uPVC Door Repair vs Replace Cost | The Ten-Year Maths

A new uPVC door in West London costs somewhere between £800 and £1,800 fitted. A gearbox service and a decent cylinder costs under £200. Yet every week someone on a street in W5 or W13 pays for a whole new door when their existing frame is perfectly sound. Let's look at the numbers properly.

What Actually Wears Out on a uPVC Door

The frame and slab are almost never the problem. Decent uPVC doesn't rot, warp badly or fall apart. What fails is the mechanism inside: the multipoint locking gearbox, the cylinder, and occasionally the handles or hinges. These are consumable parts. Replacing them isn't patching over a problem, it's standard maintenance.

A ten-year-old door on a Hanwell terrace or a Northfields flat is usually structurally fine. The frame's still plumb. The glazing's sealed. What's worn is a £60 gearbox and a £30 cylinder, both of which swap out in under an hour.

The Numbers Over Ten Years

Here's what a typical uPVC door costs over a decade, depending on which path you take.

The serviced door wins every time, and it's not close. You're saving £700 to £900 over the decade. For a landlord running three or four properties around Southall or Greenford, that adds up fast.

What Drives the Cost of a Repair Up

Not all gearbox jobs are equal. A few things push the price higher.

• The lock brand matters. A standard Maco or GU multipoint gearbox is a stock item. An obscure import or an old Fuhr variant might need ordering in, which adds a call-out and a return visit.
• The cylinder condition. If someone's forced or snapped the existing cylinder, the gearbox can take secondary damage. What looked like a £90 cylinder swap becomes a £200 gearbox-and-cylinder job.
• Handle and hinge wear. Handles on a busy front door, say a letting in Ealing Broadway near the station, take real punishment. Swapping a handle pair adds £40 to £60 to the ticket.
• Door alignment. A door that's dropped on its hinges puts the gearbox under strain. Adjust the hinges first. If a locksmith replaces the gearbox without fixing the alignment, it'll wear out again in two years.

A full service on a well-maintained uPVC door, gearbox, Ultion or Avocet ABS cylinder, handles checked, hinges adjusted, typically runs £150 to £220 in this part of West London. Budget £200 and you won't be surprised.

When Replacing the Door Is the Right Call

Sometimes it is. A door where the frame is out of square beyond adjustment, the slab has delaminated, or the double glazing unit has failed will cost more to properly restore than to replace. A door that's been forced and the frame is cracked around the keep isn't worth throwing a new gearbox at.

Also: security upgrades. If the door has an old BS3621 lock and a single-star cylinder, fitting a replacement door with PAS24 composite construction and a TS007 3-star cylinder from the start is a legitimate reason to spend the money. Particularly if a letting agent or insurer is pushing for higher standards in a Perivale or Park Royal rental.

But that's a deliberate upgrade decision. It's not the same as panicking and ordering a new door because the lock is stiff.

How to Spend the Money Sensibly

Service the mechanism every four to five years. Replace the cylinder with a TS007 3-star rated Ultion, Avocet ABS or Mul-T-Lock when the old one is due. Keep the hinges adjusted so the gearbox isn't fighting a dropped door. Do that and a decent uPVC door will work reliably for fifteen years or more without a full replacement.

If you're not sure whether your door needs a service or a replacement, a ten-minute look from a locksmith who knows uPVC will tell you. Locks Local covers Ealing, Acton, Hanwell, Southall and the surrounding W5 to UB postcode run. Call before you order a new door, because more often than not, you don't need one.