lock safty

[Ankhadia]

i live in an apartment and this is the lock on the front. it looks as though someone has tryed to get in by pulling the lock out. i was wondering if this whole will make it easier for someone to break in. and if so i will need to have them fix it.
thanks

[zeke79]

Yes, they were trying to access the tail piece or the bolt to unlock the deadbolt without turning the cylinder. Whether or not they accomplished the task is hard to tell from the picture. It will definately need repaired. I would recommend a mag or other brand door wrap around. It will not only help prevent this in the future but that along with some good 4" screws in your deadbolt strike will greatly increase your resistance to kick ins.

[MacGyver101]

. . . to unlock the [Kwikset] without turning the cylinder.

Wow... now that's lazy...

[Ankhadia]

the leasing office wants like $60 to replace it. im not sure how you would bypass it but would some foam or some sort of filler fix that?

[Squelchtone]

the leasing office wants like $60 to replace it. im not sure how you would bypass it but would some foam or some sort of filler fix that?

The lock isn't broken, the door is. If they're willing to put in a new door for $60, then say yes. Look at their shoddy work of fixing prying attemps on the door frame by filling it with drywall compound instead of fixing the wood or metal properly.

zeke nailed it. go to a hardware store and get a MAG brand wrap around, its easy to install and will cover that hole in your door as well as making your door strong around the lock. If you're allowed to change your lock, go to the store and get a Kwikset Smartkey, and key it to their key in case they insist on having access.

Squelchtone

[J-Hood]

You can get a number or products to cover the hole, none of which cost $60, with labor and service call it will. You can do it yourself for $20 easy and then spend the other $40 on a better lock than that piece of crap Kwickset. I would suggest an Arrow "E-61" which will fall into that price range and be far better than the existing lock or any Schlage lock in the same price range. And like someone else said look into getting some longer screws in the frame, I can just about guarantee you only have 3/4 inch screws going into the frame. Just about anyone that uses Kwickset is too lazy to put in the 3" screws and/or proper strike plate.

Jason

[tacedeous]

It look to me like a small time CAR thief attempted a break in, i've had two cars broken into, and those idiots just pryed the lock of the door to access linkage..

question though, even if you where to attempt to bypass like this, and where to access the tailpiece, I dont think you could throw the bolt... hope this ok to talk about here, btw..

[zeke79]

When you go to the hardware store (If they even carry the door wraps, you may have to go to a locksmith shop) be sure you have measured A. Your door thickness and B. the backset of your deadbolt. The backset of the deadbolt is the measurement from the centerline of your deadbolt to the edge of your door. It will be either 2-3/8" or 2-3/4" typically.

Filling the area with foam will likely just cause problems with the operation of the lock and will give you no protection from further bypass attempts. I understand how you cannot see how the lock could be bypassed in this manner but you will just have to trust our word saying that it can be easily bypassed in the state it is in.

Feel free to drop me a pm and we can discuss it through pm or I can give you my msn address if you prefer to discuss it that way. Another great place to discuss it is the lockpicking101 IRC channel (#LP101 on slashnet).

Also, if you want to upgrade your lock hardware I can cut you a good deal on a schlage B series deadbolt with everest C123 keyway cylinder installed. I can pretty much set you up with however many keys you need also.

[prag]

zeke79 wrote

I would recommend a mag or other brand door wrap around.

Excuse my ignorance but what is a mag? Is it like a steel that gets mounted to the door to strengthen the lock area. Just a guess and is there pictures available.

Ankhadia, that does look bad. It is an open invitation for a would-be thief because half the job is done already.

[Squelchtone]

zeke79 wrote

I would recommend a mag or other brand door wrap around.

Excuse my ignorance but what is a mag? Is it like a steel that gets mounted to the door to strengthen the lock area. Just a guess and is there pictures available.

MAG happens to be a company that makes brass door wrap around plates to protect the lock area of the door.
http://www.rd.com/19902/article19902.html


Squelchtone

[yoyoboy]

question though, even if you where to attempt to bypass like this, and where to access the tailpiece, I dont think you could throw the bolt... hope this ok to talk about here, btw..

No, you go straight for the bolt mechanism, usually the top or bottom. Go to the hardware store and pick up a couple of cheep deadbolts; kwickset, schlage, arrow, and have a poke at the bolt mechanism with an icepick. It shouldn't be too hard to figure out how to bypass it. Once you get inside the hole in the door, you have a suprising amount of room to work with.
Yes, there are some locks where you would need to attack the tail piece. Mostly higher quality deadbolts that have covers protecting the bolt.