Repair or replace a garage door?
Once both options are genuinely on the table, the useful question is not which is cheaper today — it is what each one actually buys, and how to get two quotes you can honestly compare.
Read the guidePricing
A door cannot be priceddown a phone line.
Weight, spring cycle rating, hardware age and access all move the figure, and none of them can be judged from a description. So we look first, then price it in front of you, then you decide. The looking costs nothing.
FreeTo look and to measure
ItemizedParts, labor, service call
FixedOnce you have agreed it
The variables
What actually movesthe number.
Five things, roughly in order of how hard they push. This is why two houses on the same street get different figures for what looks like the same job.
Door weight
A double door runs 150 to 250 lb. Heavier doors need heavier springs, heavier cables and heavier hardware throughout. It is the single biggest driver.
Spring cycle rating
A 10,000-cycle spring and a 25,000-cycle spring are not the same part. The higher rating costs more up front and roughly doubles the interval before you see us again.
Single or double door
Two springs, two cables, twice the hardware and close to twice the labor. A double is not a little more than a single.
Age of the hardware
Twenty-year-old drums, bearings and brackets often need replacing alongside whatever actually failed. Installing a new spring to worn hardware is throwing money away.
Access
Low headroom and tight sideroom take longer, and on a repair bill time is most of the number.
What we find
Occasionally a spring failure has already damaged a track or a panel. If that is the case we stop and show you before anything goes on the price.
Included
What the figurecovers.
Everything on one page. Parts, labor and the service call together, so there is nothing to be surprised by afterwards.
- No diagnostic feeLooking at the door and telling you what it needs is not billable.
- No service call added laterIt is inside the figure you approved, not bolted on at the end.
- No “while we were in there”If we find something else, we stop and ask rather than add it.
- Free measure on replacementsWhether or not you order the door.
- Removal and disposalIncluded on every replacement. The old door leaves with us.
Warranty
Written on the invoice rather than said at the door, so you have it in hand if you ever need it.
- PartsWritten, and stated on your invoice
- LaborWritten, and stated on your invoice
- CoversAnything we installed that fails within the term
- ExcludesImpact damage and anything we did not supply
Ask for the specifics when you book and we will tell you exactly what is covered before anyone comes out.
See the numberbefore anyone starts.
Book a two-hour window. Beau looks at the door, prices it in front of you, and you say yes or no. Either way it costs nothing to have found out.
Why we do it this way
- A phone quote is a guessAnd guesses get revised upward once someone is standing in your driveway.
- You should see what you are paying forParts, labor and service call on one page, before work starts.
- The number should not moveOnce you have agreed it, it is agreed. That is the whole point.
Questions
Pricing questions,answered honestly.
Including the ones that argue for the cheaper option.
Not answered here?
Call and ask. Beau has been doing this in Riverside County for over thirty years and there is no charge for a question.
(951) 232-9778Mon–Sat · 8am–6pmWhy will you not quote over the phone?
Because a door cannot be priced down a phone line honestly. Weight, spring cycle rating, hardware age and access all change the figure, and none of them can be assessed from a description. A phone number is a guess, and guesses get revised upward on the driveway.
Do you charge for coming out to look?
No. Looking at a door and telling you what it needs is not a service we bill for. There is no diagnostic fee added at the end, and the measure for a replacement is free whether or not you order one.
Can the price change once work has started?
No. You see an itemized figure and approve it before anything is touched, and it does not move. If we find something else while we are in there, we stop and ask rather than adding it to the bill.
What is included in a repair price?
Parts, labor and the service call, on one page. Nothing is broken out afterwards as an extra. If a job needs a part we do not carry, we say so before you agree rather than after.
Do you offer a warranty?
Yes, on both parts and labor, and the terms go on the invoice rather than being said at the door. Ask for the specifics when you book and we will tell you exactly what is covered and for how long.
Is it cheaper to repair or replace?
Repair, almost always, until the door itself is the problem. Springs, cables, rollers and openers are maintenance items on a door that has years left. Once panels are rusting or a model is out of production, repeated repairs stop making sense and we will say so.
How long do garage door springs last?
Between seven and twelve years for most households. Springs are rated in cycles rather than years, so the honest answer depends on how often you open the door. A 10,000-cycle spring on a door used four times a day is spent in under seven years.
Higher-cycle springs cost a little more and roughly double the interval. On a garage that doubles as the main door to the house, they usually pay for themselves.
Should garage door springs be replaced in pairs?
Yes, on a two-spring door. Both springs are the same age and have taken the same number of cycles, so when one fails the other is usually weeks or months behind it. Replacing one means paying the service call twice.
Can you replace just one panel of my garage door?
Sometimes. It depends on whether your model is still in production and whether the color still matches after years of sun. On doors older than about fifteen years a match is unlikely, and replacement usually makes better financial sense.
Do you take the old garage door away?
Yes. Removal and disposal of the old door and hardware is included in every replacement we quote. You will not find it stacked beside the bins after we leave.
Further reading
Guides for Riverside Countywritten by the people who fix these doors.
What moves the number is mostly what the door needs, and when repair stops being worth it. The guides below cover both, and what a home warranty will and won’t pay for.
Is a garage door tune-up worth it?
“Tune-up” is not a defined term — it means whatever the company selling it decides. Which is exactly why the question cannot be answered until you know what is in the one you are being offered.
Read the guideDoes a home warranty cover garage door springs?
Every page answering this is written by a home warranty company. This one is written by the contractor who gets dispatched on the job — which component the contract usually names, and the four reasons claims actually get declined.
Read the guide