Garage door opener repair
Not sure if your garage door opener is worth fixing?
Most openers we're called about get repaired. We recommend a new one when the drive is worn out, it can't learn new remotes, or it won't hold its settings. Here's how we tell the difference.
- Same-day service
- 4.9 stars, 400+ reviews
- Licensed & insured
Is this what you're seeing?
The opener is old and works some of the time.
Remotes have stopped working, or a new remote won’t program to it.
The door stops short or reverses at the floor even after the settings are reset.
You were told you need a new opener and want to know if that’s right.
What's going on
Openers wear in a few predictable places. The drive gear and sprocket wear down, the logic board fails, or the limit settings stop holding. A worn gear or a failed board on a newer opener is usually worth repairing.
Age changes the math. Older openers can’t always learn current remotes or keypads, and openers made before 1993 don’t have the photo-eye sensors that stop a door from closing on someone.
What to do right now
Do
Find the brand and model on the label of the motor unit. It tells us which parts are still available.
Try fresh batteries in the remote and check the wall button still works.
Unplug the opener if it hums or strains without moving the door.
Don't
Don’t keep running an opener that strains. It can burn out the motor.
Don’t bypass or remove the safety sensors to get the door to close.
How we fix it
We repair what’s worth repairing under garage door opener repair. Our records show how our opener jobs actually break down, including how few end in a new opener.
What the work involved
- Remotes and keypads77 of 393 jobs
- Chain or belt56 of 393 jobs
- Springs56 of 393 jobs
- New opener34 of 393 jobs
- Safety sensors13 of 393 jobs
- Opener jobs since 2017
- 493
- Typical time on site
- 75 min
- Busiest season
- Fall
Recent jobs like this
Feb 2024
LakewoodFound
The remotes only worked some of the time on an older opener.
Fixed
Replaced the opener.
Jun 2024
LittletonFound
The sprocket had come off an old opener.
Fixed
Recommended a new opener.
Apr 2022
LittletonFound
The door reversed at the floor and wouldn't open all the way, because the opener wouldn't hold its travel limits.
Fixed
Recommended a new chain-drive opener.
Dec 2022
DenverFound
The opener had stopped working because of its age.
Fixed
Replaced the opener.
Mar 2022
DenverFound
The opener had malfunctioned and stopped working.
Fixed
Installed a jackshaft opener with two remotes, an outside keypad and a wall button.
Nov 2022
West metroFound
A screw-drive opener was running rough and looked like it might need replacing.
Fixed
Lubricated the drive instead, and the door ran fine.
Repair or replace?
If a new opener is the better call, we’ll show you why on site and install it with remotes, a keypad and safety sensors. If the door itself is hard to lift, that gets fixed first, because a new opener won’t fix a door problem.
Related questions
How long does a garage door opener last?
Most residential garage door openers last 10-15 years with normal use of 2-4 cycles per day.
Read full answerWhy won't my garage door opener accept a new remote?
The most common reasons are a wrong remote for the frequency or security system, a dead battery in the new remote, or the opener being in a learn-lockout state.
Read full answerWhy won't my old remote work with my new LiftMaster white learn button opener?
LiftMaster openers with a white learn button use Security+ 3.0, a Bluetooth-based system introduced in 2025 that is incompatible with every remote made before 2025.
Read full answerDo the springs or the opener lift my garage door?
The springs lift your garage door, not the opener. They counterbalance the weight and the opener just guides it. Here is why that matters.
Read full answerRelated services
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