Door Lock Protecters

[secubis3]

Can anyone tell me if there is such a thing as door lock protecters. They fit round the door lock next to the door skin. I have had my locks busted and the door skin around the locks damaged. .:banghead: I know it won't stop the little darlings getting into the car but at least it might stop them using a screwdriver on my door skin.

[E_T_V]

I've never heard of these before, but we can sympathise with your problem.

A couple of solutions exist that I am considering to improve the security of my car/camper

1. Remove the lock entirely from the door, and fit remote central door locking. (leave the boot lock as a key incase the system ever fails. You weld a plate where the lock hole is on the inside and then fill and spray it so that it looks seemless. Either that or get a square of reasonably thick stainless steel and pop rivit it over the lock hole.

2. Get a sheet of stainless steel and cut out the centre to fit the original lock. Then rivit this onto the original door skin. The extra thickness of the stainless should resist screwdrier attacks better than the thin door skin.

3. Get a sheet of normal steel with a hole cut in it to retain the lock and weld it behind the door skin to prevent the little sods bending the skin and prizing the lock out.

As maestro locks are quite weak I'd go for the first option, as even if they can't prize the lock out they can always hammer a screwdriver into it and turn it.

[D87 SMW]

Yes. Door Lock protectors are available from most small spares shops, and possibly Halfrauds. Should be around £5.

[E_T_V]

Oh you mean those plastic things to stop your paintwork getting scratched by your keyrings. They won't stop the scum from flipping your lock out of its hole but might tidy up the damage that is already there. Did I got the wrong end of the stick? I imagined you meant something along the lines of what vans often have on their rear doors to make the door more secure.

[tony]

i have some lock protecters on my van they are metal plate with a very stikky pad on the and they just stick over the lock,very hard to take back off .
i think they should fit our cars ,they look like a universial fit

[talkingcars]

Profesional delock (removing the lock and filling the hole) costs about £150 and loocks good. The boot lock is much stronger so less lickly to be broken.

James

[D87 SMW]

This is a door lock protector - this particular one fits in well on the Maestro, as it is red white and blue. Not only are these British colours, but these are the colours the Parkway/Ledbury Maestro's were available in.

[E_T_V]

Blooming heck that is a bit bright :D :cool:

[MaestroMatt]

I was thinking that - they're a bit keen! I only tend to get scratches round my driver's door lock when have to take the Maestro because I'm too p*issed to walk home. ;)

[MGTurbo]

Steve i think your missing the point, a bit of sticky vinyl isnt going to stop the door lock barrel being twisted once a screwdriver has been forced down the side of it.

On VW Golfs (Mk1-Mk2) a special metal guard is fitted between the lock and the door skin which makes it much harder to pop the lock.

Nothing like this is available for the Maestro Or Montego, on late model Monty's they did use a different clip to secure the lock barrel but damage will still be done and the only way to stop the damage is to de-lock the doors and have remote locking fitted.

In a couple of weeks i will be de-locking two Maestro doors and the filler cap for £130, you'll be lucky to get a panel sprayed for that in some areas!

Gareth

[Austin-Rover]

Just have a look at the door on my car to see what a screwdriver down the side of the lock does, Steve...

:(

[tony]

Originally posted by MaestroMatt
I was thinking that - they're a bit keen! I only tend to get scratches round my driver's door lock when have to take the Maestro because I'm too p*issed to walk home. ;)
i hope this is one for the joke page.:eek: :eek:

[secubis3]

I still have not put the door locks to right yet. Up here it has either been raining or it has been too cold to work on the car. As I do not have a garage and de-locking is a bit out of my price range at the mo, I will have to wait. Still I did catch someone trying to get into my car AGAIN
:censored: and lets just say he won't play the piano for a while.
But as these things are sent to test us, More problems have cropped up!!!! The sun roof has buckled enough to let the water in, Water is getting in to the passengers side footwell etc..etc..etc - Ah the joys of motoring don't we just love em.


Cheers Chaps and Chapesses

[H536NOG]

Move south laddie;)
No-one would try to nick a Maestro/Monty around here, they would only break into it to nick your shopping:laugh:
Before someone gets on their high pit pony I am only having a giggle;) & would be gutted if anyone tried to break into a car of mine (they are welcome to the Laguna though!)

[D87 SMW]

Originally posted by MGTurbo
Steve i think your missing the point, a bit of sticky vinyl isnt going to stop the door lock barrel being twisted once a screwdriver has been forced down the side of it.


Eh? What point? I never said these would stop any damage to the locks, I merely suggested that scratch protectors are available.

BTW: Mine were £2.65 ;) :cool: (and are much darker than in the above image, it looks bright due to the flash from the camera. :rolleyes: :banghead: )

[Austin-Rover]

Originally posted by F170 GGT

BTW: Mine were £2.65 ;)

Only £2.65??? - you should have got a whole box full at that price for such lovely 'fasion statements'.

