A customer in Feltham returned home from holiday and found clear signs of an attempted break-in. The bottom of the porch door had been smashed and the main composite door had visible forced-entry marks, but they could not open it even with the correct key.
This was one of the most difficult multipoint openings I had dealt with.
The composite door had virtually no movement in it, so the usual non-destructive techniques were not getting anywhere. I spent around an hour trying to relieve the pressure and release the mechanism without causing additional damage, but the door would not move.
With the customer’s permission, I then removed the handles and cylinder to gain more direct access to the failed multipoint system. Even that was not enough.
Eventually I made a controlled access opening through the door in the area covered by the handle furniture so I could reach the gearbox and work directly on the trapped latch. Only then did the mechanism start to move and I was able to open the door.
Fortunately, I had a genuine replacement multipoint mechanism in the van.
I fitted the replacement, reassembled the door and worked through the checks and adjustments needed to restore normal operation. Despite the forced-entry attempt and the difficult opening, the main door itself could be retained and secured again on the same visit.
