Everyone has been there; up late the night before, you hit snooze on the alarm one too many times and now you’re running late and have no time for a caffeine fix. You get the children in the car ready to take them to daycare, you put the car in reverse, your foot on the accelerator and then you hear the sound you wanted to hear the least: BANG! Now the kids are crying, you’re on the verge of tears and to make matters worse there’s no way you’ll get to work on time.
Accidents happen; sometimes people slide into the garage door in bad weather, other times people forget to take down their ski/bike rack and that causes damage to the door. However it happened, it can be fixed, so take a deep breath and compose yourself.
Check the extent of the damage
It’s usually the bottom section of the door that gets damaged (like the photo above). If you have an electric garage door opener, it will probably be able to lift the door almost fully open. Most can lift a load up to 350 lbs, although they shouldn’t be used to lift more than their normal load (between 8 and 10 lbs).
First things first, check the extent of the damage. Look at the rollers, are they still in their tracks and attached to the hinges? What about the lifting cables? Are they still aligned with the drums they wind around? Whatever you do don’t touch any of the parts! The lifting system (bottom bracket, lifting cable and springs) is under extreme tension, equal to the door’s full weight, and you don’t want to end up in the emergency room!
If it looks like everything is as it should be, carefully back your car out of the garage. Once out, stand about 8 feet (2.5 metres) away from the door and press the button on your remote. It might lower easily or you might hear loud grinding noises and see that the sections won’t fit together properly. If this is the case stop using your garage door and unplug the door opener system. For your own safety, don’t touch any of the parts!
Worst case scenario…
… the door has come off its tracks. Unfortunately, there isn’t much you can do to remedy the problem. Don’t touch anything and call a garage door expert right away, you can probably find the number of the person who fitted your door on the housing of the door opener. Then get in touch with someone to give you and the kids are ride to work and daycare.
Do I need to involve my insurance company?
Depending on the extent of the damage to both the car and the garage door you may need to contact your car insurer and home insurer, don’t forget your car insurance will not cover damage to garage doors. But before you call, examine your policy, it might not be worth making a claim.
How badly will repairing the door affect my bank balance?
It’s impossible to estimate without knowing the extent of the damage and the age of your door. Sometimes doors are so old that you can’t order replacement sections, in which case you would need to replace the entire door. If the whole system needs replacing you can estimate 2 to 2.5 hours of labour costs.
If you need to replace one section, work out the price of a complete 4-section garage door and divide it by four. As with most repair works, labour costs make up a significant portion of the overall cost, this is because the door must be taken apart and then re-installed as if it were a new door.
What if it’s so badly damaged I need to replace the whole thing?
If the extent of the damage means you need to buy a replacement door contact us at any time at 519-326-5888. We’re garage door experts and can advise you better than anyone else in the garage door industry. You can also request a free quote by email.
We’re also more than happy to come to you. That way we can explain your options to you and help you make the best choice for your situation. If you prefer, try out our Design Centre or browse our image gallery for inspiration.
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