;)

[MGTURBOM]

The best solution has got to getting your car delocked if your not to fused about origionality. The other advantage of course is a much cleaner look. While your at it get rid of the fuel filler lock and istall the Montego release mechanism. Ive got rid of both door locks and the fuel filler lock looks much better

[MGTURBOM]

Excuse my spelling on last post

[H536NOG]

Hi, I noticed a similarity between your post & Gareths (MGTurbo), you both forgot to mention the boot/tailgate lock... I am only guessing but I presume the Monty could have its boot de-locked due to having the cable release whereas the Maestro it wouldnt be possible due to the cable having to go up to the tailgate hinges first... would it not be possible to remote a Maestro tailgate with a solenoid? (where there's a will.............there's an inlaw ;) anything is possible )

Originally posted by MGTURBOM
The best solution has got to getting your car delocked if your not to fused about origionality. The other advantage of course is a much cleaner look. While your at it get rid of the fuel filler lock and istall the Montego release mechanism. Ive got rid of both door locks and the fuel filler lock looks much better

[MGTURBOM]

You could delock the tailgate on a Maestro and use a solenoid I know of a Maestro that uses such a system for internal release.I have kept the boot lock purely for the reason that if for example the battery goes flat you are a bit stuck for getting into your car. Used to have an Allegro with a delocked smoothed boot lid using the Rover 800 release mechanism worked well with a push button in the car.

[H536NOG]

I cannot make up my mind wether I want to do it to the MG (I have my own MIG so stitching in a bit of metal isnt an issue), I have a decent alarm/immobiliser that I am going to build into the loom that could cope with opening the locks but I dont rate the original solenoids, I would rather use Mk4 Escort/Orion solenoids if I had to depend on them to unlock the doors, I still have a couple of 800 tailgate solenoids kicking around too... worth contemplating once the 16v transplant is finished & new sills/ rear arches are done.

[Beaker]

Maplins Central Door Locking Kit is supposed to be good. Still yet to fit ours.

[E_T_V]

As I've said somewhere else Maplin do a generic central door locking kit with 4 solenoids (you can buy extra though) which seem to be up to the job.

[Beaker]

Copy Cat :p

[E_T_V]

D'oh. Posted at the same time AGAIN

[H536NOG]

:laugh:
I will wait till you have evaluated the Maplin ones before throwing money at new solenoids.
The ones fitted to Mk4 Escorts & same shape Orions have always proved 100% reliable for me so for the tenner it would cost me from the scrappy I will more than likely use them.
The original solenoids are not very good at all on my car (no-one needs to comment about how lousy the ones are on their car, I already know).
I must stop having a clearout, I used to have a ful set of Orion solenoids :rage: its not me, its her... constantly telling me that I keep rubbish (its not rubbish, I dont keep it if it doesnt work!) which leads me to have a clearout every now & then...usually when I have to mountaineer to get in the shed!

[Beaker]

I think Dan (E_T_V) can sympathise with you there :rolleyes: ;)

[Dave]

I delocked the boot on my Maestro a few years ago - and had a solonoid release set up, and it worked very well. Search the forums - im sure theres some pics of the unit i made in here somewhere.

Dave

[talkingcars]

There is a proper electric release kit available for the maestro if you can find one, SMC sold one recently on EBAY.

I am planning to try and fit the cable release from a monty estate which uses a diffrent arrangment than the saloon. Built into the pin on the frame is a small lever that operates the latch in the hatch lid.

James

[Simon]

Montego estate rear cable release is a bit different to the Maestro in that the cable goes down to sill level and the lever on the latch pin operates a striker on the latch on the tailgate. This entails cutting away the rear hatch sill. An alternative is to have a cable passing up into the roof and down into the tailgate actuating the linkage from inside. This is far simpler and can still use the Montego remote boot release lever by the drivers seat. Adding a Montego remote fuel filler flap mechanism on a Maestro is childs play too.

[MGTurbo]

My Monty Estate doesnt even have an internal boot release...

[SteveC]

Originally posted by H536NOG
Move south laddie;)

ROTFL... I haven't got the logbook for the Maestro yet, but I reckon it's a one owner from new car, and the dealer sticker in the back window is for a place in Wallasey, Merseyside.

I've never been there, but I've been lead to believe it's a very 'colourful' place, full of cheeky young scamps.


No-one would try to nick a Maestro/Monty around here


If you've got a Maestro van, you probably would never know; when one of mine was broken into, they didn't even need to force a lock or smash any glass - inherent design fault (not that I reckon any crack car thieves will be scanning for tips on stealing Maestro vans on here, but I won't spell it out!)

[H536NOG]

Yeah but you are talking about a city with a massive drugs problem (as most major cities seem to have nowadays), that Maestro might have been sold by a druggie for a tenners worth of drugs, over here we have a different class of druggie, they rob toys 'r' us instead.
Originally posted by SteveC
ROTFL... I haven't got the logbook for the Maestro yet, but I reckon it's a one owner from new car, and the dealer sticker in the back window is for a place in Wallasey, Merseyside.

I've never been there, but I've been lead to believe it's a very 'colourful' place, full of cheeky young scamps

[E_T_V]

Well if anyone would like to tell me how my van can easily be broken into I'd appreciate it so I can fix it. (Please PM me with details)

[BIGLAD]

Originally posted by E_T_V
Well if anyone would like to tell me how my van can easily be broken into I'd appreciate it so I can fix it. (Please PM me with details)

Yeah, Me too!!!:(

[SteveC]

Originally posted by BIGLAD
Yeah, Me too!!!:(

PMs sent.

Not sure if there is a fix as such, other than fitting extra locks :banghead:

[SteveC]

Originally posted by H536NOG
Yeah but you are talking about a city with a massive drugs problem (as most major cities seem to have nowadays), that Maestro might have been sold by a druggie for a tenners worth of drugs, over here we have a different class of druggie, they rob toys 'r' us instead.

Is that as in "you'd have to be on drugs to own one, never mind steal one"? :D