Fullex Lock Repair Kensington
Fullex centre cases carried on the van. Most repairs finished in one visit, 24/7.
Nearly every Fullex we attend has failed in the same place: the centre case behind the faceplate. The rest of the mechanism, the strip, the deadbolt, the keeps, is usually still fine. That matters, because replacing the gearbox alone costs a fraction of a full replacement, and we carry the cases in stock.
Fullex Specialists Across Kensington
Is It Your Centre Case?
Three questions sort most jobs before we arrive:
Does the lever feel heavy? Weight there is the centre case wearing inside the door lock. It is the earliest warning Fullex gives and it usually shows months ahead of a failure.
Does it lock when open? If everything operates freely with the leaf swung back, but not when shut, the mechanism is sound. The leaf has dropped, and the deadbolt is striking the keep. That is an adjustment, not a part.
Does the key turn without moving anything? Then the cylinder is driving nothing, rather than the gearbox itself. The latch will normally still work, which is the giveaway.
Ring us with the answers, or send a photo of the faceplate, and we can usually identify the fault and the part before setting off. You receive a straight answer, and it saves us both a wasted journey.
Which Fullex Multipoint Door Lock Do You Have?
Fullex is easier to pin down than any other brand, because they print the range on the strip along the edge. Read what is written there before you touch the lock or order anything.
Fullex SL16
The SL16 Multibolt earned a long reputation for strength, and there are a great many still working on uPVC doors around Kensington. Some carry a police approved stamp near the top of the strip, which is unusual on multipoint door locks of that age. The Fullex SL16 takes a non-handed case, so one part covers left and right-hand doors, in a 35mm, 45mm or 55mm backset. Fullex SL16 gearbox failures are among the most frequent multipoint door lock repairs we attend. Centres are commonly 62mm on the older SL16 stock rather than the 92mm most modern locks use, which is exactly the sort of detail that ruins a self-bought replacement.
Fullex Crimebeater
Fullex Crimebeater is the range of multipoint door locks built for the long term, with hook and deadbolt options and modern 92mm centres. The Crimebeater 220 Pro is the strongest lock in it, tested to PAS 24 in an accredited laboratory and cycle tested to 50,000 operations. If your insurer or a Secured by Design requirement is driving the work, this is the specification worth asking about.
Fullex XL
XL is the current generation and the usual upgrade route out of older multipoint door locks. Cleaner finish, better tolerances, and the product we fit most often when something obsolete has given up. An XL is designed for the same openings as the older cases, so swapping one for the other rarely means altering the rebate.
Type A
The old chunky gearbox, sometimes twenty years old and still going. The range itself is discontinued, but centre cases remain available, so a Type A rarely means replacing everything. If yours is this model, the reliability of the original is exactly why replacing the gearbox alone still makes sense.
Why Fullex Multipoint Door Locks Wear Differently
Most multipoint door locks lean on hooks. Fullex leans on deadbolts, and that changes how they fail.
A hook pulls the leaf in as it swings, so a small misalignment is absorbed, and the lock barely notices. A deadbolt does not. It either enters the keep squarely or it grinds against the edge of it, and every grind goes back through the gears inside the lock. Fullex multipoint door locks are mechanically robust, but the mechanism is less forgiving of a leaf that has moved than a hook lock is. It is one of the few real design issues with this mechanism.
Which is why the same three faults come up again and again:
- A heavy lever – gears wearing under load inside the door lock case
- It lifts, nothing throws – the gearbox no longer driving the full strip
- A lever that drops on its own – the spindle, a separate and cheaper fault to the lock itself
- The latch will not hold – the latch spring rather than the multipoint door lock itself
- The key turns, but nothing locks – the cylinder, not the door lock gearbox
Note that none of the main three is the deadbolt, the full strip or the keeps. On Fullex multipoint door locks, the wear concentrates in one place, which is what makes replacing a gearbox so cost-effective.
Fullex Locks And Home Security
Security is the reason multipoint door locks exist, and not every Fullex offers the same level of it. The older cases were designed to a different standard from the current ones, and if security is what is driving the work rather than a breakdown, that is worth knowing before you spend.
- Crimebeater 220 Pro carries the highest specification in the range, and is the model to ask about where insurance or Secured by Design conditions apply
- A hook above the handle was added to later Fullex locks precisely to improve security, and older deadbolt-only strips do not have it
- The cylinder matters more than the gearbox. A TS007 3-star anti-snap cylinder is the single cheapest security upgrade for any Fullex multipoint door lock, and we can change one in minutes
We will recommend an upgrade where it makes sense and say so plainly where it does not. Plenty of older Fullex locks are perfectly sound and need nothing more than a new centre case, so keep that in mind before replacing the lot.
