Suncover 5000

I bought my Suncover 5000 DIY retractable awning on sale. The free motor and free shipping were the deciding factors. I soon realized that free motor and free shipping are not important when the quality of the product is so poor – Crappy Asian components were used to make the awning. Also, the savings on the motor was eaten up by the protective hood, which is standard on most other’s products. The order process wasn’t too difficult, but it would have been nice to see the different fabric colors together with the valance braid for comparison. I had to open up different tabs to compare colors. The installation wasn’t too hard. I did install a 2 x 10 timber board to mount the awning to, easier than trying to find the studs. A link to installation videos or an included DVD would have been helpful as other reviews noted.

Our DIY Suncover 5000 retractable awning was installed by our handyman, and we’ve been using it for a couple of months. The order process was ok. However, selecting a fabric colour could be easier. Like several of the other online testimonials comment, an installation DVD or link would be helpful. The white powder coated aluminum framework isn’t as shiny as I would like it, even though it does get wiped off once a week – we’re a bit OCD on cleaning and appearance. We went with the manual crank, so we didn’t have to install an outlet. It is quite a workout opening or closing our 13’ projection. My husband will have to make a hook bit for the cordless drill or go to the gym – lol. The fabric has already lost most of its original colour after only 6 months and rain leaks through it even though I was told it was water repellent. I guess it does the job (light rain protection excluded) and provides shade on a sunny day although I regret not ordering a motorized retractable awning.