on the roof. After they were installed, my awning worked flawlessly on the next 10 day trip. Multiple in and outs, several retractions triggered by the sensor and even a little bit of rain. For the first time since owning the Renegade, I am confident that the awning will work as originally designed when I need it to. I hope your fix gets you to the same point, but if you have not had the 6 degree mounting brackets installed I would recommend you do so.

RonLC · 08-11-2019, 04:03 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Doug Darby

Carefree of Colorado sent an updated roller mechanism and cloth to my dealer in early April. Based on the then Service Manager's description it was a design change that reduced the diameter of the material rolled up on the ends where the material is twice as think as it is sewed back on it self. That change seemed to help however we still had issues with getting it to release from the locked position and return to the locked postion. At that point Carefree of Colorado provided the 6 degree mounting brackets to change the mounting position on the roof. After they were installed, my awning worked flawlessly on the next 10 day trip. Multiple in and outs, several retractions triggered by the sensor and even a little bit of rain. For the first time since owning the Renegade, I am confident that the awning will work as originally designed when I need it to. I hope your fix gets you to the same point, but if you have not had the 6 degree mounting brackets installed I would recommend you do so.

The 6 degree shims are being sent to IWS with the repair parts. Based on your good report I am optimistic.

Wayne Clamp · 08-13-2019, 10:05 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by RonLC

Push extend. Makes noise of motor running but does not move. Noise stops at about the time it would take to extend.

Push retract and it makes noise for about the time it would take to actually retract if it were out.

It has been adjusted twice for alignment problems but never for this one.

Has not been used in a couple of weeks.

Any ideas?

Ron see your Private message

Radiowave · 08-14-2019, 12:02 AM

Ron,

I have the exact same issue. I opened the awning during my walk through and it worked fine. Drove from AZ to WA and ended up with the exact same symptoms as you described. Called Renegade and they said I needed the new 6 degree brackets installed. So my first 4+ months of a brand new rig and during the hottest part of the season and I have no functioning awing. I am pretty disappointed.

RonLC · 08-14-2019, 05:21 PM

Carefree told me that they supplied a 7mm hex key with each Apex awning that is to be used with your drill to manually retract the awning.

Anyone know where to look for this?