Hi Andy B
I hope this is of use to you.
I suppose how much you use an awning depends on your camping style and how lucky you are with the weather (and positioning the vehicle. I wasn't sure whether I needed one but didn't want the hassle of fitting it later.
During the first three months with the vehicle I was tempted to remove the awning because of the rattles and relegate it to the other" unused" items - the upstairs net, the suspended storage basket, Mercedes chairs, the adjuster for the seat stops and the tie-down hooks.
Lack of space to store it and reports of difficulty getting the bolts undone sent me down the route of stopping the rattles. Various fixes later including some some additional roller springs from the Thule rep at the Motorhome and Caravan Show at the NEC ( - remember that ? ! ) the rattles were absent the last time I drove the vehicle.
Don't let the potential rattles put you off. If you can fit the awning you will be able to fix any rattles you get !
