A customer in Isleworth got in touch because the key had snapped in the front-door lock and there was no spare available.
Once on site, it was clear that the broken key was only part of the story. The uPVC door was badly misaligned and the customer had been having to force the key to lock it. A key will only tolerate that sort of repeated load for so long before something gives.
I replaced the failed cylinder from van stock, but fitting a new lock without correcting the underlying alignment problem would have left the replacement under the same strain.
I therefore realigned the door and adjusted the locking system so the key could turn without being forced.
Once everything was tested, the new cylinder and multipoint mechanism were working smoothly again.
If a uPVC door key is becoming difficult to turn, it is worth getting the alignment checked before the problem develops into a snapped key or a failed gearbox.
