Re: [A/S] Outside Door Lock

["Terry Tyler" <tylerbears@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Hi Ed,

Did you save the broken parts? If yes and if it was me, I'd glue them back together and have an
inside door handle to show when I went to RV dealerships and/or locksmiths. After exhausting a few
local RV dealers and locksmiths, I'd call Charlie Burke at American Way Airstream in Boise, Idaho
(800-345-6651). It wouldn't surprise me if he knew where to find an inside door handle while other
dealers would prefer to sell you the entire lock assembly. If he can get one, Fed-Ex-Airborne will
deliver it to you the next day.

If he can't locate one or provide a successful lead, I'd probably touch base with my favorite
machine shop and ask their opinion. You are in the land of machine shops and specialty restoration
businesses, right? Ask the CofC for a list and possibly a recommendation?? 

Why would I go to a machine shop? Do you know how much an entire lock assembly costs? Does $400
dollars sound about right? That's what I was quoted last year in Florida when a small internal part
broke in our door lock. AND MAYBE that price MIGHT include labor if the correct size assembly is no
longer available and your door has to be cut to make the new (wrong size) assembly fit. 

Do you know how much machine shop work can be done for that kind of money? If you enjoy having
people with creative talent doing small jobs for you, this might be an alternate place to spend your
money. And, by the way, that small broken part in our lock ended up costing us $10. Plus, we bought
two of them from a retired caravan leader who knew how to repair them. We now have a spare for when
one breaks during our next caravan.

In the meanwhile, perhaps a pair of vice grips will work on the inside. It will be inconvenient and
clumsy, but there are worse ways to buy $400 worth of time until you find a satisfactory and less
expensive solution.

Persistence my friend, creative persistence,

Terry