Customer only ever had 1 key for their Honda Jazz, and when they lost that key their car was immobilised in a pay and display car park. We made a new key in situ, and also made their first remote key since having the car. 
That time of year again.
As Winter turns to Spring, or Autumn turns to winter there is always a peak in the number of UPVC door mechanisms failing. If your door is difficult to lock or unlock, get your door adjusted before the mechanism breaks and jams the door locked or unlocked.
Corrective adjustment of a UPVC door before it breaks is much cheaper than a repair.
Faulty UPVC window mechanism.
A customer’s UPVC window wouldnt open. It’s obvious why when you look at the photo. There were 4 or 5 other bits of broken cog but I dropped them in long grass.
This is a Coldseal Tallon mechanism. It was discontinued many years ago. To replace it a completely different mechanism has to be adapted in order to repair the UPVC window.
Repairing Land Rover Freelander remote
Land Rover Freelander 2 remote repair. These remotes do not have an easily replaced battery. It’s actually soldered onto the circuit board. It isn’t a difficult job to replace the battery, but be very careful what your’re touching with the heat gun/soldering iron – especially if you’ve only got the one remote.
Yet another example of why to get your UPVC door adjusted
Imagine the scene… your UPVC door has been awkward to lock/unlock for a few weeks. You’ve been out all day with the family, but you can’t open the door. You’re all locked out, standing in the street until you can get hold of a locksmith to let you in.
The strain caused by the door being badly adjusted has caused the gearbox to break inside the door. The door is now jammed shut. It’s a really common problem.
If you doors aren’t smooth to lock/unlock; either get it sorted, or be prepared for the mechanism inside to fail completely.
Car lock repair
Customer bought a car that needed different a different key for the ignition to the driver’s door. This is rebuilding the customer’s door lock to match all the other locks on the vehicle
If your car has been stolen/recovered without the keys you may wish to have the locks changed and the missing keys electronically erased from the vehicle. This will prevent any missing keys being used to re-steal the car.
One of the most common ways to steal a car is by taking the keys. Do not leave your keys within sight of the letterbox. I go to so many houses to see the keys hanging in full view, or lying on the hallway table.
Yale Conexis smart lock
We now stock and install the Yale Conexis smart lock.
Open either using your phone, key tag, phone tag or key card. Send ‘mobile keys’ remotely to anybody who needs access. (These can be set for a time period, or revoked as necessary).
Take a look at the video below to see some of the capabilities of this lock.
British Standard UPVC locks.
Most UPVC doors use a type of lock called a Euro cylinder. I estimate less than 10% of houses in my area have BS kitemarked cylinders. The bulk of the other 90% of locks are to be frank ….. rubbish.
BS locks can also have additional ratings or certifications such as 1 to 3 stars, or the Sold Secure Diamond.
Below is a video of a high end BS cylinder. We supply and fit these Ultion locks if the customer wants one of the strongest locks available.
An important thing to consider is the lock length. The lock should not be sticking out of the exterior handles more than a few mm, ideally it should be flush. A lock that is too long on the outside leaves you more vulnerable to burglary.
Another common mistake you’ll see it the handles fitted the wrong way. If your screw holes are on the outside of the door then they’ve been fitted incorrectly. Again this is a security weakness.
Steel security container
Keys had been lost to this steel security container. It had 8mm thick steel doors and the customer specified the door had to be opened with
out any damage.
The locks were so seized they couldn’t be open with regular tools on the first visit. We finally unlocked it with a tool made by GJ Locks (thanks guys!) specifically for this lock.
The key holes needed to be filed wider to get the tool in, and other fiddling (such as clearing the dead insects out, and an extra person needed to push the door back against the frame).
Most mortice locks can be opened with a universal tool but because of the state of the locks and strain on the door I couldn’t manage it without the GJ too.
Snapped car key replacement
A customer called late at night with the end of the key snapped off in the car door. The key was badly worn and had not been turning without force and jiggling. Finally the key snapped. Customer thought he would need new locks.
The key w
as extracted from the lock. A new key was then cut with a computerised machine which cut to the measurements the original key when it was brand new. The new key worked smoothly, new locks weren’t needed and customer could drive away happy.
This is the snapped key held together in the trace cutting jig. It was necessary to reproduce a one piece copy of the snapped key. Only a key in one piece could be decoded by the computerised cutting machine.
Sometimes if used with a worn key over a period of time a lock will wear too. In such a situation you might be advised to get a new lock too.