Door lock is stuck… – ABUS additional lock

Reading time 4 minutes

Updated – February 18, 2023

The ABUS additional lock is rated with 90 points out of 100 in terms of security and is intended to be used twice here.

Since break-ins in caravans/mobile homes are also often the subject of discussion, I will also take this topic into account at a glance.

You read about this problem again and again. It's just stupid if, like the Niessmann Flair, this door is the only access. Consequently, the consideration was, what if this happens on a long journey, far from workshops or sources of spare parts?

Since I don't like having to repair one thing multiple times, and I also don't like buying proper tools once instead of "cheap" ones several times, the solution here was to take everything out and put it in again - modified accordingly.

Dismantling the door cover

First you have to remove the door cover. For dismantling, there are two Phillips screws at the top and bottom of the contrasting window trim. After removing this one suspects that something can be solved somewhere. However, hidden behind the rest of the paneling are small, narrow Velcro strips that hold the entire stem in place.

So when the door is open, you boldly grab the panel in the middle of the inside of the hinge and pull firmly. With a jerk, all the Velcro connections there come off. The Velcro strips don't separate cleanly, but most of them are torn off along with the adhesive.

Only the screw of the dark door opener and the two other screws at the top and bottom of the gray long door handle still hold the right side of the panel. After loosening these five Phillips screws, the panel can be completely removed.

This reveals the somewhat intricate and therefore prone to failure linkage that connects the various components to one another. Sometimes it bends, a bracket breaks or it needs lubrication. All imponderables that you don't want to be exposed to on the go.

In just a few simple steps, all the rods can be dismantled and the door is waiting to be rebuilt.

Selection of new components

What is better than the original lock construction and what is suitable as effective burglary protection?

Everyone probably knows a conventional one Door mortise lock for use with a suitable profile cylinder, as well as a so-called Additional lock, which comes with three keys and serves as additional burglary protection. Two locks can also be installed, one above and one below the old door lock.

It is best to choose the profile cylinder after the door structure has been completed in order to be able to determine the correct dimensions. The final door thickness should not exceed 90 mm when using the additional lock mentioned above.

Door structure

In order to have enough lining for the new ABUS lock(s), screen printing plates serve as a stable mounting surface. The disadvantage is the high weight and the resulting higher load on the door hinges. However, since a mobile home is exposed to greater fluctuations in humidity, lighter alternative building materials are difficult to find. They should also be free of distortion. Therefore, the choice fell on the screen printing plate.

Weight savings are achieved by pot holes arranged offset on both sides with a depth of around two thirds of the panel thickness, with the original panel thickness of around one centimeter remaining between the adjacent cup holes.

In the intended installation areas of the ABUS locks, the plate remains in its original condition.

An acrylic glass plate, for example in white, can serve as a visually successful finish. At the entry level, however, black is advisable. Scratching and soiling in this area can hardly be avoided, but with black acrylic glass it is hardly visible.

Installation of the additional lock

According to the drilling template supplied, the holes are marked at the desired location using a graver. Make sure that all drillings are absolutely right-angled!

Start with the H/K hole (*marks on the ABUS drilling template), corresponding to the door hinged on the right or left. Pre-drill with a 5 mm drill. The final drill diameter is 12 mm.

Next, the core hole G* or L* is made with 35 mm, which serves as a holder for the outer locking cylinder of the additional lock.

In preparation for installation, the length of the lock pin and the long retaining screws may need to be adjusted according to the door thickness. The locking bolt must also be removed after loosening the Phillips screw on the holding structure. As a test, the outer locking cylinder is inserted into the core hole and the retaining plate on the inside of the door is held against it. Check whether the pin of the lock cylinder is flush with the slot in the driver plate and whether the longer screws securely connect both lock parts to one another.

In order to avoid that, as happened here, the thin aluminum sheet of the outer cladding is pulled inwards by the tension of the screws when tightening and causes a dent, it is better to put a 20 mm aluminum pipe section, cut to the appropriate length, over it Push lock cylinder pin. The length must be such that it exactly compensates for the distance between the end of the locking cylinder and the level of the inside of the door. In this way, the screws can be tightened firmly, but no longer deform the outer skin.

Now the inner edge of the outer lock cover can be completely covered with silicone, fitted into the holes and the retaining plate can be installed. Make sure the locking cylinder pin fits perfectly and tighten the long screws.

Finally, check the vertical mounting position, correct it slightly if necessary and fix it in the two positions M* using two suitable screws.

After about two hours, carefully cut through and remove any silicone that has escaped from the outside of the edge of the lock cylinder cover using a cutter knife at an angle of 45 degrees between the cover and the door surface.