You’ve been woken up late, you’re having a bad hair day, and your kids’ alarms didn’t go off. Maybe you didn’t even have time for coffee in the morning. Quickly, you scramble to get yourself and your kids ready in time for work and school. Everyone is running amok, but you’ve finally gotten everyone in the car and you’re ready to back out. Suddenly, BLAM! You’ve just hit your garage door. You might start to cry in frustration! However, once you’ve had some time to breathe, you might start wondering what you should do next. How do you fix your garage door?
Or perhaps you were unaware of the harsh weather conditions outside. You’re driving during winter, and the roads have become slippery with ice and sleet. You finally make it home, and you turn into your driveway to drive into your garage…and BOOM! Your wheels skid on the surface and your car careens into the front of your garage door. And what if your car has an extra bike rack on top? You don’t have enough room to clear the garage, and you scrape up the door and the opener system. What do you do to fix this?
What was the extent of your damage?
The first thing you need to do is thoroughly assess the situation. The most likely case is that you’ve hit the bottom section of the garage door. That area is most frequently hit by cars due to its location. If you have an electric garage door opener, it can likely lift the entire garage door. Did you know that most garage door openers can lift up to 350 lb. (160 kilos)? However, this doesn’t mean that you should strain your door beyond its capability. A common lifting load is between 8 and 10 lb. (3.5 and 4 kilos).
Before you attempt to lower or raise your door, make sure to check out the damage. Are the garage door opener’s rollers still in their tracks? Are they attached to their hinges? Check to see if the lifting cables are still aligned with their drums. Also, take note of the fact that the entire lifting system (which includes the springs, lifting cable, and bottom bracket) is under high tension all the time. This tension is equal to the full weight of your garage door – Do not touch it under any circumstances!
If the damage to the garage door isn’t too devastating, you can then attempt to get your car out of the garage. After it’s safely cleared, stand about 8 feet (2.5 m) away from your garage door. Cautiously push the button on your remote garage door opener to see what happens. If it starts to roll up fine, then you’re in luck. But if you hear loud noises and see that parts of the garage are not fitting or moving properly, unplug the device immediately. Unplug your garage door opener from its electrical outlet. And remember not to touch any of the parts!
What if the garage door has come completely out of its tracks?
If your garage door is too far damaged, there isn’t much you can do. Remember not to touch anything. At your next available convenience, contact your garage door specialist. It would be preferable if you could contact the specialist who originally installed your garage door. While you wait for the specialist to arrive, you may want to arrange a ride with your friends for a while.
Do I need to call the insurance company?
There are two important things to remember here: If your garage door is extremely damaged, then yes, you should contact your home insurance company. If your car is damaged, you need to contact your auto insurance company. The second thing to remember is that your car’s insurance will not cover the damage done to the garage door, and vice versa.
Take a look at your policies’ deductibles. Is it really worth it to open a claim, or are you better off covering the loss on your own?
How much will it cost to get my garage door repaired?
The answer to this question depends on the damage done to your door, as well as your door’s age. If your garage door is so old that replacement sections are no longer available, you may need to replace the entire system. If so, you might be paying for 2 to 2.5 hours of labor.
If you just have one broken section, you may be in luck. Typically, 7 to 8 ft. garage doors come with four sections. Calculate the price to replace a full section and divide it by four to determine your costs. However, this cost is just for the parts. Keep in mind that the cost of labor is one of the most sizable portions of the replacement costs. At this point, it’s as if you need an entire new garage door replaced altogether.
What if I do need to replace my garage door entirely?
If you need to replace your garage door, feel free to contact us at any time at 978-741-1600. We know garage doors better than anyone in the construction industry does. If you visit our website, you can also request a free quote by email.
We are happy to come to your home as well to explain our line of products and services. We can also send out a specialist to help assess the damage done to your garage door. If you’re interested in a new door, visit our website, where you can use our Design Centre or take a look at our image gallery for inspiration.
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