Garage Door Repair FAQ

The independent, licensed and insured garage door company you choose to hire. We're a matching service only, so we never send our own crew. Each company you're matched with can diagnose the problem and give you a price, and the one you hire does the work and provides any warranty. You deal with them directly. See how it works for the full process from form to visit.

No. Submitting a request costs nothing, and you're under no obligation to hire anyone. Each participating garage door company that receives your request pays us a fee; homeowners never do. The only money you'd ever spend is with the company you choose to hire, and only after you've heard its quote and agreed to the work.

No. Your request goes only to the companies we match you with, up to 5, so they can contact you about your garage door. We don't sell it to an open list of contractors. You can stop texts at any time by replying STOP. Our privacy policy explains what we collect, how it's shared and how to opt out.

Possibly several. A request can go to up to 5 participating garage door companies that serve your ZIP code, and each may call, text or email you. If your door is fixed by the first company you talk to, simply tell the others you no longer need help and ask them to stop contacting you. Reply STOP to any text to opt out.

Give your ZIP code and what the door is doing: won't open, won't close, crooked, noisy or stuck partway. Mention any loud bang, a hanging cable, the opener brand if you know it, and whether a car is trapped or the home can't be secured. Those details help the company judge urgency and bring the right parts on the first trip.

That's common, and it's fine. Choose "Not sure yet" on the form and describe what you see and hear. A door that won't open could be a spring, a cable, the opener or a sensor, and the pros will sort it out on site. Our garage door services page lists quick clues that match common symptoms to likely causes.

We're launching in the Phoenix metro: Phoenix, Mesa, Gilbert, Chandler, Scottsdale, Tempe, Glendale, Peoria, Surprise, Goodyear, Buckeye, Queen Creek and San Tan Valley. Each has its own page with local tips on our garage door repair locations page. If you live just outside those cities, you can still submit a request and we'll try to find a company that serves you.

Use the Arizona Registrar of Contractors' free online license search. Enter the company name or license number to confirm the license is active and to see any complaint history. Ask the company for its license number when it first contacts you, and check it before you approve any work. We only send requests to companies that give us an active ROC license number, but checking yourself takes a minute.

The Registrar of Contractors says a license is generally required when labor and materials together exceed $1,000, or when the job needs a permit, whatever the cost. Arizona Commerce Authority guidance says people working under the handyman exemption must include "not a licensed contractor" in their ads. A new door or a large multi-part repair can easily pass $1,000.

Listen and look. Many people hear a loud bang from the garage, sometimes when nobody is using the door. Above a closed door, a torsion spring may show a clear gap in the coil. The door may feel very heavy, or the opener may strain while the door lifts only a few inches. Stop using it and see broken garage door spring repair.

We don't recommend it. DASMA, the trade association for door makers, says spring systems are dangerous and should be repaired only by trained professionals. Springs are wound or stretched to balance the whole door, and that stored energy can cause serious injury if a tool slips. Pros also size springs to the door's weight, which is easy to get wrong.

HomeAdvisor estimates torsion springs last about 8 to 15 years, or 10,000 to 20,000 cycles. Extension springs last about 7 to 12 years, or 8,000 to 15,000 cycles. A household that opens the garage many times a day will reach those cycle counts sooner. If your springs are near that age, ask about them during your next tune-up.

One cycle is one full opening plus one full closing. If your family opens and closes the door four times a day, that's about 1,460 cycles a year. A standard spring rated around 10,000 cycles would then last roughly seven years. Higher-cycle springs, such as 25,000-cycle springs, cost more up front but are built to last longer.

Torsion springs sit on a metal bar above the door opening and twist to lift the door. Extension springs run along each side above the horizontal tracks and stretch. Torsion springs generally last longer. Extension springs usually cost less per spring, and DASMA says each one should have a safety cable running through it to contain the spring if it breaks.

Most of the time it's the safety sensors, the two small photo eyes near the floor. If the beam is blocked, the lenses are dusty or one eye got bumped out of line, the opener thinks something is in the way. Clear the path, wipe the lenses and check that both lights are steady. If it keeps happening, see garage door opener repair.

Once a month, according to the CPSC. Follow your opener manual. A common test is to lay a solid object, like a board, flat on the floor in the door's path and close the door; it should reverse when it touches the object. If it doesn't, adjust it as the manual describes or have a professional inspect the opener before using it again.

Some are. CPSC rules require residential openers made on or after January 1, 1993 to have entrapment protection, such as photo-eye sensors, a door edge sensor or a constant-contact wall button. An opener older than that may lack those features. If yours has no sensors near the floor and fails the monthly reverse test, stop using it and ask a pro about a replacement.

You may see a cable hanging loose near a bottom corner of the door, a cable unwound from its drum at the top, or strands that look frayed. The door often hangs crooked because one side lost support. DASMA notes that frayed cables can break and cause injury. Stop using the door and see garage door cable repair.

