When the security of your van, tools or motorhome matters, choosing the right specialist can be more important than choosing the nearest installer. Here is the documented evidence of just how far customers have travelled to our Eastbourne workshop.
Our Eastbourne workshop brings specialist knowledge, vehicle-specific products and mechanical and electronic security together under one roof. Historical booking records, customer reviews and project accounts show that a large number of customers choose to travel past their nearest fitter to reach us.
Combining deadlocks or hook locks, internal and external shields, alarm upgrades, OBD protection and break-in repair in one coordinated installation is particularly valuable for comprehensive packages, complex work and vehicles that need repair as well as protection. Larger packages, detailed electrical work and break-in repairs can be completed in a controlled workshop environment by an experienced team, and that includes vehicles that are not always straightforward vans: working fleets, camper conversions and 4WD Mercedes Sprinter motorhomes among them.
DT Civils brought its fleet of vans from Wales to our Eastbourne workshop. Our team fitted security locks across the fleet and repaired a van that had already suffered a break-in. For a working fleet, vehicle downtime, consistent installation and reliable protection all matter, and bringing the vehicles to one specialist allowed the company to address prevention and repair together.
See more on our fleet security service →
These extracts are from genuine five-star Google reviews describing the journeys customers chose to make for their van security.
★★★★★"Companies in London kept messing me about. So I drove from London to Eastbourne to Sussex Installations. They are brilliant."
Paul Higgins · Google review
★★★★★"I drove 100 miles to go to these guys based on similar reviews and was worth it."
Graham Mitchell · Google review
★★★★★"Great company, great service, well worth the 5 hour round trip to get the security done on my van."
Rob Marty · Google review
★★★★★"I booked in and drove 3 hours to them… 4 years later I took another van to Jeff and had another fitted out."
Miles Podesta · Google review
Review wording has been lightly shortened for display without changing its meaning. Full reviews remain available on the Sussex Installations Google Business Profile.
Historical booking records, customer reviews and project accounts show just how far customers have travelled. The figures below are approximate one-way road distances to our Eastbourne workshop, mapped by driving route rather than measured as the crow flies.
| Recorded origin | Road distance | Evidence and mapping basis |
|---|---|---|
| Aberdeen | Approx. 603 miles | Origin explicitly recorded in the workshop diary. |
| Glasgow | Approx. 484 miles | Origin explicitly recorded in the workshop diary. |
| Newton Stewart, Dumfries and Galloway | Approx. 470 miles | Town recorded in the workshop diary; mapped from Newton Stewart town centre. |
| Cornwall | Approx. 263 miles | County recorded; mapped from Bodmin as a representative central starting point.The customer's exact town may make the journey longer or shorter. |
| Plymouth | Approx. 241 miles | Origin explicitly recorded in the workshop diary. |
| Ebbw Vale, Wales | Approx. 226 miles | DT Civils fleet journey, mapped from the company's Ebbw Vale head office. |
| Cardiff | Approx. 210 miles | Origin explicitly recorded in the workshop diary. |
| Nottingham | Approx. 208 miles | Origin explicitly recorded in the workshop diary. |
| Birmingham | Approx. 199 miles | Origin explicitly recorded in the workshop diary. |
| Bedfordshire | Approx. 140 miles | County recorded; mapped from Bedford as a representative starting point.The customer's exact town may make the journey longer or shorter. |
| Milton Keynes | Approx. 138 miles | Recorded in workshop and social project records. |
| Oxford | Approx. 128 miles | Origin explicitly recorded in the workshop diary. |
| Suffolk | Approx. 127 miles | County recorded; mapped from Ipswich as a representative starting point.The customer's exact town may make the journey longer or shorter. |
| Watford | Approx. 104 miles | Origin explicitly recorded in the workshop diary. |
| Bracknell | Approx. 91 miles | Origin explicitly recorded in the workshop diary. |
| Essex | Approx. 84 miles | County recorded; mapped from Chelmsford as a representative starting point.The customer's exact town may make the journey longer or shorter. |
