Garage door replacement
Should you repair your garage door or replace it?
Most problems are a part, not the door: springs, cables, rollers, a section. A new door makes sense when the door itself is falling apart, parts are no longer made, or repairs keep stacking up.
- Same-day service
- 4.9 stars, 400+ reviews
- Licensed & insured
Is this what you're seeing?
Your door needs a repair and the quote makes you wonder if the money should go to a new door instead.
A section is cracked or sagging and has been fixed before.
The door is old, worn, or a style that is hard to get parts for.
You are repairing something every year or two.
What's going on
A garage door has parts that wear out on a schedule and a door that does not. Springs, cables and rollers are meant to be replaced, and replacing them is a repair. The door itself, the sections, only needs replacing when it is damaged past fixing or no longer holds together.
In our records, a repair visit usually stays a repair. Only a small share of homes with a repair visit bought a new door within the next 12 months, and for many of them the new door followed the same month, after the visit showed the door was past fixing.
The signs that pushed homes toward a new door in the records are a top section falling apart after being reinforced more than once, a door whose sections are no longer made, and a bottom section damaged beyond a match. See is it worth repairing vs replacing an old door.
What to do right now
Do
Write down what is wrong and whether it has been fixed before.
Note the age of the door and whether the sections or hardware show rust, rot or cracks.
Ask for the repair and the replacement together, so you can compare them for your door.
Don't
Don’t replace a door for a broken spring or a bent track. Those are repairs.
Don’t keep repairing a door whose sections are splitting or sagging. The parts around them wear faster.
How we fix it
Replacing is a new garage door installation. Here is how often a repair visit led to a new door in our records, and what the repair was.
What the work involved
- Bought a new door within 12 months of a repair visit46 of 1961 jobs
- After a spring repair14 of 1961 jobs
- After a section or panel job3 of 1961 jobs
- Door installation jobs since 2017
- 46
Recent jobs like this
Nov 2024
LakewoodRepair visit
A broken cable on the right side. The cable was replaced, a spring adjusted and the door lubricated.
Then they chose
About a month later: a new 16x7 fully insulated short-panel door.
Jul 2024
LittletonRepair visit
A new top section was needed.
Then they chose
About a month later: a new 16x8 non-insulated door.
Nov 2022
Denver metroRepair visit
A spring set replaced.
Then they chose
Seven months later: a new 16x7 non-insulated door with a chain-drive opener.
Oct 2022
MorrisonRepair visit
A spring change.
Then they chose
About a month later: a new fully insulated two-car door.
Sep 2022
LakewoodRepair visit
A diagnose visit. The top section was later noted as falling apart after being reinforced more than once.
Then they chose
About three months later: a new non-insulated 16x7 door.
Feb 2022
LakewoodRepair visit
One spring replaced.
Then they chose
About a month later: a new fully insulated one-car door with windows.
Repair or replace?
If it is a part, see garage door spring repair or replacing one section. If it is the door, start with what size you need.
Related questions
Should I repair or replace my garage door?
Should you repair or replace your garage door? It comes down to age, damage, safety, and cost. Here is the line between a smart fix and a new door.
Read full answerWhen should you replace a garage door?
When to replace a garage door instead of repairing it: most last 15 to 30 years, but age, repeat repairs, and rising bills can tip the call to a new one.
Read full answerIs it worth repairing or replacing an old garage door?
Repair makes sense when the door is under 15 years old, the repair costs less than 30 to 40 percent of a new door's price, and only one or two components are failing.
Read full answerRelated services
Parts mentioned
Get an honest repair-or-replace answer
Book same-day service or call us. Available 24/7.