> 2. Only use a cotton canvas.  I installed a Sunbrella canvas for a 
> customer a few years ago and I swore never to do that again.  The
> material is much thicker and stiffer so it makes install about twice 
> as hard (if not more).  

This thread emphasizes the importance of buying a quality canvas that fits well and lasts long.  This is a big job even under the best of circumstances. Add to that a canvas that is unusually hard to install (either a Sunbrella one that is stiffer, or an aftermarket cotton one that just doesn't meet factory measurements) and it's even harder. Worse yet is a low-end aftermarket one that fails in just a few years, leaving you to do the job all over again. There are cheap Chinese knockoffs out there. I know because the supplier tried to sell them to me a couple of years ago. They were dirt-cheap (about $75) but the quality was pathetic. The material was thin and when I compared two different samples they weren't even the same dimensions. Needless to say I declined the offer. Now they've turned up elsewhere (for about 3 times the wholesale price, I might add). I can't imagine going through this much effort to install a crappy product that is unlikely to last more than a few years and will probably fit poorly from day one.

We have genuine OEM Westfalia canvases that are 100% cotton and are 100% OEM quality and fit. This is not an area to cut corners. See http://busdepot.com/details/canvas.jsp for our article on the various canvas options.

- Ron Salmon
  The Bus Depot, Inc.
  www.busdepot.com
  (215)  234-VWVW

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