Door Handle Cover for RVLOCK V4 (RV Lock Protector)

This may not be as much a problem for trailers and motor homes where the door lock is on the side, but for truck campers, where the door is on the back of the RV, the door handle, lock and keypad can get filthy with mud and water spray while driving. The aerodynamics of the back of the camper creates a vacuum that sucks up road spray and mud. While the keypad might be OK, I'm not sure this is good for the lock or the handle itself, because the vacuum can also suck some of this dust inside the lock body. I know this from experience - our trip to Alaska resulted in a (different brand of lock) being virtually unable to function due to the dirt and water inside it. This thing is my attempt to prevent that from happening in the future.

Essentially, this is a cover over the exterior of the lock. It was designed for the V4 RVLOCK handle - so may not fit other versions or brands (but I'll leave that up to you to test). It attaches to the door via embedded magnets - there are 3 magnets inside the cover, matched with 3 magnet buttons that are glued (3M taped) to the door. When the cover is not in use, all you see are the 3 buttons. When the cover is in use, it protects the lock - and can be pulled off when you get to your campsite.

The cover is printed upside down, so no supports are required. The buttons are printed right side up, but no supports are required there either. BOTH the cover and the buttons require inserting 12mmx3mm round magnets (available from Amazon) during the print. When you slice this, you simply insert a pause just before the magnet well is covered over (this applies to both the magnets in the 3 buttons, as well as the 3 magnets in the pads that extend from the cover). If you print at 0.2mm per layer, there should be 3 layers covering each magnet after you insert it. Here are a few tips:

1. I found it helpful to put a dab of superglue under the magnet so that the print head doesn't pull the magnet out as it passes over it.
2. Print the cover first, and the buttons later. Magnet orientation is important, and it's a lot easier to recover from a mistake if you baseline the cover first.
3. Magnets are polarized, so MAKE SURE all the magnets in the cover are oriented the same direction, and MAKE SURE the magnet orientation in the buttons is complimentary to those in the cover - TEST IT before you insert the magnets in the buttons, otherwise you might find the cover is repelled by the buttons vs. attracted to it! If you get it wrong, but you printed the cover first - all you need to do is print buttons again with the magnet the other way around.
4. I didn't have perfect results in covering the magnets, but it works. If was printing again, I'd want to experiment with heating the magnets first - while I am not positive, I think that the magnets didn't cover over smoothly because they were not warm enough, and caused the filament to cool on contact. My results are still good, but they could have been better.

In addition to the magnets, I added a hole for a rope - this is a failsafe, in case it tries to let go while driving. I also added a thin (1.16") sheet of sticky-back neoprene rubber to the edge that connects to the door - not sure if this will help, but it can't hurt, and if nothing else, it should prevent rubbing on the door. In case any water does get behind the cover, I added a small weep hole at the bottom.

I also printed 3 extra buttons and 3M taped them near the door - it provides a storage location where the cover can sit when it's not in use (and it also rides fine there while driving, if I don't need the cover - i.e., when there isn't any dust or rain expected)

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