ALEKO Motorized RV Awning | 12x8 | Automatic Retractable Kit | Full Set Assemblies | Vinyl Water Resistant Canopy | UV Sun Protection for Camper Trailer Motorhome Travel 5th Wheel | Blue Fade

We were looking for a low cost alternative to some of the more expensive brands of awnings. Getting a motorized awning for under $700 is almost unheard of, except for this one. The caveat was that we had to get the black fade one. Now you know the background.First, the box was in perfect condition when it arrived. It was delivered by two Amazon employees to our porch. All the components were in the box and it was the right size. All the parts were in perfect condition and well organized.We read reviews about the instructions being terrible. I have had worse. The instructions are obviously poorly translated. I think they assume that the person doing the work is a tech, so lots little things are not in there. For example, IF your RV has never had an awning before, you have to figure out where to put the arms so that they will be able to be secured properly. No manual can cover that. All in all it is a simple premise. You have to get the arms up at the right distance apart and the right height. They need to be placed where storage can still be accessed.The instructions give you measurements at several places so you know about how much distance there will be between the arms, for the various sizes. We chose to do a dry fit on the ground with the roller assembly and used that measurement for putting the arms up. There was a slight difference from what the manual said.Everything went fine. There were a couple of difficult parts that were vague and confusing in the manual. The motor goes on the right side but the photo had it on the left side (a reverse imaging problem). We were not sure where to place the awning on the roller assembly so that the manual crank would be accessible. The cylinder like black pieces you use to hold the vinyl awning in place did make it a little difficult to keep the awning from wrinkling or puckering where the black tubes bumped together. We found that if we put the top of the awning up first, we could take the roller assembly and put in the first loop to attach the vinyl awning to the roller assembly, going from right to left. Attaching the awning to the second slot in the roller was a little more difficult. You have to push the awning into the roller assembly slot with something and widen the end so the black tube will go in. We found that the little wrench they included would press the awning fabric into the slot so we could slide in the tubes. Worked fine and no tears in the awning.No the wires are not included that will take you from the outside all the way to the switch, if you place the switch far from the right arm. Plus we secured the wiring so it wouldn't slide around in the arm, so it wouldn't get pinched repeatedly. The instructions do not tell you to do that. There were only two wires to attach, so that was not difficult. However, we did have to drill out a slot in the wall so we could put in the switch, which is lighted (blue).Once up and with the motor attached, we had to adjust the motor using + and - controls so it would open to just the right place and close at just the right place and not strip the motor.The motor opens the awning perfectly, however it is a little slower than we expected opening and closing. The arms seem a little wobbly. You can adjust the height so you can get more shade. In our previous RV we had a manual awning. They are so much work to open and close. In this one, you press the button and can even walk away while it opens or closes. It stops itself because you set it up to stop it.It handled a moderate breeze well, but we closed it before the gusty winds hit.We priced some of the other awnings. Checked out the Carefree at our local dealer. Carefree in the manual version would have cost 3 times more than what we paid to get what I wanted going through their website. Camping world did not have any in stock and it would have taken weeks and they were about twice as much for the manual awning. Never even considered one of their electric ones. Dometic was also pricey. Plus they moved their factory to Mexico according to our local RV dealer (I have not verified). I have read reviews that those are coming bent or broken, if they come at all.Amazon had this awning for less than $700 and it arrived super quick. As this was going on a 1988 motorhome, we didn't see the point in spending $2000 on an awning. It would not bring the value up anywhere near the price.I would definitely recommend the awning but ONLY if you are mechanically inclined, have done some construction and have experience wiring switches or have someone to do it for you. Otherwise, it might be cheaper to just buy an RV with an awning. Just so you know, my husband said he never wants to install another awning again. Mostly because figuring out how to mount it securely on our old motorhome was a pain.I hope this helps you.

Instructions are NOT for the average person. Luckily I and VERY handy and I'm a multi craft construction worker so I was able to figure it out. Works great, just aggravating trying to follow the METRIC measurement steps.

The motor failed after a few times I use it, when I contacted them they gave me the run around, and didn't help me, I had to buy a complete assembly from a different company. DON'T BUY THIS LOW QUALITY PRODUCT

Overall I am pleased. I had to replace the long red wire when I could not get electricity from the switch to the motor.

I have returned one an reordered and the second on had a bad motor as well I don recomend purchasing this awning

At 21', this awning was on the longer end of available options and Aleko was one of the few vendors offering a complete replacement solution. I needed compatible arms, fabric, rollers and sizing those components individually was daunting. There was a product defect with the initial delivery which prevented the motor from engaging the roller tube. Customer support was extremely receptive and once I provided pictures of the situation, they sent a replacement unit which resolved the issue. That was a bit of a hassle but I give 5 stars given the product now works great, is a bargain and the customer service was excellent.

Enjoyed installing this unit. You may have to interpolate instructions for your RV, the quality and materials are as good as any on the market in its price range. Nice colors too!

easy to install and works well

Was easy to install 2guys less than 2 hours remove old one and install new good product for the money for sure I recommend this awning for trailer or even on your house !!