Related video & complete transcript
Van Deadlock Fitting — Warning, Rust Prevention
The original video shows the visible corrosion caused when metal filings were left on painted van bodywork after lock fitting.
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Test fit, remove, clear the swarf and only then complete the final assembly.
The clean-down is a separate stage of professional lock fitting and should not be treated as an afterthought.
The clean-down is a separate stage of professional lock fitting and should not be treated as an afterthought.
Metal debris may look harmless, but the filings produced during drilling and cutting are bare steel. Once exposed to moisture they begin to corrode while sitting directly on the vehicle’s paintwork. If left in place, the rust can stain and eventually damage the paint. Once the paint coating is compromised, the vehicle’s steel bodywork can itself become exposed and corrode.
For nearly twenty years, compressed air has been at the heart of my deadlock installation process. It initially powered the compact air saw, but it has remained equally important for the clean-down.
The clean-down covers far more than the visible area around the lock. Air is directed around handles, hinges, door shuts, weather seals, folded seams, lower drain channels and the inner structure after trim has been removed.
Battery-powered blowers are improving. I have tested a leaf blower as an alternative, but the results were not as thorough as concentrated compressed air. We may now be approaching a crossroads where newer battery air-blowing technology can eventually produce comparable results, provided the finished clean-down standard is not compromised.
The original video shows the visible corrosion caused when metal filings were left on painted van bodywork after lock fitting.
Open the video page →When I began specialising in van security, I quickly realised that fitting deadlocks professionally was not simply about buying the lock kits. The quality of the finished installation depended just as much on the tools, equipment and working practices used to fit them.
Over the years, Sussex Installations operated around seven dedicated mobile workshop van setups, with a maximum of three in use at any one time for our three full-time installers. The vans changed over the years, but the principle stayed the same: our installers needed to be able to achieve workshop-quality standards while working at a customer’s premises.
One of the biggest practical challenges for mobile installers has always been carrying the equipment needed to fit locks to a consistently high standard.
Many installers do not fit enough deadlocks or slamlocks to feel that a petrol compressor is worth the cost and space. Some prefer to use a smaller van, an everyday car or a vehicle that also serves another purpose. Others would rather convert their van for leisure use than dedicate a large part of it to workshop equipment.
Those choices are understandable, but because van security became our specialist business rather than an occasional service, we chose to invest differently.
The compressor was important from the beginning because it powered the air saw, which was nimble enough to cut accurately in the confined spaces found inside double-skinned van doors.
However, cutting was only half of the reason for carrying compressed air. The compressor also powered the blow gun used to remove swarf and debris from the vehicle after drilling and cutting. For me, that clean-down was just as important as producing the opening for the lock itself.
Over the years I have heard installers say that they tell the customer to jet-wash the van afterwards, or that they carry a small can of compressed air for the clean-down. Neither approach has ever been enough for the standard I wanted Sussex Installations to achieve.
Modern battery cutting tools are now far better than they were when I bought my first petrol compressor. Compact reciprocating saws and other battery-powered tools can now perform many of the cutting jobs that previously required an air saw.
Ironically, this makes it even less likely that installers will invest in a compressor, because they no longer need compressed air to power the cutting tool. In my opinion, that does not remove the need for compressed air during the clean-down.
The vehicle still needs to be cleared of metal filings and debris from around the handles, inside the door, along the door shuts and across the surrounding bodywork. The cutting technology may have changed, but the corrosion risk caused by poor clean-down has not.
The clean-down is about removing contamination from the vehicle after cutting.
Rust protection is the following stage, where fresh cut edges and exposed metal are treated. Separating the two subjects makes each standard easier to explain.
This extract is from a genuine five-star Google review describing exactly this stage of the fitting process.
★★★★★"Really went the extra mile with cleaning, sealing and lubricating all the cut parts of the door before fitting the locks to prevent corrosion."
Edward Warrington · Google review, September 2026
★★★★★"Matt had also cleaned up some light surface rust on the door rail and a fair amount of small metal shavings which must have been the result of the window installation."
Chris Adams · Google review, February 2022
★★★★★"They came up to London, Charlotte kept me informed about times of arrival. Fitting was done and all hoovered out, a very clean and professional job."
Steve Kerr · Google review, May 2021
Review wording has been lightly shortened for display without changing its meaning. Full reviews remain available on the Sussex Installations Google Business Profile.
Filings produced during drilling and cutting are bare steel that begin to corrode once exposed to moisture while sitting directly on the vehicle's paintwork, and if left in place the rust can stain the paint and eventually expose the steel bodywork underneath.
Metal filings and debris from inside the door, around the handles, along the door shuts, weather seals, folded seams and lower drain channels, using compressed air to reach areas that would otherwise stay hidden.
Modern battery tools have replaced much of the cutting work a compressor used to do, but the vehicle still needs to be cleared of metal filings and debris from around the handles, inside the door and along the door shuts, and a compressor and blow gun remain the most thorough way to do that.
Here we show what effort we put into doing a quality installation, we go further than most would in order to keep the rust away from your van body work!
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Jeff Scott demonstrates the fitting standards used while securing a Mercedes Vito, including removal of metal filings, protection of cut edges, deadlocks, Armaplate and an alarm system.
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