Should You Repair or Replace Your Garage Door?
Repair the door when one part has failed and it still runs straight. Replace it when several sections are damaged, the bottom has rusted through, or the repair would cost close to a new door. Coastside Garage Door repairs start from $150, and a new door installed from $1,000.
Call (650) 777-8776.
Checks before you decide
Safe checks only. None of them touch springs or cables.
- Count the damaged sections: one dented or cracked section is a repair, several usually aren't.
- Look at the bottom section from outside for rust that has come through the paint.
- Watch the door run: smooth and level points to a repair, racked or binding points to a closer look.
- Find the maker and model label on the inside edge of a section. It tells you whether parts are still made.
Stop and call when a spring is broken, a cable is loose, or the door hangs crooked. Those parts hold the door's full weight.
Call (650) 777-8776A snapped spring or a loose cable holds the door's full weight. Leave it closed and call us.
Call (650) 777-8776Repair or replace?
| Repair | Replace | |
|---|---|---|
| Starting price | from $150 | from $1,000 |
| Fits when | One part has failed and the door still runs straight | Several sections are damaged, or the repair costs close to a new door |
| What can raise the price | Number of parts, door weight | Door size, insulation, custom or carriage style |
How the two options compare
Repair
Starting price: from $150
Fits when: One part has failed and the door still runs straight
What can raise the price: Number of parts, door weight
Replace
Starting price: from $1,000
Fits when: Several sections are damaged, or the repair costs close to a new door
What can raise the price: Door size, insulation, custom or carriage style
Where the line usually falls
Springs near the end of their cycles
A regular-duty torsion spring carries an estimated life of 10,000 cycles. One cycle is one opening and one closing of the door. Replacing both springs, from $320, resets that clock on a sound door. Source: Prime-Line regular-duty garage door torsion spring product specification.
Panel damage
One section replaced starts from $280. Once two or three sections need it, a new single door from $1,000 is often close in price.
Salt damage
Coastal air sits in the higher corrosivity classes for steel, so rust through the bottom edge is common near the water. Rusted hardware is a repair. Rust through the skin of several sections is a replacement. Source: ISO 9223:2012, Corrosion of metals and alloys: corrosivity of atmospheres.
Parts no longer made
When the maker no longer produces sections for the model, a damaged section can't be matched and the door is replaced.
Prices both ways
| Job | From | What's included |
|---|---|---|
| Common repairs: rollers, hinges, cables | from$150 | Parts and labor for one failed part, then a balance and travel test. What can raise the price: Number of parts, door weight, a cable that has jumped the drum. |
| Panel replacement | from$280 | One section matched to the door and fitted, then a balance test. What can raise the price: A discontinued panel, an insulated or windowed section, a color match. |
| Torsion springs, both replaced | from$320 | Both torsion springs fitted together and the door balanced. What can raise the price: A heavy or oversized door, high-cycle or galvanized springs. |
| New door installed | from$1,000 | A new door fitted with its tracks and hardware, old door hauled away. What can raise the price: Size, material, insulation, windows. |
| New double door installed | from$1,400 | A new two-car door fitted with its tracks and hardware, old door hauled away. What can raise the price: Material, insulation, windows, a custom size. |
Common questions
Should I repair or replace my garage door?
Repair it when one part has failed and the door still runs straight. A common repair starts from $150. Replace it when several sections are damaged, the bottom panels have rusted through, or the repair would cost close to a new door, which starts from $1,000 installed. Coastside Garage Door prices both options on the same visit.
Is it worth repairing an old garage door?
Often, yes. Springs, cables, rollers and hinges are replaceable on almost any door, so an older door that is straight and solid is usually worth repairing. A common repair starts from $150. The age matters most when replacement sections are no longer made for it.
Can a salt-damaged garage door be saved?
Hardware rust is fixed part by part, and one rusted section can be replaced while the model is still made, from $280. When rust has come through several sections or the struts behind them, a new door is the better buy.
Should I replace the opener when I replace the door?
Not always. A sound opener can go back on a new door once the travel and force are reset. Replace it when it is noisy, lacks a battery backup, or needs repairs of its own. A new opener installed starts from $250.
Not sure which way to go?
Tell us what the door is doing. Both options are priced on the same visit.
Call now and a Pacifica tech can usually be out the same day.
Repairs from $150 · new doors from $1,000