FIX: Smeg oven door does not close properly. Slightly ajar when closed.

Unfortunately I cannot claim credit for this really simple and easily performed fix.

I found it on an old forum thread. (Original forum thread on How to Mend It: http://www.howtomendit.com/answers.php?id=199139)

All the links to the explanatory pictures posted over the years no longer work.

From reading the descriptions I pieced it together. Not that that was too difficult, but there is no standard way to explain oven door hinges!

The reason the problem comes about is because either the springs tension in the hinges to keep it closed are no longer good enough , or the lip (this lip will become more apparently shortly) on which the arms of the hinge that extend into the oven rests, wears down with use.

While what I am about to describe works on Smeg oven doors, this fix apparently works for other brands of doors (such as Ilve) which have a similar mechanism.

Firstly remove the door.

1)Open fully. All the way down! Undo small levers (catches) between the arms on both sides. If they will not unhook, gently push down on the door a bit and see if that helps.

2)Half close door (45 degrees) and pull the door out.

This youtube video explains door removal as part of hinge replacement.

And the problem he has with the door at the beginning of the video (0:08) is the one this will fix.

The fix entails using tinfoil. I used standard thickness baking tinfoil. Nothing special.

Tear off  strip about 4 cm (you will probably need less) The roll I used was about 20 cm across, so a 20cm x 4cm strip.

Fold the foil in half repeatedly until its about 6-8 layers thick.

Cut this into two strips about a centimeter long and just wide enough to fit into the width of the opening into which the hinge arms of the door go on the oven.

Fold in half and place over the metal lip at the lower end of the opening on the oven. Press it down snugly with a tool so that it seats well and will not be easily dislodged.

Repeat for the other side.

Replace the door. The little notch on the lower arm of the hinge on the door (2:46 in the video)  fits/rests over the metal lip in the oven opening.

The idea is that there will now be multiple layers of tinfoil between the notch and the lip like this.

Don’t forget to close the levers (“catches” in the video). If the little levers won’t engage fully into the locked position, make sure the door is fully open (3:10 in the vid). I had this issue.

If this fix doesn’t work because your hinges are truly broken and not just slowly failing, it appears that replacing them is not too difficult if you have the spare parts. I might need to do this in the future.

Good luck!

32 Replies to “FIX: Smeg oven door does not close properly. Slightly ajar when closed.”

  1. Thank you so much! We’ve been tying it up with a dish cloth for months after a Smeg engineer ‘fixed’ it! Only thought to try Google today & all sorted in about 5 mins!

    Alex

  2. thank you. I had this exact problem. Tried this solution. It totally worked (although I had to take it on and off a couple of times because one side was more crooked than the other, so I had to adjust the thickness of the piece of tin foil)

  3. Thank you! Just managed to fix my door in less than 5 mins. Really quite chuffed with myself and it’s all down to you! Now to bake a cake and see if it makes any difference!

  4. SMEG A2-6 dual fuel range cooker. We changed the hinges but then found it was the hinge RECEIVERS that were worn. I have bought the replacement hinge receivers but apparently you have to take off most of the casing of the entire cooker to get to the place where they fit in. It’s £100 labour for engineer to do it. Anyone tried this?

  5. That’s truly bizarre!! I had the same problem with my Omega oven door and after a few hours of checking things decided to use the same idea of tinfoil As I have noticed that when I manually lifted the door it’s closed fully. I was just sitting down to post the solution up on the forum when I saw your post here with exactly the same solution. Well done on working that out! I felt pretty chuffed after working it out myself.

  6. Ours seemed far too worn for aluminum foil to last, but the idea is definitely excellent. Following this guide I instead used two thicker strips of stainless steel that I hacksawed off some old piece of junk, just the same as aluminium in terms of the shape to clip over the knife edge hinge mount part of the receiver but much tougher.

    Not a hard fix but looks sturdy.

    I reckon, for very worn ones an alternative might be the tiny copper brass tags they close the little stockings of garlic in the supermarket. Perfect size, maybe sturdy enough.. Foil probably good for many though.

  7. Well!
    My wife said “don’t be silly – we need a new oven”
    But this actually works – it is amazing!
    Thank you – thank you – thank you.

