Garage Door Manual Lock Repair: what to note first

On the old wooden door out back, one lock bar hangs loose from a rusted guide and the other is bent at an angle, so the handle turns but the door can still be lifted a hand's width from outside.

Worth answering before the call

Does the key go in and turn, or is it stiff or spinning freely? Does the handle turn, and does anything move inside the door when it does? Do you want to be able to lock the door by hand during a power outage?

The handle turns but the bars stay put. What has broken?

Something in the short chain between the handle and the bars. The square spindle may have twisted or sheared, the set screw holding the inside knob may have let it spin free, the cam inside the centre body may have worn round, or the return spring may have snapped. The inside cover comes off to see which, and the failed part or the whole mechanism is replaced to suit.

Do you replace the whole handle or just the cylinder?

Whichever the fault calls for. A worn or broken cylinder in a handle that is otherwise sound is swapped or rekeyed on its own. A handle that is cracked, corroded through or of a pattern with no parts available is replaced as a set with its spindle and inside turn handle. The technician shows you what has failed before either route is taken.