HYMER AKTIV – Awning Mechanism Repair and Fabric Replacement

Awning Mechanism Repair and Fabric Replacement for HYMER AKTIV

I’m standing on the ladder with my socket set spread across the roof rail, staring at the Aktiv’s Thule HideAway 1200 roller tube where it mounts into the composite channel. The fabric’s split along three of the fold creases, the torsion spring’s gone soft — when I manually retract it, there’s play I shouldn’t feel — and one of the pivot arm brackets has an elongated mounting hole that tells me road spray and vibration have been working that fastener loose for months. The intimidating part for most owners is that this assembly lives directly in the roof structure, so there’s this assumption that one misstep means a leak that travels into the walls. But the fastener system is actually mechanical and predictable; once you understand how the motor couples to the tube, how the spring pre-load works, and which bolts control what, this is a single-day job on sawhorses. I’ve pulled this assembly down, swapped the motor, replaced the fabric completely, and reinstalled it tight enough to handle Mojave wind gusts. Here’s exactly how.

Required Parts

• Replacement awning fabric (measure your awning width before ordering) Heavy-Duty RV Awning Fabric Replacement 16ft – RV Canopy
• Universal replacement awning motor (Solera / Dometic compatible) Aaiov 373566 RV Awning Motor Replacement – Universal, Solera Power Awning Compatible
• Awning roller tube replacement (for A&E and similar systems) Solera Awning Roller and Fabric Assembly 10′ Black/White
• UV-resistant awning pull strap (27″, sewn in USA) EZ-Xtend RV Awning Pull Strap, UV Polyester Webbing, 27″ – Made in USA
• Camco awning de-flappers / wind stabilizers (2-pack) Camco Awning De-Flapper Max – Rust-Resistant Wind Stabilizer, 2 Pack (42251)
• Telescoping awning rod / hook (13¾”–44¾” reach) Scottchen PRO RV Awning Rod Opener, Telescopic Puller 13-3/4″ to 44-3/4″, Stainless Steel
• Safety fall-protection strap (for ladder work at van height) TRSMIMA Safety Strap Fall Protection – 6ft Cross Arm Anchor Strap with Double D Ring

Step-by-Step Instructions

Step 1: Set Up a Safe Work Zone and Assess the Awning Condition

Position the Aktiv on the flattest, most stable ground you have available — the ProMaster 2500 platform puts you approximately nine feet above grade when you’re standing on a mid-rung ladder, which is high enough that one slip becomes a real problem. Secure a fall-protection strap around the roof rail and anchor the other end on the opposite side of the van from where you’re standing and reaching. Chock all four wheels with wedges. Never attempt this work with the awning partially extended and unsupported — the torsion spring inside that roller tube will whip the whole assembly violently if it suddenly releases. Keep the awning fully retracted and the travel lock engaged while you’re doing your initial inspection. Scan the fabric carefully along the roll: any white creasing marks across the width indicate stress fracturing, separation at the sewn hem pocket signals delamination, and visible tears near the pull strap are common failure points. Inspect both pivot arms for bent metal, cracked welds at the corner joint, and oxidation accumulating on the pivot pin. The Aktiv specifically suffers impact damage to the lower pivot bracket from road debris kicked up by the rear dual wheels — look for stretched or oval-shaped fastener holes there. Take detailed photos of each problem area before you remove anything.

