A customer in Ashford was finding it increasingly difficult to lock and unlock a patio door. The handle had become harder and harder to lift and was getting close to the point where something was likely to break.
The first thing I did was test the multipoint mechanism with the door open. In that position the handles moved normally and the mechanism operated without excessive resistance. That immediately pointed away from an internal gearbox failure and towards an alignment problem between the door and frame.
The uneven gaps around the door confirmed it. At the top, the multipoint locking strip had already started cutting into the uPVC frame because the door was sitting so far out of position.
I adjusted the door hinges and the frame keeps, then lubricated the multipoint mechanism thoroughly.
Once the alignment was corrected, the handles were easy to operate again and the patio door could be locked and unlocked without forcing the mechanism. Catching the problem at that stage also meant there was no need to replace parts that were still working.