A door that sits lower on one side has usually lost support on that side. Common causes are a slipped or snapped lift cable, a broken spring on a two-spring door, or a roller that jumped out of a bent track. Don't try to force it level or close it. Unplug the opener, keep people and cars clear and have a trained tech rebalance it.

HomeAdvisor lists a new installed opener at about $218 to $540, with an average around $379. By drive type, HomeAdvisor lists chain-drive units at about $150 to $250, belt-drive about $160 to $350 and direct-drive about $280 to $500. Smart features, battery backup and extra power for heavy doors push the price up. The pros you're matched with quote the actual price.

Bob Vila puts a new installed garage door at $1,500 to $6,000, with a national average of about $2,500. A basic single steel door sits at the low end, while large insulated, wood or custom doors sit at the high end. Removal of the old door adds about $50 to $200. See new garage door installation for materials and HOA tips.

Our garage door repair cost guide lists sourced ranges for springs, openers, cables, tracks, panels and new doors, with Phoenix-area figures where they exist. It also explains what pushes a price up, how to keep costs down and which red flags to watch for in a quote. The numbers are typical ranges, not prices we charge.

Yes. Long stretches of extreme heat dry out lubricants on rollers, hinges and springs, and harden rubber weatherstripping until it cracks. Town & Country Door notes that heat can also warp some materials, throw off alignment and change how sensitive the safety sensors are. Regular garage door maintenance, especially before summer, keeps those problems small.

The National Weather Service defines Arizona's monsoon season as June 15 through September 30. Storms can bring dust storms, strong winds and flooding. For a garage door, that usually means grit in the tracks, dusty sensor lenses and wind-driven dust under worn seals. After a big storm, wipe the sensors and look for gaps along the bottom seal.

Partly. DASMA recommends monthly homeowner safety checks and a yearly visit from a trained technician. You can safely wipe the sensors, clear the tracks, replace remote batteries, spray lubricant on hinges and springs, and test the auto-reverse monthly as the CPSC suggests. Leave springs, cables and bottom brackets to a pro. See our garage door tune-up and maintenance page.

Permit rules are set by your city or county, so ask the installer whether your job needs one. Either way, check the license. The Arizona Registrar of Contractors says a license is generally required when a job needs a permit, regardless of cost, or when labor and materials exceed $1,000. Most new installed doors cost more than that.

Usually, yes. Most openers have a red emergency release cord that disconnects the door so you can lift it by hand. Only do this with the door fully closed and the springs working, so the door feels light and balanced. If a spring is broken, don't lift it. Some openers offer battery backup so the door keeps working during outages.

Ask for the company's Arizona contractor license number and proof of insurance. Get a written price before work starts that lists parts and labor. Ask which parts are being replaced, the cycle rating of any new springs, whether there's a trip or after-hours fee, and what the warranty covers on parts and on labor, and for how long.

No. We don't perform repairs, set prices or provide warranties. The companies you're matched with set their own prices and offer their own warranties, so ask about both before you agree to anything. If the quote doesn't feel right, you can say no. Our garage door repair cost guide can help you judge whether a quote is in the typical range.

Yes, if you're licensed with the Arizona Registrar of Contractors, carry insurance and can respond to homeowners quickly. We send requests from homeowners in your service area for the types of jobs you choose. Learn how it works and how to reach us on our page for contractors.

Start with the simple causes: a tripped breaker or unplugged opener, a dead remote battery, a locked door or a lock-out button on the wall control. If the motor hums or the door rises only a few inches, a broken spring is likely, so stop pressing the button. A visible gap in the spring above the door confirms it. See garage door spring repair.

A garage door should feel fairly light when the opener is disconnected, because the springs carry most of its weight. If it feels very heavy, the springs are likely worn out or broken. DASMA notes that a door that moves unevenly may have an unbalanced spring system. Don't keep lifting it or running the opener; have a pro check the springs.

On a door with two springs, usually yes. DASMA and HomeAdvisor both recommend replacing both, even if only one broke. The two springs have done the same number of cycles, so the second one is usually close to failing. Doing both in one visit keeps the door balanced and helps you avoid paying for a second service call soon after.

Don't keep pressing the button, and don't try to lift the door by hand if a spring looks broken, because the door is no longer balanced. Check the simple things first: power, the remote battery and any lock. If your car is trapped, say so when you request help so the company knows it's urgent; timing depends on the company. See emergency garage door repair.

Not by much, based on published data. Angi puts Phoenix-area spring replacement at about $258 on average, close to HomeAdvisor's national spring average of about $250. What makes one bill higher than another is usually extra damage, door size, the number of springs and after-hours timing. Your matched companies quote the real price after seeing your door.