Help With Awning Tube Replacement Advice
I had a low-speed "interaction" with a power pole that has indented and possibly slightly bent the roller tube of my Solera (Lippert) awning. (Note, it's also scraped the fabric a bit, but I can live with the minor blemish.) Having viewed several videos on this topic, and being reasonably handy, I'm confident that I can change the awning tube myself.
My local dealer (who's great) has priced out the replacement tube with Lippert at CAD$250 plus CAD$500-$1,000 to ship it freight. They can't confirm shipping cost until I order and there's no cancelling special orders. So I'd be on the hook for CAD$750-$1,250!
I'm going to try to see if I can "massage" the existing tube back into shape with application of vices/clamps and/or some brute force. But if that doesn't work I've found an available used Solera awning tube, which I understand to be the same profile and otherwise interchangeable for around CAD$310. The only problem is that it's too long - 16 ft vs 13 ft. But I have a hack saw and a can-do spirit so was thinking I could buy the used tube, cut it and re-drill the screw-holes to match the locations on the 13 ft tube.
My questions to those with knowledge and experience with awning repair / replacement are: Is this is a do-able proposition? Have you had an awning apart and do you think it's reasonably straighforward to mimic the screw pattern/hole diameter in a chopped-off roller tube? (My understanding is it's 3 screws that attach to the end cap, plus one that holds the awning fabric in the track.) Is it true that all Solera tubes have the same profile so can theoretically be interchanged?
Thanks for listening and any tips/advice you can provide. I'm also open to alternative suggestions to what I've outlined above, but would ideally like to avoid the higher-cost option of shipping from Lippert.