I checked my email history and RVlock is one of the brands I eliminated back in Feb 2023 because "Jake" from their tech support department would not tell me the dimensions of the lock, specifically the thickness of the door it could span. He insisted I measure the hole in my door and then he would tell me if it would fit. In other words, the dimensions are a secret and I must let him make the decision. I walked away from the brand.
However, based upon PARKGT's suggestion here in the forum I decided to ignore Jake.
I bought the Class C RVLock on their Memorial Day weekend sale, $181.99+tax, and they shipped it out on Tuesday from Utah via USPS. It arrived in Houston on Friday. Not bad for free shipping.
Upon opening the box, it contains the inner and outside halves of the lock with batteries already in place (and a plastic tab to pull out to activate them), 2 keys, 2 remotes/fobs and a recipe card sized set of instructions.
The install initially failed due to lock not fitting low enough and not thru the opening in the edge of the door. I had to file off a small amount of the bottom edge opening to the point of none left. I also had to grind off about 1/4" of a weld on the bottom edge of the hole. All of these mods helped to get the lock in as low and level as possible.
Keep in mind this is my 3rd attempt / 3rd lock brand to install so I have filed and grinded A LOT of the door away. There were several sloppy welds inside that door and each handle was shaped differently and I've needed grind on a different weld or edge every time. Once the hole was completely flat across the bottom the halves met and could be screwed together.
I'll also add, it would have been good to have a second set of hands when putting the halves together cuz this was MORE troublesome than the previous locks. You need to align the 2 lock knobs with the 2 inside posts while pushing the pull latch in as much as possible to make sure it catches the socket at the same time.... while getting a screw to start to thread. One of the lock knobs needs to point UP and kept falling over and the pull latch kept swinging out during this maneuver...
Using 2 hands and a screwdriver in my mouth, I finally got it assembled by getting the screw located closest to the latch in first. (Otherwise the explicitves would have continued.)
OK, with that done... I just had to make sure it was as low as possible in the door and level. Next I needed to adjust the face plate a bit higher. There is not a lot of play and it is now at the very top and still has a small amount of rub. I might end up lightly sanding the slots that the lock slides into to make it smoother and quieter when closing. After looking at it more, I might take the face plate off and sand the entire thing and seal it. At 13 years old, it is a bit ugly.
For those who have never adjusted the faceplate, NOTE that there are nylon lock nuts on the back of the face plate bolts. You must loosen them first before turning the bolts (a short 7/16th inch open end wrench just barely fits in there). Otherwise you risk twisting the head off the bolt.
OK. Next steps are easy. Press the reset button and enter a new 4 digit code (twice), and then pair up the remotes. Done in 3 minutes. It talks to you with a welcome message and confirms that the new code and remotes are learned. Within a week I'm sure I will be tired of the chatter and will press&hold button "1" to silence her. LOL
Final thoughts. The new lock completely covers the door hole, but it does not quite reach the decals so I have a quarter inch gap of new white door showing on the bottom side. I can live with that. I'm happy to have a keyless lock. See the picture below.
After a month, if this proves out to be a keeper, I'll take it back out and sand it a bit, mask the touchpad with tape (if I can't disassemble the thing) and then paint (or powder coat?) it white. My old lock was white and I personally think a black lock is an eyesore on a mostly white RV. I'm sure that changing the color will void the warranty, but it's too ugly as-is.
I also need to put some insulation between the inner and outer halves of the lock... There's a fair sized hole in there that would transfer a lot of heat or cold. I just didn't have foam with me at the storage lot. I'll add it after it is changed to white.
Thank you PARKGT! Good call on this RVlock.
And to all, apologies for another long winded posting,
Larry
