The short answer: repair the moving parts, replace the door when the panels themselves are failing or no longer suit you. The details below will help you decide which applies.
Repair when…
- A spring, cable, roller or hinge has failed. These are wear parts and are expected to be replaced during a door’s life.
- The opener has stopped working. The opener is separate from the door.
- One panel is damaged and a matching section is still available.
- The door has come off track but the sections are not creased.
- The door is noisy or out of balance.
Replace when…
- Several panels are dented, cracked or rusted through.
- A wood door has rot or delamination.
- Matching replacement sections are no longer made.
- The door sags when open, which means the sections have lost their rigidity.
- The door is uninsulated and the garage is too hot to use.
- You are renovating the exterior or preparing to sell.
A useful rule of thumb
Add up what the door has needed in the last two years and what it needs now. If the panels are sound, repairs are nearly always the better value. If the panels are the problem, repairs to the hardware only postpone the replacement.
What about just the opener?
Door and opener decisions are separate. A good door can get a new opener, and a new door can often keep a sound existing opener.
Getting an honest answer
Ask the technician to show you what has failed and to price both options when it is a close call. We are happy to do that. See garage door replacement or garage door repair.
