I have to jerk it and hit it with my fist to get it to lock in and the same when I want to remove it from the base. Is there something hanging up on it, or is there some lubricant I can use? It's hurting my hand, should I use a rubber mallet? (just kididng). This is for my DCL-7 Super Pro.

Mary Smith, November 2008

I have a friend's grandmother's DLC-7. The lid is warped a little so that it doesn't seat the same way all the way around. There was some residual vegetable oil that was probably used as lubricant at some point. I cleaned it off and then used VERY fine sandpaper on the places where the lock slides over another piece of plastic... also on any edges that had become burred. It made a big difference.

There is often a buildup of solidified plastic dust/gunk that has worn off one or both rubbing pieces of plastic. This is especially true of sticking refrigerator drawers. Once that buildup has been cleaned off the tracks and silicon lubricant applied, drawers slide very easily. Possibly the same process would work on the plastic of food processor bowls.

Do, January 2010

If it seems "sticky", try swabbing a thin bit of Vaseline on the rubber gaskets. It just needs to be enough so that it puts a shine on the rubber gasket.
If that works, then the technically "correct" lubricant is a silicone based grease that you can probably get at an appliance repair center - but I'd probably just use a teeny smear of Vaseline after cleaning.
On the other hand, if the lubricating the gasket doesn't work, then I'd call the manufacturer.

CG, November 2008