This blog post goes through all the steps to purchase and install the RV lock to your baggage/basement doors.
This Youtube vidoeo goes through all the steps with detailed close up video.
Before you buy
Compatible Doors
Go to www.rvlock.com and click on the fit guide page to see if your baggage/basement door is compatible with the RV Lock upgrade
Door NOT Compatible
Look inside your door, if you door looks like any of these, it is NOT compatible the RV lock keyless slam latch upgrade
Measure your door thickness
Measure the thickness of your door. Is it less than 3/4 of and inch or more than 3/4 of and inch. Make sure you fill this out when ordering.
Do you already have an RVLock?
If you already have an existing RV lock installed, make sure you call RV Lock and give them the 3 digit code on your existing key. This way all they will ship locks that have the same key code and all your locks will be keyed the same.
RV Baggage Door Kit Contents
Components of the Kit:
Lock module
Cover plate
Battery compartment
Strike plate – 12.2mm deep
4 long machine screws
8 Flat head #8 screws
Kit Also includes:
One Keyfob per kit
Programming sheet
4 AA batteries pre-installed
Step 1 : Remove the old lock
Drill out the Pop Rivets
Our lock had 4 pop-rivets on the top of the lock, I used a 3/16 inch drill to drill out the rivets. Rivets tend to spin when drilling out so angle the drill so it reduces spinning. Be careful not to drill into the door frame with the 3/16 bit.
Remove 4 cover plate screws
Use a phillips head screw driver or a phillips head on a drill driver to remove the 4 screws attaching the cover plate to the lock assembly.
Remove the Cover Plate
Pull off the metal cover plate from the door. Remnants of the pop-rivets may still want to hold the cover plate in place, carefully pry the plate off.
Push out the old Lock
The old lock was a tight fit, so I had to give it a slight punch to get it out of the door frame.
Step 2: Install the New Lock
Insert the New RV Lock
The new rvlock should fit in very easily. Be careful to insert the battery cable first so you do not damage it when pushing the lock into place. Look at the front of the door to make sure the lock is fitting flush to the door.
Cut hole in the Cover Plate
The cover plate has a hole punch out that has to be cut before you can push out the tab. I used an xacto blade to cut the small tabs of plastic before pushing out the punch out.
Postition the Cover Plate
The cover plate goes between the door and the battery compartment. Be careful to feed the wire from the lock mechanism through the hole of the cover plate
Plug in the Battery Module
The battery module goes on top of the cover plate. Plug the wire that comes from the lock mechanism, though the cover plate and into the battery compartment. Look for connector orientation.
Initially tighten 4 Main Screws
The kit comes with 4 longer flat head machine screws that hold the battery module, cover plate and lock mechanism into place. Do not tighten these screws all the way yet, make sure the components still are free to move to adjust the position.
Line UP the top 4 holes
With the mechanism loosely held in place, line up the top 4 holes from where the rivets were drilled out, the the 4 holes at the top of the cover plate. Make sure these line up perfectly before final tightening the bottom 4 screws.
Final tighen 4 Main Screws
Now that the top holes are lined up final tighen the main 4 screws. If you are using a drill driver like me, be very careful to adjust your chuck so you do not over-tighten the screws. I like to finish off with a hand screwdriver to make sure i got the right tightness.
Countersink Plastic Cover Plate
This step is OPTIONAL. I use a countersink bit to cut out the plastic so that the included flat head screws will fit flatter on the plastic cover plate. These screws interface with the rubber gasket around the door frame so is wanted it to fit as flata as possible.
Screw in the top 4 Screws
Use the included flat head self tapping #8 screws into the top 4 holes, attaching the cover plate to the RV door frame. These screws should provide a tight fit into the holes left by the pop-rivets that were removed earlier.
Step 3: Install the new Strike Plate
Remove the Strike Plate
Use a phillips head screw driver to remove the 2 screws that hold the strike plate in place. Ours had a foam strip between the strike plate and the door frame.
Strike Plate Depth
The new strike plate that came in the RVLock kit was 5mm deeper than the stock plate that came on our RV. Since the deeper strike plate would allow the lock bolt to go farther into the strike plate, I decided to use the new strike plate. But the existing one seem to work OK.
Modifing the Door Frame
The cut out in the door frame was not deep enough for the new strike plate so Marked the area on the door frame that needed to be cut deeper to allow the new strike plate.
Cutting the Door Frame
I used a dremel tool and a cutting disk to cut out the area in the aluminum frame under the door frame.
Test Fit and Final Cutting
I test fit the strike plate several times as I cut out the opening for the strike plate. I used a larger cutting disk to enlarge the hole a bit more.
Cut out the wood below
I use a couple of different dremel cutting tools to remove the wood below the aluminum. I finish off with a carbide cutting tool that can cut the wood and clean up the edges of the aluminum.
Modified door frame cutout
This is what the modified door frame looked like after I was finished with the dremel tool.
Add Butyl Tape to Strike Plate
To keep a water tight fit between the strike plate and the door frame, I added some butyl tape to the back of the strike plate. The original strike plate had a foam strip instead of butyl tape.
Add Pro Flex RV Sealant
Since I cut a hole in the aluminum frame of the RV and exposed the wood core inside, I used some proflex RV sealant to make sure no water can get into the wood inside the frame and cause rot. This is very important! Any good sealant will work.
Screw in the New Strike Plate
I used the original screws that held the stock strike plate in place. They were low profile and held it it place very well. The screw heads did not interfere with the door closing at all. You can use the included screws but the heads were larger.
Step 4: Program the New 4-6 digit code
Programming a new code
The lock comes with a default code 1,2,3,4. You can change it to any 4-6 digit code with numerals 1-8.
Click on the photo to see close up view of instructions.
Step 5: Program the remote keyfob
Program the KeyFob
The Kit comes with a Keyfob to allow you to control all your RV locks remotely. The keyfob can control locks with two separate Lock/unlock buttons. Click on the photo to see a close up view or download the PDF document.
