Autumn Lock Maintenance Check | A Ten-Minute Walk-Round Before Winter Hits

I had a call-out to Broadfield last January. Bloke couldn't get his front door open because the multipoint lock had finally given up. Gearbox stripped. The mechanism had been grinding for three months, he said. He'd just assumed it was 'the cold'. It wasn't the cold. It was three months of a dry, worn-out gearbox being forced every single day until something snapped.

That job cost him £180 and a two-hour wait in sleet. Fifteen minutes in October would have saved both.

Do this walk-round now, before November gets here.

The Key Feel Test

Put your key in every lock on the property. Front door, back door, garage side door, shed if it matters to you. Turn it slowly. You're not unlocking, you're listening and feeling.

A well-maintained cylinder turns with light, consistent pressure. If you feel grit, a slight catch, or you have to 'find the sweet spot', the cylinder is dry or the cam is starting to wear.

Do this: A few drops of a dry PTFE lubricant down the keyhole, then work the key in and out a dozen times. Not WD-40. That's a water displacer, not a lubricant, and it gums up the pins inside a cylinder over time. Dedicated lock oil or a dry PTFE spray from any hardware shop. A can costs about £5.

If the stiffness stays after lubrication, the cylinder itself may be worn or partially damaged. Worth a closer look before winter makes it worse.

Multipoint Lock Mechanisms

Most homes in Crawley, Three Bridges, Pound Hill, Maidenbower, pretty much anywhere built or refitted since the mid-90s, have uPVC or composite doors with multipoint locks. GU, Fuhr, Maco, Roto, Winkhaus. The brand matters less than the condition.

Lift the handle and watch the hooks and rollers engage. They should move freely, spring back crisply, and all reach their keeps at the same time. If any hook drags, stutters, or the handle feels heavy to lift, the gearbox is getting tired.

Do this: Apply a thin smear of a silicone-based grease to the exposed parts of the faceplate, the hooks and roller cams. Don't drown it. Wipe off the excess. Work the handle up and down ten times.

A gearbox replacement on a standard GU or Fuhr mechanism is roughly £95 to £140 fitted, depending on the model. A call-out because the door won't lock at 10pm on a Tuesday in February is more.

Hinge Check

Open each external door to about 90 degrees and let go. Does it stay put, or does it slowly swing? Swing means the hinges are worn or the screws are loose.

Do this: Close the door and check the gap around the frame. It should be consistent top to bottom on the latch side. If it's tighter at the top than the bottom, the hinges are dropping. Tighten all visible hinge screws. If a screw spins without biting, the hole is stripped. Pack it with a wooden matchstick and wood glue, let it dry, then re-drive the screw.

Why does this matter for the lock? A dropping door puts the latch and deadbolt out of alignment with their keeps. You end up forcing the lock every time. That's how gearboxes die.

Weatherseal and Frame

Run your hand around the inside of the door frame when the door is closed. Can you feel a draught? Hold a piece of tissue near the edges. Movement means the seal is compressed, split, or missing.

This isn't just a heating bill problem. A gap in the weatherseal lets moisture into the frame. Timber frames swell. uPVC frames stay dimensionally stable but the mechanism inside isn't, and a frame that shifts in wet weather will misalign keeps.

Do this: Replace any weatherseal that's visibly flattened or cracked. It's a press-in or self-adhesive strip from a builders' merchant. A few quid and twenty minutes. While you're there, check the keep plates on the frame. Tighten any loose screws. A keep that pulls free under a kick is useless regardless of what cylinder you've fitted.

The Cylinder Itself

Stand outside and look at your front door cylinder. Is it proud of the door furniture? A cylinder that sticks out more than 3mm beyond the escutcheon plate is vulnerable to the snap attack. It's a genuine method used by burglars in RH10 and RH11 postcodes, not a scare story.

If your cylinder protrudes significantly and it's a standard euro cylinder with no star rating, it's worth swapping it for a TS007 3-star rated cylinder. Ultion and Avocet ABS are what I fit most often. Around £50 to £80 supply and fit. Insurance companies like them. So do I.

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If you work through that list and something doesn't feel right, don't leave it. Rapid Response covers Crawley and the surrounding RH postcodes. Average arrival under 30 minutes for most of the town. Pricing is honest and given upfront on the call, not on the doorstep after the job's done. Call us before the cold decides for you.