uPVC Door Repair vs Replace Cost | The Ten-Year Maths Most People Get Wrong

A new uPVC door from a local Tonbridge or Tunbridge Wells installer will cost you somewhere between £800 and £1,800 fully fitted. That's the number most people anchor on when their door starts playing up. The multipoint lock drags, the cylinder is stiff, the handle drops. Quote comes in, it's £900, and suddenly a new door seems almost reasonable.

It usually isn't. Here's why.

What Actually Fails on a uPVC Door

The door itself, the slab of PVC, the glass unit, the frame, rarely causes problems inside ten years unless the installation was poor or the frame took a knock. What fails is the hardware.

• The gearbox, that long multipoint mechanism running up the edge of the door, wears out. Typical life is eight to fifteen years depending on how many times it's operated daily.
• The euro cylinder, the part the key goes into, should be replaced every five to seven years on a security basis alone, faster if it's a cheap own-brand unit that came with the door.
• Hinges can drop or corrode, especially on coastal exposures or north-facing elevations.
• The handle mechanism, sometimes integral to the gearbox, strips or snaps.

None of that requires a new door. It requires new parts.

The Ten-Year Cost Comparison

These are real-world prices for a standard Southborough semi, one front door, single-leaf, no side panels. Repair prices assume a locksmith call-out, labour included.

The service route wins by a wide margin unless the door frame itself is shot or the aesthetics genuinely matter to you, a rental in TN4 or High Brooms isn't going for kerb-appeal points.

A gearbox replacement on a standard GU, Fuhr, or Maco multipoint runs £120 to £160 fitted. A TS007 3-star cylinder, an Ultion or Mul-T-Lock, is £60 to £90 fitted. Do both at the same visit and you're looking at £180 to £230 for a door that feels and functions like new.

When Replacement Does Make Sense

I'll be straight with you. There are three situations where I'd tell a homeowner to replace rather than repair.

The frame is dropping or delaminating. If the PVC is visibly bowing, the hinges are pulling away from the frame, or there's daylight showing at the corners, no amount of gearbox work fixes that. A Speldhurst or Bidborough property with a door that's been damp-exposed for years sometimes falls into this.

The glass unit has blown. Misty double glazing in the door panel means the seal has failed. You can replace just the glass unit but if the frame is also tired it's often false economy.

It's a basic original-builder door from the mid-2000s with a weak cylinder and a gearbox on its third repair. At that point you've already spent £400-plus on a £600 door. Replace it, and fit decent hardware from the start rather than accepting whatever lock the installer defaults to.

Otherwise, a landlord with a terrace in Paddock Wood, a homeowner in Pembury whose door has just started dropping, a small business on a Tunbridge Wells side street, the maths almost always favours repair.

How to Spend the Money Sensibly

If your door is under twelve years old with a sound frame, spend £80 on a Ultion or Avocet ABS cylinder now, book a gearbox service at the first sign of drag, and you'll comfortably see another decade out of it. That's £200 to £250 total, not £1,200.

If you're replacing, don't accept the cylinder the installer fits as standard. Most mid-range door packages come with a budget single-star cylinder. Ask specifically for a TS007 3-star upgrade. It adds £40 to £60 to the job and means you're not replacing it in eighteen months when you notice it doesn't meet SS312 Diamond or BS3621 standards.

Locks Local covers Southborough and the TN postcodes from TN2 through to TN12. Most call-outs are under thirty minutes. If you're not sure whether your door needs a repair or a replacement, a quick call gets you an honest answer and a price before anyone turns up.