Door latch and strike plate

SHAKEYCAMPER · 03-15-2021, 06:54 PM

Hello fellow campers!! I'm new to this Crossroads Community, but we've been camping in a Crossroads since 2001. We recently purchased a new 2021 Cameo 3201RL. The door is very difficult to shut. The metal strike plate and the metal plate around the door latch hit each other keeping the door from shutting without a lot of force. I'll take it back to the dealership when they can fit me in at the end of April, but I was hoping someone had a simple fix to keep these two plates from rubbing so tight.

Thanks to all the suggestions in advance.

Papa-T · 03-15-2021, 07:05 PM

Welcome to the forum. When we bought our 2016 new we had a problem with the deadbolt hitting the strike plate. I put some grease on it so I could see where it was hitting. Then took a dremel tool and cut out where it was hitting.

**Lloyd** · 03-15-2021, 07:12 PM

Do you have what they call "friction hinges" on your door? If so that just might be your problem.

Redwood was having door problems and the friction hinges were the cause. They were replacing them with non friction hinges at that time.

**dagst1** · 03-15-2021, 08:00 PM

Hello and welcome!

After we had the door replaced we have had a similar problem. You have to slam it to shut it unless it was lubricated so i keep a can of garage door dry lube in the camper. Just a quick spray on the striker and it shuts very easy. May not be what is wrong with yours but the spray is fairly cheap so worth a try.

**DavisK** · 03-16-2021, 10:41 AM

Welcome to the forum!

coastn · 03-16-2021, 11:07 AM

I did the same thing as dagst1 when I was out on my trip last month. Was an immediate fix. Might work for you.

TexSon · 03-21-2021, 03:51 PM

2021, isn't it still under warrenty? The dealer should make it right.

TerryH · 03-21-2021, 07:29 PM

Vaseline or silicone GREASE on the tapered door latch bolt and approach ramp on the strike PLATE on the jamb. If you have a can of clear SILICONE SPRAY (Slide lube/spray) can be sprayed into any keyholes and other mechanism openings. YOU CAN BE AMAZED at what a little LUBE in the RIGHT places can do..

660catman · 03-24-2021, 08:52 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TerryH

Vaseline or silicone GREASE on the tapered door latch bolt and approach ramp on the strike PLATE on the jamb. If you have a can of clear SILICONE SPRAY (Slide lube/spray) can be sprayed into any keyholes and other mechanism openings. YOU CAN BE AMAZED at what a little LUBE in the RIGHT places can do..

Yep, silicone spray and on the squeaky hinges too. I have normal hinges.

sleepyT · 03-26-2021, 01:19 AM

SHAKEY
I had to replace the whole lock assembly after it finally broke due to misalignment at the time of initial installation...As indicated in some previous posts the door was hard to shut and the dead bolt did not fully extend...As Ted said in post#2, I also after installing the new lock assembly realigned it with the striker plate, removed some wood on the jam so the dead bolt could extend all the way, and have not had a problem since...

Wingerdinger · 03-28-2021, 05:06 PM

There will be some of us that say it's a warranty problem, let the dealer handle it.
I personally will never let any dealer touch my RV, warranty or not, and I have a good friend that works at a reputable dealer. The problem these days is they are too busy to get the job done in a timely fashion, even if they can do it right.
I always do my own work. Rant over.
You should look at the lockplate on the door, and the strikeplate, and decide which is out of place, or protruding. Remove the plate and remove some material from behind it, or perhaps even just tighten it more.
The other possibility is that the door hinges are loose, or pulled out. You may have to remove the door to straighten them. These days, the hinges are flimsy enough that you might be able to just open the door 90 degrees, and give it a real firm push from the lock side to straighten the hinges.
Either way, you can do the fix better and certainly faster than the dealer.

You may also like: