Getting Access To Cylinder Lock

[chuckalicious]

The lock on one side of my double UPVC doors has gone - it locks but if you force the handle a few times it seems to unlock, so I'm guessing a new cylinder is needed.

Read up on removal and it all seems straight forward. However the door in question is the door that you would open second so has an extra bit of plastic and strike plate covering the screw that holds the cylinder in place.

I found another thread on here saying once some screws have been removed the extra plastic bit of door can be removed. However none of the screws I can see do anything other than hold the metal plate on. Removing the plates does not loosen the plastic at all. I cannot see any way to remove it from the top or bottom.

The other thread also suggested simply drilling through the plastic to expose the screw. Tried that and there's another metal plate inside the plastic and I'm not getting through that.

So, exactly how do I get to the sodding screw without buggering the door!

 

[Gazman16]

The reinforcing your hitting with your drill will only be about 3mm thick so not too hard to drill through.
Sounds like it may be the locking mech inside the door thats gone rather than the cylinder from your description but try the cylinder first to be sure. Use the one from the working door to test before you buy one.

Assuming it is the mech you will have to take the mullion off anyway.
I take it you have had the whole locking strip off and there were no visible screws behind? If so it must be screwed from the other side so you will need to take the glass out which is going to be an absolute ball ache as you have Astragal bars so they are probably all going to have to come off and be refitted later too.

Are you 100% sure its not under guarantee? This is going to turn into a pig of a job quickly I fear.

 

[chuckalicious]

They are more than 10 years old I think so would imagine there's no guarantee.

Some more info - when you turn the key to lock or unlock, there's no "click" or resistance so the only way to know it has locked is to test the handle.

Will try drilling the metal tomorrow just in case.

Thanks for the info.

 

[Gazman16]

Yes I would defiantly drill through and test the cylinder first.