It’s impossible to avoid forever. Every product with mechanical or moving parts, even quality ones, sooner or later shows wear and tear. This includes garage doors. Don’t forget that a garage door is one of these objects that is used most often, maybe 4 to 5 times a day: in the morning to go to work and then coming home, by the kids leaving for school then returning, etc. Increasingly, the garage door has also become the main access door to the house. This regular, repeated, long‑term use leads to wear that accumulates causing the failure or breaking of a component, even if annual maintenance has always taken place.
As with most good managers of a family budget, you are likely one of those homeowners who hesitates before going ahead with a quick repair, instead putting it off to later.
To give you some insight, here is a guide that will provide a rough idea of the cost of repairing your garage door, depending on the situation. This should make it easier for you to set aside a portion of your budget for the repairs. We will also tell you how you can save money when making regular repairs to your garage door.
What factors should be looked at when repairing a garage door system?
The average cost to have a garage door or door opener repaired depends on the parts or accessories that are damaged or broken. Some repairs are considered major, others minor. But also keep in mind the age of the garage door system, the size of the door (single or double), the material it’s made of (wood or metal), its design (traditional or carriage house with PVC overlays), the hardware (tracks, lifting springs), the types of hardware (rollers) being used and the type of door opener that you have.
What about DIY repairs?
Yes, it’s possible, depending on the part that needs to be changed or repaired. For instance, worn‑out or torn bottom weatherstripping or exterior frame weatherstripping are candidates. You can buy these replacement parts if you come to our place of business and we will happily explain how to make the change. For fast service, we keep these parts in inventory in our warehouse.
For example, here are some parts we keep in inventory of replacing these two parts:
- U‑shaped bottom weatherstripping for metal and wood garage doors,
- Exterior frame weatherstripping: double‑lip rubber with screw‑cover, double lip seal with aluminum base, PVC weatherseals.
Just by changing these two parts will help you save quite a bit of money on heating costs for your garage as well as it will hinder some undesirable beings (i.e. mice) from entering your garage.
For major repairs, call a professional
Certain repairs, like a broken lifting spring (either torsion or extension), a frayed lifting cable or one off its drum or completely broken, require a garage door expert. If your door has come completely off its guide tracks and is either hanging in the air or has fallen to the floor, DO NOT try to correct this situation yourself. Contact us and we will send a qualified technician as fast as possible.
Remember this basic rule: as soon as you detect abnormal sounds coming from your garage door system, contact us. This way you will avoid even larger repair work.
Okay, I get it… How much should I expect to pay?
Some repair operations can be difficult to evaluate over the phone when you call us for service. We will instead explain the work that needs to be done and the approximate time it will take. The rate is calculating on an hourly base and the distance we need to go on site.
A tip that will save the technician’s time and thus save you money is to free up space around your garage door, both inside and outside, so maneuvering is easy and the repair work can be done faster.
By calling one of our locations, we can give you approximate prices (parts & labour) for common major repairs up front for:
- A garage door that has completely come off its tracks, without changing a damaged section.
- Replacing a broken spring.
- Replacing a frayed or broken lifting cable.
- Changing worn rollers and hinges.
There is another type of major repair work that we are often called to do, that of replacing the lowest, or even second lowest door section, damaged by “contact” with your car. Prices vary depending on your door model. However, based on the extent of the damage, we can put the affected section(s) back in place so that you can still close the door and protect your belongings.
A common cause for service calls – an electric garage door opener!
What’s up? You pressed on the remote but the door didn’t budge, or it closes halfway then opens again! Many calls for service are related to the garage door opener. To help you in detecting the way to correct the situation on your own, refer to our FAQ section.
If you see that it still is malfunctioning, even after giving us a call, we would be happy to come to your home to remedy the situation.
Better safe than sorry!
A definite step you can take to minimize repairs to your garage door system is to give it twice yearly maintenance. It’s not complicated or difficult and will only take a few minutes of your time. Refer to this link to learn how to do it.
If you don’t have the time to do it, be aware that we provide an annual 26‑point Tune‑Up Program (including inspection, adjustments, lubrication). The technician would inspect the door, lube all moving parts and inspect any openers. The PM Maintenance Package covers up to 3 doors and openers, on the same site, and most repairs can be done on‑site. However, if a special order part is required, we may have to return to complete the service.
For expert advice…
Contact us anytime at: (toll free numbers)
- London: 519-685-9797
- Mount Pleasant: 905-304-9700
- Guelph: 519-821-4400
- Clinton: 519-482-3251
We know more about garage doors and openers than anyone else. We can advise you and explain the best choice to make that meets your needs, even if they are very specific. If you’d like, we can send you a quotation by email.
You are also welcoming to come and see us at our showroom. As well, we suggest you use our Design Centre to choose a style of door to best fit your tastes. For ideas and inspiration, see our image gallery.
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