Euro cylinder lock - removal without keys

[kimunipie]

Hi all,

Got a closed/shut/locked uPVC front door with a euro cylinder lock and no keys.
Tried drilling [EDIT]

Now I'm wondering if the outside lock will still be operational for picking and such, even though the inside one is destroyed because of drilling?

Will appreciate any advice! Thanks in advance.

[EmCee]

Unfortunately the best advice is probably advice you won't want to hear - leave it alone and call a locksmith.

Is this your own house or are you renting or in student accommodation? One problem with sites like this (and the many 'diy' type sites that give advice on how to do all sorts of things) is that it often makes people think that a job is easier than it is and that they can save on paying a tradesman by doing it themselves. Sometimes the job goes easily; the problem is when something goes wrong and that's when the experience of a tradesman comes into its own.

Without seeing the lock it's not possible to say whether the outside can now be picked - it might or it might not. There is a skill to correctly and accurately drilling a lock. Your pattern of drilling might have jammed it up or there might be another fault.

That Euro cylinder sits in a gearbox that operates the multi-point locking system in the door. If you have damaged the gearbox then the job is going to be more difficult, more time-consuming and more expensive (potentially three times more at £200plus) to sort out. I'm not trying to be unhelpful, but I would urge you not to continue trying to open the door and instead calling a locksmith (choose a reputable local one with a physical local address and local phone number, not a national call centre).

[MBI]

He's right, time to call a locksmith.
Also, discussion of destructive entry topics is limited to the advanced forum.
viewtopic.php?f=2&t=715
Rule 19.

[kimunipie]

wops, sorry guys, missed that rule.

Well to update: finally managed to open the lock after breaking a few drill bits, wasn't easy but at least learnt a few things in the process. So can open lock with drill, just takes time, patience and/or skill.

Appreciate your advice EmCee, and you were correct in that it wasn't the advice I wanted to hear
I agree with what you have said, but the cost of a locksmith does not justify the time and skill they put into removing the lock IMHO, I'd rather learn and do the job myself so as to have also gained something in the process.

Also this scare tactic of "don't touch it! otherwise x times more cost" is pretty lame tbh.
With the details I had given, which are now censored, it was pretty obvious that I hadn't touched the gearbox, had done my homework and was just trying to figure out the next step to the solution.
It would make sense for you to want me to call a professional, especially if you are a locksmith yourself, and obviously money/debt is a great tool to control people when mixed with fear, but to give into such fears is so pathetic that your proposition just pumped me up even more to solve the issue myself because I am confident in my knowledge and ability.
Thats the feeling I get anyway, perhaps I misunderstood and you were just trying to be helpful, in which case I thank you for your advice

Unfortunately there isn't enough knowledge out there on the internet to help people like me, not sure why my post was even censored... are theives really going to get any useful clues from posts like mine to make them more able to break in? Really? haha
Thankfully I've learnt that front door locks are pretty weak in terms of security, but luckily there are too many of them (front doors that is) so the chances of me being next is ... well we'll see

This was the front door on my own property btw.

[EmCee]

The reason your post was censored will be clear if you read the rules of the forum and there are numerous posts as to why that rule exists - it was not a personal snub against you; the rule is applied to all.

My comments weren't intended to 'scare' you. I have seen several situations where attempts by the lock owner/helpful neighbour/maintenance staff to open a lock have failed and the result has been damage that is more difficult, time-consuming and expensive to sort out compared with dealing with the initial problem. Even for a locksmith, drilling brings certain risks and considerations. Your description was of drilling the lock, it's true, but I had no way of knowing if the lock was loose and/or the pressure you had used might have distorted the gearbox or otherwise damaged internal components. Since I am bound by the same rules on discussing destructive entry, I can't say more than that. The 'x times the cost' I gave was based on the fact that I do not know what type of setup your door has. However, if you had damaged the gearbox (or indeed, if it was damaged anyway) and if the locking system is obsolete (as MPLs frequently are) and a replacement gearbox is not available, then the whole MPL system might have to be replaced with a suitable alternative, and £200+ is a good guide for the cost of that.

Personally, I rarely drill. In a case such as yours, with no keys available, I would typically pick the lock, open the door, and while there check the overall operation of the MPL, tighten any loose screws and perhaps lubricate and adjust keeps etc if needed. I'd then replace the cylinder with a new one. Depending on the quality of lock required, that would cost around £90 incl VAT and take less than an hour for the owner to be secure again with a working lock.

On the other hand I have met those who think that it would be better to do the job themselves rather than pay a locksmith, even to the extent of smashing windows or breaking and replacing doors. In my view the time, hassle, effort and cost of that adds up to more than the cost of a locksmith fixing the problem quickly, but I also understand that everyone is tight for money, especially today, and if they prefer to do it themselves and save the money that is entirely their choice.

I know you want to save money, but locksmiths run businesses so before suggesting that locksmiths cannot justify their charges, please bear in mind that they have spent time and money training and building up skill, they have and continue to spend money on buying and replacing specialist tools that, because they are specialist are not mass-produced and are therefore expensive, that they have to cover the cost of holding stocks covering the huge variety of parts available, that they have to cover the cost of buying and maintaining and insuring and fuelling their vehicle (and pay all the overheads associated with a shop if they run a shop) and that they have to pay for insurance. Out of the amount you pay them there is (in the UK) 20% VAT that goes to the government, not the locksmith, set aside for income tax, and the fact that most locksmiths do not work and therefore earn that much per hour (or whatever) every hour of the day every day of the week. Suddenly, you can see that of the amount you pay, the locksmith actually gets to keep only a small percentage as a 'wage'.

[mhole]

Amen to that.

[dll932]

and that is why I never opened my own lock business. it's just not worth doing anymore, imo.

[JG52]

On the other hand I have met those who think that it would be better to do the job themselves rather than pay a locksmith, even to the extent of smashing windows or breaking and replacing doors. In my view the time, hassle, effort and cost of that adds up to more than the cost of a locksmith fixing the problem quickly, but I also understand that everyone is tight for money, especially today, and if they prefer to do it themselves and save the money that is entirely their choice.

Two weeks ago, I foolishly walked out of my house and didn't realize I left the keys inside. After briefly considering options, which included forced entry, I asked my neighbor to call the locksmith. The 20-minute wait and EUR 85 bill was much less than the cost of replacement and repair for any of the forced entry options.