| Guildford | Approx. 80 miles | Origin explicitly recorded in the workshop diary. |
| Dorking | Approx. 80 miles | Origin explicitly recorded in the workshop diary. |
| Central London | Approx. 76 miles | Multiple London journeys are documented; this figure is mapped from central London.Actual mileage varies substantially by borough. |
| Epsom | Approx. 65 miles | Origin explicitly recorded in the workshop diary. |
| Lewisham | Approx. 65 miles | Origin explicitly recorded in the workshop diary. |
| Selsey | Approx. 62 miles | Origin explicitly recorded in the workshop diary. |
| Ashford, Kent | Approx. 51 miles | Origin explicitly recorded in the workshop diary. |
| Kent | Approx. 47 miles | County recorded; mapped from Maidstone as a representative starting point.The customer's exact town may make the journey longer or shorter. |
| Hove | Approx. 28 miles | Origin explicitly recorded in the workshop diary. |
| Hastings | Approx. 18 miles | Origin explicitly recorded in the workshop diary. |
| Guernsey | Ferry + road journey | Origin explicitly recorded in the workshop diary. A ferry crossing and onward drive are involved, so a single road-mile figure would not be a fair comparison. |
Distances were mapped to Sussex Installations, Finmere Road, Eastbourne BN22 8QL using the fastest displayed driving route on 27 August 2026. They are approximate one-way figures and can change with the precise starting address, route choice, road conditions and mapping updates.
Other five-star reviewers describe driving 100 miles, making a five-hour round trip and travelling for three hours. Their starting locations were not stated, so those journeys cannot be mapped more precisely without inventing an origin.
Customers travel for specialist, vehicle-specific advice and the ability to combine locks, shielding, alarms, electrical security and break-in repairs under one roof. For fleets and complex vehicles, completing coordinated work at a dedicated workshop can be worth travelling further for. We have also carried out mobile installations historically throughout Sussex, London, Surrey, Kent, Hampshire and surrounding counties. Current mobile availability depends on the work required and the installation address.
Customers can use our waiting area while their installation is completed, and customers have continued working remotely during their appointment.
Alongside the documented long-distance journeys above, our workshop diary and photo records show the range of makes and models customers bring to us for security work — from the latest-shape vans to older generations still in daily use.
International customers have brought vans and specialist motorhomes to our workshop from the United States, France, Italy, the Netherlands, Belgium, Germany, Spain and Austria.
Meet our international customers →
Yes. Workshop installations are by appointment so the correct products, fitting time and technician can be allocated to your vehicle.
That depends on your location and the work required. Larger packages, detailed electrical work and some repairs may be restricted to the workshop. Contact us with your vehicle details and postcode and we will advise you.
Please provide the registration, make, model, year, body style, doors you want to protect, your postcode and any existing damage or security equipment.
A single deadlock fitted starts at £141+VAT, or as little as £133+VAT per lock when having 4 deadlocks fitted together. These prices are based on fitting at our Eastbourne workshop or mobile fitting in East Sussex; travelling further to reach us doesn't change the fitting price itself, only your own travel costs and time.
It's important that the installer carries out a thorough clean-down and rust prevention process when fitting van deadlocks, to avoid corrosion. Whilst it's possible that a manufacturer could question a related warranty issue, such as corrosion near a deadlock, we have fitted over 23,000 deadlocks and slamlocks over two decades and have never had a single customer report a warranty problem as a result of us fitting deadlocks to their van.
Our workshop is close to the beach, parks, cafes and Sovereign Harbour. You can also ask whether the waiting area will be suitable for remote work during your appointment.
Yes, although we typically only work on the metal van doors that were originally part of the vehicle when it was built, and not on coach-built bodywork. Contact us for a vehicle-specific assessment.