Step 2: Disconnect the Awning Motor and Isolate Electrical Power

The HideAway 1200’s motor is housed inside the passenger-side end cap of the roller tube; remove that cap by unscrewing two Phillips #3 fasteners and withdrawing it straight outward — it’s held by friction against a rubber seal. The motor connector is a two-wire 12V assembly with a weatherproof Metri-Pack interface; gently squeeze the locking tab and separate the connectors in line — never twist or pry horizontally because that damages the contact pins. Head inside the Aktiv and find the 12V fuse panel, usually mounted behind the driver-side rear cabinet area. Locate the awning circuit (typically labeled ‘EXT ACCESSORIES’ or ‘AWNING’) which will be a 15A blade fuse, and extract it. Do not rely on switching the Victron MultiPlus-II or the Color Control display to cut 12V power — the Victron VE.Bus remains energized and the 12V bus stays live from the lithium bank until the main battery isolator is opened. Use a digital multimeter to confirm zero voltage at both Metri-Pack terminals. Wrap the van-side connector with electrical tape to prevent accidental shorting while the system is exposed. Use masking tape to label the motor wires before disconnection: on European-sourced Thule motors, the positive lead is typically brown wire.

Step 3: Remove the Roller Tube Assembly from the Roof Mount

The HideAway 1200 suspends from two cast-aluminum brackets that bolt into the Aktiv’s roof rail extrusion channel. Each bracket fastens with one M6 bolt accessed from above (threaded through the rail slot) and one M8 bolt visible on the face side when you’re standing on the ladder. Work with a second person: one person stands below supporting the tube weight, the other removes fasteners from above. Grab a 10mm socket for the M6 bolts and a 13mm for the M8 fasteners — resist the urge to use an impact driver because the backing plates inside the composite roof rail can spin independently if the fastener catches wrong, and that gouges the channel beyond repair. Once both side bolts come out, the bracket assembly will pivot downward on its upper bolt; your helper needs to take full tube weight at this exact moment because the loaded assembly weighs approximately 18 pounds with fabric installed. Lower the tube onto sawhorses positioned at waist height. Before you put it down, locate the directional arrow stamped onto the driver-side end cap — this indicates the torsion spring wind direction and must be preserved during reassembly. Take a photo of the spring pre-load indicator notch’s current position on the end cap so you can dial the tension back to factory spec when you’re done.

Step 4: Extract and Replace the Awning Fabric

With the tube resting on sawhorses, find the fabric’s leading edge hem rail — a narrow aluminum channel that slides into a T-slot that runs the entire length of the roller. On the HideAway 1200, this T-slot is positioned along the tube’s bottom surface; the hem rail slides free from the driver-side end after you remove the driver-side end cap (two Phillips #3 screws, same fastener type as the motor cap). At the passenger end, a single set screw holds the hem rail in position — loosen this 3mm hex fastener before you attempt to slide anything out, or you’ll deform the rail permanently. Unroll the old fabric completely onto a clean tarp; this also naturally releases the torsion spring pre-load, which is what you want at this stage. Before throwing the old fabric away, measure its width to confirm your replacement width matches — the Aktiv standard is a 10-foot deployment width, but certain production years and configurations shipped with 8-foot variants. Place your replacement fabric’s sewn hem pocket over the new hem rail, then feed both into the T-slot opening from the driver-side. Secure the set screw by hand until snug. The opposite end of the fabric has a second sewn pocket that fits over the drop rail extrusion — slide it on and hand-tighten its set screws before you begin rolling the fabric back onto the tube.

Step 5: Install the Replacement Motor and Set Torsion Spring Pre-load

The replacement motor (Solera or Dometic-compatible universal unit) has a 35mm hex drive shaft that must fit your roller tube bore — verify the hex geometry matches before insertion. Slide the motor into the passenger-side tube bore until the motor housing seats flush against the tube end face, then reinstall the end cap to secure it. The driver-side end cap contains the torsion spring, which controls fabric roll tension and deployment resistance. Factory Hymer spec is four full turns of spring wind — to set it, brace the tube on the sawhorse so it can’t rotate, insert a 1/2-inch breaker bar into the spring anchor slot on the driver-side cap, and rotate the cap four complete turns in the winding direction (clockwise when viewing from the driver’s end on most HideAway assemblies — confirm your direction against your photo from Step 3). Once you’ve completed four full turns, secure the cap and connect the replacement motor’s pigtail leads to the Metri-Pack connector: align the polarity to your labeled wires from Step 2. Reversed polarity won’t immediately destroy the motor but will cause reverse deployment, so verify this connection twice before reinstalling the fuse. Secure the end cap firmly.

