What does wind damage actually do to an RV awning?
Wind damage totals awnings in layers. The fabric tears or detaches. The aluminum arms bend or snap.
The motor stops working or strips gears. The roller tube buckles.
The mounting brackets pull loose from the sidewall. We've seen 35 mph gusts tear Lippert Solera fabric clean off the roller, and we've seen failed motor brakes let the entire assembly collapse during a thunderstorm.
Every damage pattern is different. A 50 mph storm might just tear fabric on a Dometic, but bend both arms on a Carefree. We photograph the damage, test the motor and arms, and build a rebuild scope that addresses all failed components - not just the visible ones.
Last month we got a call from a Jayco owner in Tampa whose awning got hammered by a freak squall. The fabric was shredded, both arms were bent inward, and the motor hummed but didn't extend.
The customer thought they needed a complete replacement. We found the motor was fine - the limit switch was just stuck.
We straightened the arms, replaced the fabric with Lippert original, and had them back on the road. That's a $1,600 job. If we'd just swapped the motor, they'd have driven with broken arms and torn fabric for the rest of their trip.
Damage we find in wind-damage RVs:
- Torn, detached, or permanently stretched fabric panels
- Bent or cracked aluminum tube arms (left, right, or both)
- Motor failure - won't extend, won't retract, or makes grinding noise
- Broken roller tube or deformed roller bearing
- Snapped or bent mounting brackets and fasteners
- Electrical connector damage or water intrusion in motor housing
- Frame flex or roof damage around awning perimeter
How do we diagnose wind damage before we rebuild?
Diagnosis means hands-on inspection and functional testing. We arrive with a multimeter, a tape measure, and someone who's rebuilt 2,000+ awnings. We check motor voltage and amperage
Motor voltage and current draw under load
Limit switch response at full extension and retraction
What's the step-by-step rebuild process?
Rebuild means disassemble, replace failed parts, and reassemble to factory spec. Step one: we release all fabric tension and remove the awning from the RV. Step two: we slide the roller and arms out of the housing. Step thr
Bad motor, blown fuse, or seized arm bearing. Carefree and Dometic each fail differently.
UV degradation. Florida sun kills awning fabric in 5-7 years. Time to replace.
What do wind-damage awning rebuilds actually cost?
Cost ranges $1,200 to $3,800 depending on how many parts failed. A fabric-and-arm rebuild on a Carefree 16-foot awning runs $1,400 to $1,900. A full rebuild with motor, arms, roller, and fabric on a Lippert Solera runs $2,200 to $2,800.
A major rebuild on a large Dometic with structural damage to the RV frame runs $2,800 to $3,800. We quote flat-rate by phone once you describe the damage - no hidden charges, no surprise add-ons.
If the damage is worse than you told us, we call before we exceed the quote. If it's less, we bill less.
Parts cost us 40-50% of the total. Labor is the other 50-60%.
A Tiffin owner in Florida called after wind pulled their Lippert Solera awning away from the RV sidewall. They thought it was totaled.
We quoted $1,850 - new arms, new fabric, new brackets, full reassembly. When we got there, we found water damage inside the motor housing too, so we rebuilt the motor as well.
The total came to $2,100. We called and got approval.
They paid one bill, not a series of surprise invoices. That's how we work.
What's included in your quoted price:
- OEM or OEM-equivalent replacement parts (arms, fabric, motor, roller)
- Mobile labor - we come to your RV, we don't charge travel fees
- Flat-rate quote with no hourly surprises
- Full system test and adjustment to factory spec
- 90-day workmanship warranty on all rebuild work
- Sealant and fastener replacement as needed
How fast can you rebuild a wind-damaged awning?
Most rebuilds complete in 1-3 days. If we catch you in one of our covered metros and the damage is straightforward - bent arms and torn fabric, no motor issues - we can finish in
What warranty covers your wind-damage rebuild work?
We guarantee all rebuild work for 90 days from completion. That covers defects in our labor - bent seams, loose fasteners, poor electrical connections, fabric misalignment. It covers OEM parts we install - if a Lippert arm we put on breaks under normal use, we replace it.
It does NOT cover new wind damage, impact damage, or wear that happens after we finish. Our warranty is straightforward: if we did the work wrong, we fix it free.
If something we installed fails because of our work, you don't pay twice. We're not going to argue about it or make you jump through hoops. Call us, describe the problem, and we fix it.
A Coachmen owner in Tampa called 6 weeks after we rebuilt their Dometic awning. The fabric was pulling away from one corner - not normal wear, but a real issue.
We came back, tightened the attachment points, and re-tensioned the fabric. No charge.
That's the 90-day promise. If we left something loose or missed a fastener, we own it and we fix it.
A lot of shops don't back their work like that. We do.
What the 90-day warranty covers:
- Loose fasteners or improperly torqued bolts
- Fabric seams that separate or misalign
- Electrical connections that corrode or fail
- Motor or roller issues that result from our work
- Structural failures in rebuilt arms within 90 days
- Water leaks around newly sealed mounting points