Newell Gurus

Gang,

My Girard G-2000 awning was out this afternoon when a pop-up thunderstorm came by.  A sudden gust of wind got the awning before the whirligig thing brought the awning in.  The awning bounced quite a bit and I noticed the joint of one arm was broken.  I brought the awning in and it came mostly in.  It probably is 3 inches from the normally closed position.  (When it came in, it made quite a racket).

So my questions are:

1)  Has anyone replaced an arm on these things?  
I did find a video from Girard that shows the steps (online video)
2)  The awning is 13 years old and has been used a lot.  Even though the fabric seems to be in good condition, would it be better to replace the whole thing?  
3)  Are there any alternatives to Girard electric awnings that should be considered?
4)  (Probably most important)  What keeps the awning from going out when driving? Should I be concerned about it coming undone while on the road?  (I know the zip dee awnings will fly out unless locked down...but am not sure if the Girard can go out without the motor running.
5)  I have looked at the Girard site for authorized repair vendors and the only ones close by look pretty shady.  (hehe...shady...get it???!)

I'm in Auburn Alabama right now and will probably have to drive to a repair facility.

Thanks!
bill

Do you have the "emergency" pole that came with it? If so you might try to close it further using that.
Sorry, I've seen mine flap around quite a bit too. I had reset the wind sensor so it comes in at a lower speed.
Give Steve Magown a buzz, I think he might be able to get you a better price on a new one if you go that way.

I do have the pole, and I did reset my wind sensor to come in at a lower speed, but what got me was a sudden gust.

The front rail is now offset laterally by a few inches. Maybe if I try to manually put it out and then push on cassette I might be able to get it to store properly.