Garage Door Repairs & Servicing
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Topics in this section include repair, servicing and maintenance information for garage doors and garage door motor systems.
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Yes! The good news is that the vast majority of garage doors can be repaired.
Most garage door parts are relatively simple and even when the parts for your door have ceased to be made there are pattern parts available – this includes springs, cones and cables, handles, locks and many more.
Our experienced team can carry out this repair for you, or we can supply the parts for you to repair it yourself.
Sometimes however there are so many issues with your garage door, or if it is really old, that a reliable repair is not possible. In these cases it may be more economically sensible to consider a replacement. Or, if you have a particularly attractive and / or expensive door panel then a complete replacement of all the door gear is possible.
If choosing to repair your own garage door please take great care as, amongst other things, they can be very heavy and uncontrolled spring tension can be very dangerous if you aren’t familiar with what you are doing.
We understand that often a repair is an emergency so we carry a huge range of parts including springs, rollers, brackets and hinges in stock.
Get in touch today to see how we can help.
Yes, you can generally get spare parts for your garage door, including replacement springs, hinges, rollers, cables, and other components. It’s important to use high-quality, manufacturer-approved parts to ensure that your garage door operates safely and effectively. Where the door suppliers have become obsolete and official parts are no longer available then pattern parts, tested by ourselves for quality, can be obtained to bring your door back to life.
We carry a huge range of spares in stock for all the most popular doors so we can supply and install spare parts for your garage door quickly, or if you have confidence in your own abilities you can buy the parts from us on a supply only basis. We have a wide range of repair manuals available to help you but please always wear the correct PPE and exercise caution if you are carrying out DIY repairs as garage doors, particularly broken ones, can be dangerous.
When purchasing spare parts for your garage door, it’s important to ensure that you are getting the correct part for your specific make and model of garage door. Lots of garage doors will have a label on the inside identifying what it is. For peace of mind though please send us photos of the inside, outside and damaged part of your garage door so that we can identify it for you. If you really aren’t sure and are unable to send pictures we can attend to survey – and where possible we will repair on that visit. We offer a 12 month guarantee on all our repairs.
Contact us today and if it’s possible to bring your garage door back to life, we will.
In short, yes, we recommend that you have your garage door serviced regularly to ensure that it operates safely and effectively. Regular maintenance can help to extend the lifespan of your garage door and prevent costly repairs down the line.
Garage door manufacturers recommend having your garage door serviced annually, although this can vary depending on factors such as the age and condition of the door, the frequency of use, and the local climate. It is important to note that there is not a strict or legal requirement to have your garage door serviced but, in common with many other mechanical devices in your life, it is sensible to do so. In the case of a warranty issue with your garage door the manufacturer will usually ask for evidence that it has been serviced and if it has, it makes the process smoother.
During a garage door service, our experienced team will inspect all of the components of your garage door, including, where applicable, the springs, cables, rollers, hinges, tracks, and opener system. They will check for signs of wear and tear, damage, or malfunction, and make any necessary adjustments, repairs, or replacements. They will also lubricate moving parts and test the safety features of the door, such as the auto-reverse mechanism. We keep a record of the service so that we can compare it to future services to identify any change in the condition of your door.
Regular servicing can help to identify potential issues early on, before they become more serious or costly to repair. It will also help to ensure that your garage door operates safely, smoothly, and quietly, and that it meets all safety standards and regulations.
If you have not had your garage door serviced in some time, or if you notice any issues with the door, such as unusual noises, slow operation, or difficulty opening or closing, get in touch today and we will be pleased to help – we offer either one off servicing or, at a reduced rate, a service plan.
The cost of a garage door service is typically £99 per door. Where you have more than one door the other door(s) will be charged at half the rate. So a twin garage service would be £148. Alternatively, we can offer a service plan for a number of consecutive years which a) locks in the current price and b) offers a £10 discount.
The service consists of an inspection of all of the components of your garage door, including, where applicable, the springs, cables, rollers, hinges, tracks, and opener system. We will check for signs of wear and tear, damage, or malfunction. We will be able to make any necessary adjustments, repairs, or replacements – any extra parts required will be chargeable but we will outline these costs to you before carrying out the work. We will also lubricate moving parts and test the safety features of the door, such as the auto-reverse mechanism. We keep a record of the service so that we can compare it to future services to identify any change in the condition of your door.
The cost of a garage door repair can vary depending on the nature and extent of the repair needed, as well as the age, size and complexity of the garage door. For example, springs for a large double door are larger so are more expensive than springs for a single door. In general, the most simple garage door repair that doesn’t require parts starts at £90.00.
Below is a list of the most common garage door repairs and guide pricing:
- Spring Replacement (for a pair of springs – we usually recommend replacing both springs so that the door remains well balanced): £280.00
- Cable Replacement, including Cones if required: £150.00
- Roller Wheel Replacement: £125.00
- Handle and / or Lock Replacement: £120.00
This list is not exhaustive, but it is indicative of what you can expect to pay.
Emergency repairs or repairs outside of regular business hours will incur additional costs – the standard rate is £150.00. We are experts in Garage Doors, including installations and repairs. Get in touch today to find out more.
We are mindful that often when your garage door has broken that it can represent something of an emergency – particularly if the door is stuck open compromising the security of your home or stuck shut preventing access to vehicles, electrical consumer units or other important items.
