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

A uPVC door replacement quote lands on your doormat and it says £1,200 to £2,000. That's the moment most Lewes homeowners ring me. Nine times out of ten, the door itself is fine. What's failed is a £60 gearbox or a worn-out cylinder that costs less than a tank of fuel.

Let me show you the actual numbers over ten years, because the maths is not close.

What Actually Wears Out on a uPVC Door

The frame and slab on a decent uPVC door will outlast the hardware by years. What gives up first is the multipoint locking mechanism, which takes a hammering every single day, and the euro cylinder, which the door handle forces against the mechanism repeatedly. Add in a dropped door, a swollen frame, or a snapped keep plate, and you've got most of the call-outs I attend in Cliffe, Landport, and the new builds out on Malling.

The lock gearbox, usually a Fuhr, GU, Maco, or Winkhaus unit depending on who made the door, costs £40 to £90 in parts. Labour to swap one is typically 45 to 90 minutes. The cylinder, the bit you put the key into, should probably be a Ultion or an Avocet ABS if you haven't upgraded it already. Those run £35 to £65 fitted.

That's it. That's the job most of the time.

The Ten-Year Cost Comparison

Full replacement covers the cost of a mid-range supply-and-fit from a local window company. Your door likely already meets PAS24 if it was fitted after 2015, so a new frame won't change your security baseline significantly unless the frame itself is rotten or the locking points are sheared off completely.

A gearbox swap brings the door back to factory function. A Ultion or Avocet ABS cylinder brings it to TS007 3-star, SS312 Diamond standard, which is the same spec I'd put in a new door anyway.

When Replacement Actually Is the Right Call

I'll tell you straight when you shouldn't repair. The frame is compromised, cracked at the corners, or the PVC has gone brittle and is pulling away from the steel reinforcement inside. A frame that flexes when you push it is not going to hold a secure multipoint correctly regardless of how good the gearbox is.

Same goes for a door slab that's dropped so far the locking bolts won't align even after adjustment, or a door that was fitted badly in the first place and has never seated right. A few rentals in Newhaven and some of the older conversions in Southover have doors I'd replace rather than keep chasing with adjustments.

But that's maybe 15 to 20 percent of the calls I attend. The other 80 percent? Repair.

How to Spend the Money Sensibly

If the door is under fifteen years old and the frame is solid, start with a service call rather than a replacement quote. A locksmith can diagnose a gearbox problem in ten minutes. If the mechanism is tired but not dead, a strip and lubrication plus a new cylinder is sometimes all it needs.

Budget for a gearbox replacement every seven to ten years on a busy door, sooner if you're a landlord with high tenant turnover in Ringmer or Seaford and the door takes a daily beating. Pair that with a cylinder upgrade to TS007 3-star if you haven't already, and you've spent £200 to £300 over a decade on a door that's genuinely secure.

Get a full replacement quote too if you want one. Just compare it against what a repair actually costs first.

Fort Secure covers Lewes and the BN7 and BN8 postcodes, with most call-outs inside 30 minutes. If you ring with a uPVC door that won't lock, I'll tell you on the phone what's likely wrong and what it's likely to cost before I come out. No obligation to go ahead.