Step 6: Reinstall the Roller Tube and Test Deployment

Reverse the removal sequence from Step 3: lift the tube back to its mounting brackets with your helper’s assistance, pivot each bracket upward to engage the M6 top bolts first (hand-thread them to catch the threads), then position and snug the M8 side bolts. Apply final torque of 9 Nm to the M6 bolts and 22 Nm to the M8 bolts — skip this step and the composite roof rail’s flex under road vibration will back fasteners out within a season. Reinsert the 15A fuse into the distribution panel inside the van. Using the extendable awning rod with hook end attached, flip the travel lock release lever on the passenger-side cap and manually extend the awning approximately two feet. This first manual extension is your motion test: the fabric should unroll with uniform tension across its full width, no sagging bulge in the middle, no edge leading ahead of the other. If you see the driver-side edge deploy first, your torsion spring is wound one turn too tight — release and readjust. Activate the motor using the interior switch (typically mounted above the sliding door on the Aktiv) and run one complete open-close cycle. The motor should cut power cleanly at both end-of-travel stops via its limit switches; any grinding noise or continued travel past the limit indicates a limit switch setup issue requiring recalibration using the Thule HideAway motor calibration process.

Step 7: Attach Accessories and Perform Final Safety Check

Thread the new UV-rated pull strap through the grommet eyelet at the center of the drop rail and cinch it with a figure-eight stopper knot on the back face — the sewn-USA webbing has heavier construction than OEM straps and may require grommet enlargement for smooth fit, so punch the eyelet up one size instead of forcing the strap through. Mount the Camco de-flappers to the drop rail at the 18-inch points inboard from each end — their tension clips snap directly over the rail without tools. These aren’t optional on the Aktiv; the ProMaster’s vertical profile generates significant wind turbulence at the awning when parked perpendicular to wind, and uncontrolled fabric fluttering accelerates hem rail fatigue beyond UV degradation alone. Walk the entire deployed awning perimeter and verify: no fabric contact with the roof-mounted solar rail, no interference with the Maxxair vent housing at either roof corner, and the pivot arms locking solidly in extended position. Retract the awning fully, engage the travel lock, and grab the roller tube from the side and attempt a deliberate wiggle — any bracket movement signals that the M6 top bolts need thread-locker (blue Loctite 243) and retorquing to spec.

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The Fabric Replacement That Actually Seals Out Water on a Hymer Aktiv

The moment your Aktiv’s awning fabric begins cracking where it folds or the UV coating starts peeling away, you’re not just losing a shade feature — you’re inviting water to pool inside the roller tube during rain and mildew to colonize the stored fabric. Only heat-sealed vinyl specs will hold up; anything cheaper fails the exact same way inside one season.

What works

• 19.5oz fabric weight is substantial enough to track straight without jamming on the roller tube during countless deploy-retract cycles, even under windy conditions.
• Thermally bonded seams resist fraying or splitting when the fabric gets folded back into its travel storage orientation — this is exactly where budget vinyl falls apart on you.
• UV durability actually persists; you won’t encounter surface chalking or material brittleness recurring for two complete seasons on a rig exposed to continuous direct sun.

What doesn’t

• The install demands complete old fabric removal and possible roller tube resurfacing if rust pitting or oxidation is present — solo work can consume 2–3 additional hours beyond the motor replacement.
• Aktiv awning configurations shift across production batches; you must measure your roller tube length and verify pivot arm mounting design before ordering fabric, otherwise you’re managing a return shipment.

I had a moment where the fabric seemed to bind halfway through the first full extension and I second-guessed whether I’d crimped the roller tube correctly—turned out the travel strap just needed slack. Grab the Heavy-Duty RV Awning Fabric Replacement 16ft – RV Canopy and take your time on the tube prep; it’s where this repair either holds or comes apart three months later.

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