Replacing A Fullex Multipoint Door Lock Gearbox: Four Measurements
A multipoint door lock gearbox is not universal, and four numbers decide which one fits your lock:
| Measurement | What it means | Fullex range |
|---|---|---|
| Backset | Edge of the leaf to the centre of the keyhole | 35mm on most uPVC doors, 45mm on composite and timber, 55mm on some |
| Centres (PZ) | Cylinder to spindle | 92mm on current stock, 62mm on some SL16, 68mm on Type A |
| Spindle | Single, double or split | Depends on your handle set |
| Lock points | Deadbolts, hooks, rollers and their positions | Varies by range |
Those are the most important measurements, and getting one wrong means the multipoint door lock gearbox will not seat. It is the usual reason a self-fitted job is abandoned halfway with the property standing open. We take the important measurements on site and fit from stock the same visit, so there is no second appointment.
Fullex Locks On uPVC Doors, Composite And Timber
A 35mm backset dominates on uPVC doors, which is where most Fullex locks in Kensington live. Composite and timber generally take a 45mm backset, because there is more material to cut into. Fullex multipoint door locks are fitted to all three, and the design is the same in each. Only the backset and the installation change, so uPVC doors and composite take the same units in different sizes. It is a useful shortcut: if you know the material, you can usually guess the backset before measuring it, though we always check rather than assume.
Fullex door locks turn up on back and side entrances as often as front ones, and those see less use but far more weather. A lock that has not been operated since spring is a common call-out in October, and stiffness there is usually neglect rather than a failed multipoint door lock.
Fullex uPVC Door Alignment: Try The Cheap Fix First
A large share of the Fullex repairs we attend need no parts at all. The leaf has dropped, the deadbolt is fighting the keep, and every push against that resistance loads the gearbox further.
We always adjust before we quote for parts. Making the leaf sit correctly is free, and it is the ideal first move on any Fullex uPVC door. Our guide page on alignment and care sets out what we check on site and what you can do between visits. Read that page before you order parts you may not need. It covers the same ground whatever brand is fitted.
Should You Order The Part Yourself?
Plenty of people try, and it is worth knowing where it goes wrong.
Every supplier website lists Fullex parts by product code, and the items look identical in the photographs. Compatibility is based on measurements you cannot judge from a picture, and the model number alone will not tell you. Order a 35mm case for a 45mm backset, and it will not go in, and most trade suppliers will not accept a return on a security product once the packaging is open. Same-day dispatch is offered on most items, but you still wait, and the offer does not include the installation or the fitting.
There is also the alignment. A new gearbox fitted into a leaf that has dropped picks up the same wear that killed the last one, usually within a year or two. If you would rather learn what you have before spending, send a photo and we will tell you.
What A Fullex Door Lock Repair Costs
A Fullex door lock repair price depends on which of these you need:
- Adjustment only – no parts and no new lock, and roughly half of what we attend
- A centre case – the common outcome, and far more cost-effective than a complete new lock
- A whole unit – where everything has gone, or an obsolete range is worth upgrading
- Cylinder as well – often replaced at the same time as the lock
- Emergency or out of hours – affects the call-out rate rather than the lock itself
How Long Do Fullex Door Locks Last?
Ten to fifteen years is typical for a centre case on a well-aligned leaf that is locked each time properly. Older Type A cases often beat that, which is why we still find them working. What shortens their life is rarely the product:
- A dropped leaf. The gears take that strain every time you operate the handle against resistance.
- Never lifting. Leaving it resting on the latch alone loads one small part, rather than ensuring the whole lock takes the strain.
- Forcing a heavy lever. Avoid this above all. It is the difference between an easy centre case swap and a far bigger bill.
Fullex door locks warn you earlier than most, so there is usually time to act. Order a repair when the lever first feels heavy, ensuring the leaf is adjusted at the same visit, and the new case starts its life properly aligned.
Questions We Get Asked
The lever has gone stiff. Is it about to fail?
Usually. Weight in the lever means the gears are wearing. Far easier to deal with while it still locks.
Can just the gearbox be replaced?
On most Fullex locks, yes. The Fullex gearbox comes out, and a new one re-attaches to the existing full strip. Considerably cheaper than a complete new lock, and an easy job for us.
Can I upgrade an older one to XL?
In most cases. We measure first and confirm before fitting.
It says SL16 or Crimebeater on the faceplate. Do you carry those?
Fullex SL16, Crimebeater and XL cases are all held in stock or sourced the same day. Fullex SL16 parts in particular, we keep on the van as standard.
Do you cover emergencies?
Yes, 24/7, with a 30-minute response target across Kensington. If the lock will not operate at all, we treat the job as urgent.
Fullex Repairs Day And Night
Whatever your Fullex door lock is doing, a fully equipped locksmith can be with you in about 30 minutes anywhere in Kensington, with the right parts and centre case already on board.
Emergency Locksmiths 24/7