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Unilock Windows & Doors: The San Antonio Owner’s Guide
Unilock-compatible window and door parts in San Antonio typically run $45 – $380 for the component itself, with installed jobs for full window or door replacement landing between $4,500 and $15,000 depending on size, style, and how much framing work is involved. We stock common Unilock hinges, rollers, cam locks, sweep seals, and multi-point lock hardware, and most single-part swaps take 60 – 90 minutes once we’re on site. Most San Antonio homeowners discover the failure the hard way: a door that suddenly won’t latch at night, a window that drops half an inch when you open it, or that first cold front in November when you feel a draft coming through a sash that used to seal tight.
Which Unilock Models This Applies To
Unilock hardware varies more than most people expect. The multi-point lock bodies on their sliding patio doors, for example, changed tooth spacing between the 2000-series and the newer 3000-series, and the gear-driven mortise assemblies are not interchangeable despite looking nearly identical at a glance. Before ordering anything, check the manufacturer label on the edge of the door panel or the top of the window sash – you’re looking for a stamped model code that starts with a letter followed by four digits. If the label’s peeled off, measure the lock body length in millimeters: the older Unilock multi-point strips run 1850mm, the newer ones 2100mm. That one measurement eliminates about half the ordering mistakes we fix for homeowners who tried to source the part themselves first.
For most single-point failures – a worn roller, a bent hinge, a brittle sweep seal – a quality aftermarket equivalent works fine and costs 30 – 50% less than the OEM-listed replacement. For multi-point lock bodies and tilt-and-turn gear mechanisms, we recommend staying with genuine Unilock parts. The tolerances on those assemblies are unforgiving, and aftermarket versions we’ve tested in San Antonio’s heat tend to bind within a year. We’re an independent installer and parts service, not affiliated with Unilock, but we’ve worked with their hardware long enough to know which corners are safe to cut and which ones aren’t.
Styles & brands we work with
Signs Your Unilock Windows & Doors Are Failing
- Hard latching or a handle that spins without engaging: the multi-point lock strip is out of alignment or an internal gear tooth has sheared. The door still looks fine from the outside, but it’s no longer securing the panel the way it should.
- Sash drops or sticks when sliding: the roller cartridges are flat-spotted or the bearing seals have given out. In San Antonio’s dust and heat, we see rollers fail on sliding doors three to five years sooner than on identical units up north.
- Morning condensation or visible daylight around the frame: the weatherstripping and sweep seals have compressed or cracked. This is the most common Unilock failure we see in older San Antonio homes, and it’s the one that quietly drives up the utility bill.
- Whistling or howling in high wind: the sash isn’t seating flush against the frame. The culprit is usually a worn pivot shoe or a failing corner spring, not the glass itself.
- Door wanders shut or open on its own: the hinges have developed enough play that the panel is no longer balanced. That’s a progressive problem; it gets worse every month until the hinge pins start scoring the frame.
See the difference
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After
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After
Before
AfterReplacement Cost & What’s Included
If the frame and glass are still solid, you’re looking at a parts-and-labor service call in the $150 – $450 range. That covers the component, the time to swap it, and a function test on all adjacent hardware while we’re there. Full window replacement in San Antonio runs $4,500 – $15,000 depending on how many openings, the window style, and whether we’re pulling old aluminum frames or working with stone or brick surrounds. Complete door replacement with a new slab, hardware, and jamb runs $4,500 – $6,500 in most cases.
Every quote is a written line-item price before any work starts, and it covers the part, the labor, and the haul-off of the old hardware. You pay the approved number, not a cent more. The work is covered by our 365-Day Done Right Promise: if the part fails or the install isn’t right within a year, we come back and make it right, in writing, no debate.
DIY or Call Us?
Sweep seals, weatherstripping, and roller cartridges on lifting sashes are usually safe for a competent DIYer to check and even replace, provided you have the right measurements and a little patience. What we tell people to stop and call about: anything involving the multi-point lock body, the tilt-and-turn mechanism, or a door that’s out of square. Those assemblies carry spring tension, and a gear assembly that lets go while you’re working on it can take a chunk out of a finger in an instant. That’s not a scare tactic; it’s just the reality of how these units are built.
If you’re not sure which part you’re looking at, or you’ve already ordered one thing and it didn’t fit, call (432) 547-6806 and describe the symptom. We’ll tell you what the likely culprit is over the phone, and if it’s a part we stock on the truck, we can usually have it done the same visit.
FAQs
With regular maintenance, the glass and frames can last 25 – 30 years, but hardware components like rollers, seals, and lock strips typically need replacement every 8 – 12 years in San Antonio’s climate. The heat accelerates rubber and plastic degradation; the dust does the same to bearing surfaces.
Sometimes, but not usually for the failures that matter. A bent hinge pin can be straightened, and a loose strike plate can be re-secured. A worn roller bearing or a sheared lock gear needs replacement; there’s no repair that brings those back to reliable function. Call (432) 547-6806 and we’ll tell you honestly which category yours falls into.
Most single-part replacements take 60 – 90 minutes on site once we arrive. Multi-point lock replacements on French or patio doors run closer to two hours because the panel needs to come off, the old strip needs to be extracted, and the new assembly must be re-aligned before the door goes back on its hinges.
We stock the most common failure items on the truck: rollers, sweeps, cam locks, hinge sets, and weatherstripping for the Unilock lines most common in San Antonio. Specialty items like a specific multi-point lock body for a less common model may take three to five business days to source. Call us with your model code and we’ll tell you before we schedule whether it’s a same-visit fix or a quick order-and-return.
If you’ve got a Unilock window or door that’s not doing its job, don’t wait until it gets worse. Call (432) 547-6806 for a free estimate on the part and the install. We’ll give you a written price before any work starts, and Luca checks the finish on every job himself before we call it done. The craft comes first. Everything else follows.
Written by Luca Romano, Owner, Sawyer Remodel San Antonio at Sawyer Remodel San Antonio, serving San Antonio and nearby areas.