  8. I agree Steve, different degrees of wear may need a sturdier solution. The aluminium foil at minimum lets you do a provisional check to see if it’s the answer and a thickness solution gauge before going all out on something as hard as stainless or brass. Glad it worked out for you.

  9. This worked! In less than 5 minutes I’ve fixed my oven door! I’ve been tripping over a stool for the last 6 months. Once these have worn out, I think I may try a cut down picture hook as a longer term solution. Thank you!

  10. Didn’t think it was going to work – but, after a month of tying the door handle to the stove… fixed in 5 minutes!! THANKS!

  11. OMG !!!

    Dear Sir

    You are a pure GENIUS.

    This was one of the most rewarding DIY quick fixes I have done in my entire life.

    No longer we have to rest a chopping board against my trusty Smeg Oven door , so we can cook without wasting twice the electricity.

    Many Thanks !!!

  12. I did exactly what the video described and used tin foil now work perfect and door closes as it should do. Thanks

  13. Absolutely brilliant buddy we bought a second hand Smeg with this issue and it’s a great fix Cheers Al

  14. Manny, Manny Thanks – Have been procrastinating for years, finally fixed in ten minutes!

  15. Is it possible to do this hack without removing the door! I’m alone and cannot donut by myself.

  16. Just did this hack and it was SO EASY! The first try didn’t work, caused I used only 1 strip on each side. But then I used 2 strips and… it worked!!

    Lina, the door is a bit heavy, but it comes off really easy, no need for any tools.

  17. Well Done that man.
    We have had Smeg out to ‘fix’ our oven 5 times since purchase.. I ended up putting new hinges and seal…….to no avail. A couple of light sheet metal shims made in the shed and it’s better than new. THANKS HEAPS.

  18. This is the best ever. Thank you. Needed shims instead of foil but now the door closes perfectly.

  19. This is amazing!!! Have just bought a house which has this amazing Smeg oven…. with a door that doesn’t close. Just tried this and it’s a miracle. THANK YOU! Really appreciate the help and well explained instructions. Super easy

  20. I fixed my Smeg door with magnets. The edge of the casing is mild steel, but only the bolts of the door are magnetic. I lined up the top & middle bolt heads with the magnets attached to the casing. Job done. I happened to have 6mm & 5mm x 20mm round ferritic magnets available. The 6mm go on the top. At first I thought the top magnets would be enough, but when the oven heats-up the magnet flux goes down.

  21. Fantastic. I’ll probably need to upgrade to a few mm of stainless steel but at least I haven’t spent £70 on hinges .

    Thank you

  22. Brilliant fix. Got the door on our SNZ61MFX sorted in a few minutes, after putting up with the door being loose for literally years!

  23. Reaching out from Australia to say THANK YOU.
    7 years after posting this, it is still helping people with an easy fix.
    worked a charm.
    bewdy mate
    steve k
    Matraville NSW Australia

  24. Know that your time and effort to post this solution has brought joy and satisfaction to many. On a recent visit to my sister-in-law in Aberdeen I decided to address fixing the door on her 22 yr old Smeg gas oven in her home. The door has failed to close properly for 15 years. She had a way of using a stool and a wine cork to hold the door closed while in use. My first YouTube search was a short video on how the remove the door. I did that and completely cleaned all 3 glass panes and the frame. The hinges had recently been replaced ( and did nothing to sort the door not closing ) so I left them alone. I reassembled the door and put it back on. Not satisfied, I further searched how to fix a Smeg oven door that won’t close properly. I found your post after a few attempts. Wow, as an engineer it sounded perfect. I made the tinfoil inserts that night and with excitement attacked fixing the door early the next morning. Within 5 minutes and on the first insert, the door closed perfectly. I didn’t say anything until she noticed it herself and screamed with joy upon the discovery.

    This is how the world soon work, sharing knowledge and experiences that help each other solve daily challenges we all share in common.

    Thank you, thank you so much for your gift that keeps giving. I hope you sent the solution to Smeg to post on their website. Tom.

  25. Hi Thomas, Thank you for your great Feedback. My site is small with little traffic (all the traffic is from this post actually!) and spam is a big issue so I need to manually approve each reply. (and I need to look into how I missed the notification I usually get for approval). Sorry I took so long. Glad it worked for you and your sister – in law. The foil wears out eventually – great excuse for another visit.

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