WINNEBAGO SOLIS – Awning Mechanism Repair and Fabric Replacement

by

Awning Mechanism Repair and Fabric Replacement for WINNEBAGO SOLIS

The Winnebago Solis uses a Thule HideAway 1200 awning mounted along the driver side of the ProMaster 2500 roof edge — a well-engineered unit, but one that sees real abuse from wind loading, UV degradation, and the occasional campsite tree branch. Unlike larger Class A awning systems, the HideAway 1200 is compact and motorized, which means repairs touch both mechanical and low-voltage electrical systems. This guide walks you through diagnosing the mechanism, replacing worn fabric, and swapping a failed motor — all doable in a driveway with basic hand tools and a helper for the heavy lifts.

Required Parts

Step-by-Step Instructions

Step 1: Assess the Damage Before You Order Parts

Before spending money, spend 20 minutes doing a proper inspection. Extend the awning fully using the Thule wall switch (located inside the Solis on the driver-side wall near the sliding door) or the Thule app if your unit has Bluetooth pairing enabled. Watch the fabric as it unrolls: sagging in the center, fraying along the lead rail hem, or a persistent lean to one end all tell different stories. Check the aluminum roller tube for straightness — a bent tube is rare but will cause the motor to labor audibly and trip the overload circuit. Grab the lead rail and push it upward gently; more than a half-inch of play in the arm pivot joints means the nylon pivot bushings are worn. Inspect the fabric for UV chalking (a white powdery residue), mold staining, or tears near the pull strap grommet, which is the single most common fabric failure point on the HideAway 1200. Document everything with photos. If the motor runs but the tube doesn’t spin, the internal slip clutch has failed and you need the replacement motor. If the motor is silent, check the 10A awning fuse in the Solis fuse panel under the passenger seat before condemning the motor.

Step 2: Set Up a Safe Work Zone and Disconnect Power

The Thule HideAway 1200 motor runs on 12V DC pulled directly from the Solis house battery system — it is not routed through the Xantrex Freedom XC inverter, so switching the inverter off does nothing to de-energize the awning circuit. Locate the main house battery disconnect switch (driver-side rear, near the Xantrex unit under the bed platform) and turn it off. Confirm the awning switch inside produces no response. If you are on shore power at a campground, unplug the 15A cord from the pedestal as well — the Xantrex charger will keep the battery energized through the disconnect if shore power remains connected. Park on the flattest surface you can find; the ProMaster’s roof rail sits at approximately 88 inches, and you will be working at ladder height. Clip your safety fall-protection strap to a roof rack crossbar or the ProMaster’s factory roof rail before ascending — never work at this height without a fall restraint. Place wheel chocks front and rear. If it is windy, wait: a partially extended awning in a gust can swing violently and injure a worker on a ladder.

Step 3: Remove the Awning Fabric from the Roller Tube

Extend the awning approximately 18 inches so there is enough fabric exposed to work with, then have your helper support the lead rail while you climb. The Thule HideAway 1200 fabric attaches to the roller tube via a continuous hemmed slot — the fabric hem slides into a channel that runs the full length of the aluminum roller tube. On the Solis, the tube end caps are on the inboard (cab-forward) and outboard (rear) ends of the awning housing. Use a Phillips #2 screwdriver to remove the two end cap screws on the outboard end — these are exposed when the awning is in the partially extended position. Slide the end cap off; you will see the fabric hem channel clearly. Grip the fabric hem at the outboard end and pull it straight out laterally — it should slide smoothly if the channel is clean. If it binds, spray a short burst of silicone lubricant (not WD-40, which attracts dirt) into the channel and work the fabric back and forth gently. Once started, the full fabric panel will pull free as your helper feeds it down from the lead rail end. Roll the old fabric loosely and set it aside — you can use it as a template to confirm your replacement fabric dimensions match.

