Why the cost depends on what we find
One symptom can have very different causes. A door that refuses to open could be down to a snapped spring or a cable that slipped off its drum. It could also be a gear stripped inside the opener, or nothing more than the lock button engaged on the wall control. Each of those carries its own garage door repair cost, so a figure given before anyone sees the door is mostly a guess.
Problems also travel together. A spring that snapped may have let the door drop hard enough to kink a cable or knock a roller loose. An opener that kept pulling against a heavy door may have chewed up its gear. Looking at the whole door is how we catch those before they turn into a second visit.
So the order is always the same: we look, we explain what failed and what it takes to fix, and you get the price on the spot.
What changes the price of a repair
These are the things that push a price up or down. We walk you through the ones that apply to your door.
- The part itself. A spring, a lift cable, a set of rollers, a safety sensor and an opener gear are different parts at different costs.
- Spring type and count. A torsion spring is wound on the bar over the door's top edge; extension springs stretch alongside the overhead tracks. On a door with two springs, doing both at once often makes sense, since they have done the same work.
- The door's size and weight. A double door weighs more than a single, and insulated or wood doors weigh more again. More weight calls for stronger springs and sturdier hardware.
- What else is worn. One broken part is one repair. Tired rollers, dry hinges or a frayed cable found on the same visit add to the work, and we tell you which can wait.
- Room to work. Low headroom, boxes stacked against the tracks or a very high ceiling can make the same job take longer.
- Opener parts. Parts for common openers are easy to find, while some older models need parts that take longer to track down.
What to tell us when you call
A few details on the phone help us plan the visit. You don't need the right words; describe what you see and hear.
- The moment it went wrong: a crack like a shot, a grinding sound, a loose cable, or a door that quit partway.
- Whether the door is stuck open or stuck shut, and whether a car is inside.
- Single or double door, and whether you can see one spring above it or two.
- What the opener does: hums, clicks, blinks or nothing at all.
From that we can usually tell you what is likely wrong. The price itself comes once we see the door, because that is the only way to know what else the problem touched.
How the price works on the day
On site we go past the part you called about and look over everything that moves the door. Then we show you what failed, explain the repair and give you an upfront price, and the work waits until you agree to it.
Should a second worn part turn up mid-job, you see it and decide whether to add it. The last step is a balance check plus a test of the sensors and the auto-reverse, which makes a closing door back off when it meets something.
For bigger jobs, such as a new door or a new opener, financing is available, and we go over it before any work.
Repairs that cost more when they wait
Some problems grow while the door keeps running. An opener straining against a broken spring can wear out its gear or burn out its motor. A frayed cable can snap and leave the door hanging crooked, and a door forced along a bent track can damage the door itself.
So after a bang or a snapped cable, pull the opener's plug and let the door stay put. Our pages on spring repair and on a broken spring explain what to do while you wait.
When a repair stops making sense
Sometimes the honest answer is that the door itself is too far gone, with panels cracked or rusted through, or folded by a car. In that case we say so plainly and don't sell you parts it can't use. We can price a new door next to the repair instead. The answer page Repair or replace? explains what a new door involves.
Our visits cover Miami-Dade and Broward, from Hialeah and Doral to Hollywood and Miramar. Book or call us and describe what the door is doing. For every repair we offer, see garage door repair.