Coachman Caravans and Offside Awning Rail
I have just bought a new Coachman caravan and before I picked it up from the dealers, I purchased a towing cover to protect it. When I went to collect the caravan, I found that there was no opening on the offside awning rail so no way to attach my new cover.
I was told by the dealer that this is a known problem with Coachman. When I contacted Coachman, there response was appalling. They said and I quote "At Coachman, we had no idea that the front cover manufacturers were using
the offside access point to fit such covers." thay also said "With respect, this fault was not of our making but due to the poor communication of an accessory supplier to the industry."
They keep referring to it as an awning rail but by definition, an awning rail must be capable of receiving an awning.
I would be grateful if anyone else has had this problem so that pressure could be applied to get Coachman to resolve this issue.
Comments
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I understand your frustration Godber but I'm sure your dealer can form an opening in the rail for you. I had to have a section of awning rail replaced and it was delivered to the dealer without any openings,
the dealer formed them himself.0 -
There are already various posts on this subject, no doubt one of the mods will tidy this up. However you cannot open up new coachman rails the same way as you could the old ones. Coachman are aware of the problem and were supposed to have dealt with it.
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I spoke to the Coachman Representatives at the last show at the NEC in February about this, as I am waiting for delivery of a Coachman. I had a similar response, they blamed their awning rail supplier and a breakdown in communication. Others who have contacted Coachman have had the same cut and paste response. There have been a number of discussions here on this. What I find strange is some 2016 Coachman's appear to have an opening in the offside rail. I know it's no comfort to you but they did say that they were changing the offside awning rail to include an opening this summer! I cannot get a specific answer from the dealer if my caravan does not have an opening that they can make an opening. Although this link says it cannot be done. IMO not good on a £20,000+ caravan.
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Godber, how do the tow cover supplier suggest the cover is fitted?
We have a tow cover that is tailored for our caravan, that can be fitted in one piece using both awning rails. It can also be fitted by unzipping the offside piece and fitting in 2 pieces then zipped up on the caravan.
Although we have 2 openings at head height in the awning rails, the tow cover can be threaded from the bottom of the awning rail on each side if necessary.
Does the Coachman allow fitment from the bottom of the awning rail?
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Godber, how do the tow cover supplier suggest the cover is fitted?
We have a tow cover that is tailored for our caravan, that can be fitted in one piece using both awning rails. It can also be fitted by unzipping the offside piece and fitting in 2 pieces then zipped up on the caravan.
Although we have 2 openings at head height in the awning rails, the tow cover can be threaded from the bottom of the awning rail on each side if necessary.
Does the Coachman allow fitment from the bottom of the awning rail?
Whilst replying to Godber you have a good suggestion. Whilst at the NEC I had a look at the offside awning rail on the display models. There was no way to fit anything in the offside awning rail. This was confirmed by the Coachman Representatives. I spoke
to one of the tow cover suppliers at the show who could only say if it didn't fit they would refund me. They appeared totally unaware of the issue.0