Step 4: Inspect and Service the Roller Tube, Arms, and Motor

With the fabric removed, spin the roller tube by hand. It should rotate smoothly with slight resistance from the internal spring tension — a grinding or clicking feel means debris or a cracked internal spring. Visually inspect the full tube length for dents, which will prevent the replacement fabric from feeding evenly. A dented tube must be replaced with the correct-diameter roller tube replacement; bring your old tube to a hardware store to match the outer diameter before ordering. Check both swing arms: the pivot point where each arm connects to the mounting rail bracket has a nylon bushing that wears oval over time. Grip each arm and wiggle it — more than 3mm of slop means the bushing needs replacement (Thule part, available from awning specialty suppliers). Inspect the motor housing at the inboard end of the tube. The HideAway 1200 motor is a tubular 12V unit that slides inside the roller tube from the inboard end; two roll pins lock it in place. If you confirmed a motor failure in Step 1, now is the time to drive out those roll pins with a 4mm punch, slide the old motor free, and slide the universal replacement motor (Solera/Dometic compatible tubular style) into position. Align the new motor’s drive pin with the tube slot and reset the roll pins.

Step 5: Install the Replacement Fabric

Unroll your replacement awning fabric on a clean tarp to inspect it before installation — check that the hem channel strip runs the full length of one long edge and that the lead rail sleeve is correctly sewn at the opposite long edge. Measure the fabric width against your old piece; the HideAway 1200 on the Solis 59PX typically measures 10 feet in width, but confirm your specific unit before ordering. Feed the hem channel strip into the roller tube channel starting at the inboard end — push 6 inches in, then rotate the tube slightly by hand so the spring tension helps draw the hem in as you feed. Work toward the outboard end, keeping light tension on the fabric so it does not accordion inside the channel. Once the full hem is seated, replace the outboard end cap and its two Phillips screws snugly but not over-torqued — the plastic cap cracks easily. At the lead rail end, the fabric sleeve simply slips over the lead rail extrusion and is held by tension; no fasteners are needed. Attach the UV-resistant pull strap through the grommet in the lead rail center using the existing stainless D-ring, knotting it securely with a bowline so it cannot slip under load. Reconnect the house battery.

Step 6: Test the Mechanism and Adjust Travel Limits

Restore power at the battery disconnect and press the Extend button on the interior wall switch. Watch the fabric unroll across the full range of motion — the HideAway 1200 motor has internal limit switches that stop travel at the fully-open and fully-closed positions. If the awning stops short of full extension or over-rotates and the fabric bunches, the limit switch positions need adjustment. On the Thule HideAway 1200, limit adjustment is done via a small hex access port on the motor end cap (2.5mm Allen key). Clockwise rotation of the extend-limit adjustment adds travel; counterclockwise reduces it. Make changes in quarter-turn increments and test between each adjustment. The awning should fully extend with the lead rail hanging level — if one end droops, loosen the arm tension adjuster bolt (5mm Allen, located at the arm’s upper pivot bracket on the roof rail) on the low side and rotate the arm spring collar one click tighter, then re-test. Install the Camco de-flappers / wind stabilizers onto the lead rail at this stage — slide them onto the rail from either end before the end caps are fully tightened, spacing them evenly at the rail’s quarter-points for best anti-flutter performance.

Step 7: Weatherproof the Mounting Points and Do a Rain Test

The Thule HideAway 1200 mounts to the ProMaster’s factory roof rail via four stainless M8 bolts that pass through the rail and into aluminum backing plates inside the roof rail channel. On pop-top Solis models (the 59P), these bolts are adjacent to the canvas/vinyl perimeter seal — the single highest water intrusion risk in the entire van. Inspect the sealant bead around each bolt head on the roof rail exterior. If any sealant is cracked, lifted, or missing, clean the area with isopropyl alcohol, let it dry fully, and apply a fresh bead of self-leveling Dicor lap sealant around each bolt head. Do not use silicone here — silicone does not bond reliably to the ProMaster’s painted roof rail and will peel within one season. On pop-top models, also inspect the canvas seam at the four corners nearest the awning rail; awning vibration accelerates seam wear at those corners. Use a garden hose at moderate pressure directed at the mounting rail for five minutes as a rain test — check the interior ceiling liner near the driver-side wall for any drips before declaring the job complete. Extend and retract the awning three full cycles to confirm smooth, repeatable operation, and use the telescoping awning hook to reach the pull strap without ladder work during normal daily use.

← Back to Top 20 Class B RV Models