Lock Repair vs Lock Replacement: What's the Difference?
The two options solve different problems. Knowing which one applies to your door saves time and avoids paying twice.
A repair keeps the existing lock on the door and corrects a specific fault. That might mean realigning a strike plate that has shifted as a door frame moved, servicing a cylinder that has become stiff, tightening or replacing a handle assembly, or adjusting a latch that is catching. The lock body itself remains in service.
A replacement removes the existing hardware and fits new hardware in its place. It is the more practical option when a mechanism is worn past the point of adjustment, when a lock has been physically damaged, when parts are no longer available for an older product, or when the hardware simply is not suited to how the door is being used.
The distinction matters because a repair on hardware that is already at the end of its life tends to reappear as the same problem a few months later. Equally, replacing a lock that only needed alignment work is more disruption and cost than the situation called for.
The honest answer is that it depends on the lock, its condition and the door it is fitted to. Two identical-looking locks on two different doors can lead to two different recommendations, which is why the assessment happens on site rather than over a price list.