Decisions
Repair or Replace?
The median Lubbock home was built in 1984, so we meet a lot of doors right at this decision. Here is how we think about it.
Should I repair or replace my garage door?
Repair when one component has failed. Replace when the door itself is failing. A forty-year-old door that needs springs and rollers is worth fixing. The same door with bent sections, rusted hinges and a perished bottom seal is not.
The other test: if the repair costs a substantial fraction of a new door and the door will still be old afterwards, replacement is usually better value.
Repair
- Broken spring on an otherwise sound door. See spring repair.
- Worn rollers, dry hinges, a noisy door
- Opener faults on a door that runs true. See opener repair.
- A single damaged section on a current model that is still available
- Cables, drums and bearings
Replace
- Multiple bent or dented sections
- A discontinued door where no matching panel can be sourced
- Rust through the bottom section
- A door that has never run true since an off-track event
- Any opener with no photo-eye sensors, which predates the 1993 safety requirement
- A door you are repairing for the third time in two years
The Lubbock wrinkle
Sun fade matters here more than in most markets. A door that has spent fifteen West Texas summers facing west will not colour-match a new section, so a single-panel repair that is technically possible can still look wrong. That pushes some otherwise repairable doors toward replacement on appearance alone.
The counterweight is that a new door is a chance to add insulation and wind bracing, both of which are worth more here than they would be elsewhere. See installation.
What we will tell you
We would rather replace a spring today and be the people you call in five years than talk you into a door you did not need. If your door has one more good repair in it, we will say so.
Questions we get asked
How long should a garage door last?
Fifteen to thirty years depending on build quality and maintenance. In Lubbock, dust and sun push toward the lower end unless the door is looked after.
Is it worth repairing a door before selling the house?
Usually. A door that runs quietly and looks sound is one less thing on an inspection report.
Can you tell me over the phone?
Often we can narrow it down from a description and a photo. A firm answer needs eyes on it.
Get it fixed today
Not sure which side of the line your door is on? Send a photo and we will tell you straight.