Maybe you slept through your alarm and got off to a bad start. You’re rushing to get the kids up and get them out the door. It’s one thing after another, and you can already tell it’s going to be one of those days. Finally, you manage to get everything together and get ready to leave when BOOM!!! You hit the gas and run your car back into the garage door. Part of you wants to just break down and cry, and another part wants to start yelling at something. But, little by little, you manage to calm down. Now what do you do?
It could happen like that, or in any one of a number of other unpleasant and surprising ways. Accidents happen to, or involving, garage doors all the time. Maybe the driveway was slippery, or you forgot about the bike strapped to the roof of your car when you pulled in. But whatever it was that caused it, there’s a surprising number of things that can go wrong and damage your garage door. So what can you do?
It depends on just how bad the damage actually is.
Most the time it’s the bottom of your garage door that takes the brunt of the damage. Should your garage door be equipped with an electric opener, it’s entirely likely that the door can still be completely opened. The average opener is more than strong enough to lift a load of around 350 lb. (or 160 kilos). But under absolutely no circumstances should your electric garage door opener ever exceed its maximum load by any more than 10 lb. (4.5 kilos).
BEFORE you drop your garage door back down, take stock of the situation, and evaluate the damage. Are all of your rollers still where they should be, in their tracks and attached to their hinges? Are all the lifting cables still properly wound around their drums? This is very important. The entire lifting system (which includes the bottom bracket, lifting cables, and springs) is under a very high, constant level of tension equal to the full weight of your garage door. It is imperative not to touch any of those parts.
If, after your inspection, everything seems to still be operational, then go ahead and move your car out of the garage. Then, while you’re standing a safe distance (about 8 feet) away, push the button on your garage remote and see what happens. If any kind of unexpected noises occur, as if some sections or pieces of your garage door aren’t moving properly, stop your garage door from being able to be used by unplugging the opener from its outlet. And then do not touch anything else.
If your garage door has run completely off its tracks…
There is unfortunately very little you can do. But definitely do not touch anything. What you can do, though, is get on the phone and call a garage door specialist. Usually, this means checking the housing of your garage door opener. You should be able to find the number of the specialist or company that installed it there. Next, get on the phone with someone who can help you out and give you a lift to wherever it was you were going before the accident.
Do I need to call my insurance company?
This depends largely on two things: your home insurance provider can help you if your garage door was, in fact, seriously damaged. Similarly, if your car ended up sustaining damage, then your car insurance provider can help you. Sometimes, for some people, that ends up being the same provider. Just remember that the same kind of insurance that covers damage to your car, doesn’t cover your garage door.
And remember to pay close attention to the deductibles on each of your policies. You may be better off rolling with the loss than filing a claim about it.
What kind of costs can I expect to pay out for garage door repairs?
That depends entirely on the extent of the damage to your garage door, and also the age of the garage door itself. It’s possible that your door is actually so old that replacement sections for it are no longer easily or readily available. If that’s the case and it becomes necessary to have your entire garage door system replaced to ensure it all works right, expect to pay for anywhere from 2 to 2 ½ hours of labor.
But if you’re lucky and only one section has been damaged and needs to be replaced, you’ll only have to factor in the cost of a full 4‑section door (7- and 8‑ft. doors typically have 4 sections) and divide that by four. As with most repair work, labor costs are where the bulk of the final price comes from. And with garage doors, usually, they need to be completely taken apart except for the tracks, and then installed as if it were a totally new installation.
I think I need to replace my whole garage door…
Feel free to contact us any time at 613-547-4566. We’ve got more knowledge and experience than anyone else in the construction industry. And based on your needs, can send you a free quote by email.
We’re happy to come to your house and explain everything in detail. We can even consult on making choices for specific situations. And if you’d like, consider checking out our Design Centre or image gallery for inspiration.
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