Can You Repair A Garage Door By Yourself? - Look Garage Doors | New Garage Doors and Automation

We recently posted an article about how to lubricate a garage door. In it, we mentioned that if your garage door gets stuck, it’s worth calling out a repair service. But this has raised another question, how do you fix a broken garage door? And is it possible to save some money by doing it yourself? At Look Garage Doors, we’ve spent more than a few hours repairing garage doors. Some of our staff have become so skilled at it, that they could do it in their sleep. So, we thought we’d put together a follow-up article that goes into greater depth about garage door repairs and what to avoid.

DIY Garage Door Repairs

Before we get into it, we should point out that if you’re not sure what you’re doing, it’s always better to hire a professional. We realise that some of you will be DIY enthusiasts or naturally curious, but if you start unscrewing bolts or making other alterations without a full understanding of what they’re for, you could make the damage worse. Anyway, if your garage door is stuck, the first thing to do is check the rollers and tracks. A lot of common problems can be avoided by brushing them clean and lubricating them regularly. It’s astonishing how much trouble a single broken tree branch can cause. If you spot any obvious blockages, remove them immediately and while you’re at it, make sure all the track sections are secure. If they’ve come loose, tighten the screws that hold them in place. Follow this up by looking at the cables and pulleys. If you spot any damage or the cables are fraying, abandon any idea of fixing the door yourself and get in touch with a professional. If you try to repair them yourself, you not only risk causing more damage but also injuring yourself, a tightly wound cable snapping can be very dangerous. Lastly, examine the springs and see if they’re worn out. Again, if there’s any wear and tear, this is a job for a technician.

Other Concerns

Going through the above ideas should resolve a stuck garage door, but what about other types of damage? For example, if you’ve got a window installed and it gets broken by a misdirected football, it’s no different to replacing any other type of glass pane. It’s worth getting it done as soon as possible though, as a broken window is a tempting target for any passing burglars. If a panel gets dented, it is possible to fix it manually, provided you can find a suitable replacement. This is harder if you’ve got an older garage door as new parts may no longer be available, but is an option for more recent models. Measure the thickness, along with the width and height and make sure you choose the same colour. Then it’s simply a case of closing your garage door and swapping out the old panel with the new one. That said, if you find yourself in a situation where more than one panel gets damaged, it might be better to have the entire garage door replaced. It’s more cost-effective, less hassle and most importantly, safer. If something has hit your garage door with enough force to dent more than one panel, it may have caused further structural weaknesses that you can’t see.

In other words, while it’s entirely possible to repair a garage door by yourself, it depends on the nature of the job. Things like minor dents, blocked tracks and broken windows can all be fixed on your own with a bit of confidence and care, but more significant problems will need a specialist. That’s where Look Garage Doors come in. Alongside our high-quality garage doors, we also offer a repair service. So if you’ve accidentally driven into your door, or if it keeps sticking and you can’t figure out why, contact us. We’re more than happy to help.