As such, we carry a wide range of spares for garage doors, so that we can turn around a repair rapidly. Wherever possible we will try and attend within 48 hours. If this isn’t soon enough then we also offer a same day emergency call out service, subject to engineer availability. This does attract a small premium above the regular service but does mean that we will get your door open and / or closed as soon as possible, and ideally repaired on the first visit.
The standard guarantee period for garage door repairs is 12 months – this applies to the parts themselves and the installation of them.
Virtually all locks, including when the lock is integrated into the handle, can be renewed.
On some older doors the original manufacturer may have ceased to exist but there are pattern parts available – which we have tested for quality – and can be used to bring your door back to reliable use.
As a failed or unreliable lock can be an urgent problem we hold a huge range of locks and locking handles in stock so that a repair can be carried out swiftly.
To help identify the lock that you need, on the inside of your garage door there is often a sticker which will identify the make of your door and enable us to select the right part. If you aren’t sure you can simply take a photo of the lock and send it to us and we will identify it.
Get in touch today for friendly advice or to arrange a garage door repair.
If you already have at least one key for your garage doors, keys can now be cut by most good locksmiths.
We don’t hold spare keys as each key is unique to the garage door and there is no master key.
The only exception to this is some older manual roller doors which have a number stamped on the key and which it is possible, where stocks still exist, to order new keys from the manufacturer.
In the event that you have lost all the keys to your garage door then you will usually need to replace the whole lock. This isn’t a particularly easy task – as the locks are designed to resist attack – but it can be done and we have the experience to do so. This typically involves drilling out the existing lock barrel so that it can be removed and then renewed. Depending on the lock type, they are supplied with 2 or 3 keys – if you need more keys then they can be cut for you by a locksmith.
Get in touch today and we will be pleased to help.
In the event that you have lost all the keys to your garage doors, then you will usually need to replace the whole lock.
This isn’t a particularly easy task – as the locks are designed to resist attack – but it can be done and we have the experience to do so. This typically involves drilling out the existing lock barrel so that it can be removed and then renewed. Depending on the lock type, they are supplied with 2 or 3 keys – if you need more keys then they can be cut for you by a locksmith.
It’s worth noting that on most modern garage doors there is a mechanism to lock and unlock the door from inside so if you have a side door or other secondary point of access to your garage then in the short term you can still use the door. On older up and over doors there is often a cable which, if wearing gloves and taking care, you can pull to disengage the locking.
Get in touch today with our garage door experts and we will be pleased to help.
In common with many other remote controlled devices, garage door remote controls have a battery that will require changing at intervals. There are two main ways of accessing the battery – either a slide cover or a twist mechanism.
Most garage door remote controls will have a sliding cover on the reverse of the remote – not dissimilar to a tv remote – that you slide back to reveal the battery. You can then remove the battery and use the code on it to identify the replacement. The batteries in remote controls are often a little unusual. We carry stock of a wide range of the most common batteries to make the process easier, and if you bring them to us we will endeavour to change the battery for you. If we don’t have the right battery then we will be able to order it for you.
In other cases the remote controls have a notch in the bottom edge which is designed to have an item – we find something like a 5p or 10p coin is just the right size – inserted and then twisted to open the remote control case, allowing access to the battery. As per the example with a slide cover, you can then use the markings on the battery to identify the replacement.
The less common option is that there will be some small screws securing the case together – these can be removed with a micro-screwdriver.
The most popular battery used in remote controls is a silver-coloured, flat disc battery with the designation 2032. These are available in most supermarkets and hardware stores.
To make your life simpler you can send us a picture of your remote control, or bring it to us, and we can identify the type, how to access the battery and the battery type required.
Get in touch today to speak to our garage doors experts and we will be pleased to help.
If your garage door motor has mysteriously stopped working, particularly after another fuse has blown in your home, a thunderstorm or a power surge, then it is quite likely that a fuse can blow inside the motor head.
In most cases these are replaceable but unless you are very familiar with garage door motors and / or are electrically competent then we wouldn’t recommend attempting this on a DIY basis. If you do, the most important thing is to isolate the motor from the power by unplugging it before attempting any work or investigation.
In particular, the fuse inside roller door control panels is also a fairly niche item which you might struggle to source, and also might struggle to locate, as it is typically embedded within the control panel. We hold stock of these fuses so please get in touch for more assistance.
In all cases, if you can send us an image of your motor then we will be able to give specific advice.
In rare cases, particularly if there has been a power surge, this can overwhelm the fuse and unfortunately fry the control board of your motor which would typically then require a more comprehensive replacement.
Get in touch today and we will be pleased to assist with your query and can attend at short notice to bring your garage door motor back to life.
One of the main consumables on automated roller garage doors is the safety edge battery. In order to provide the convenience of a wireless safety edge it is powered by a battery and in common with all batteries these need changing at intervals.
The door will usually let you know that the battery needs changing by either emitting a beep whenever the door operates, typically for 30 cycles before it loses power, or a light with a symbol such as a battery will illuminate on the control unit. On some doors there may be no such indicators but you will find that one day the remote won’t open the door with one press and requires you to push and hold the button for the door to operate. This is known as ‘hold to run’ and is a fail safe system so that the door still works but you will need to be in sight of the door to operate it safely so that you can visually check that there is nothing in its way when it operates.
The replacement of a safety edge battery is a relatively simple process but as with all jobs involving handling electronics that you may not be familiar with, we strongly advise exercising caution.
As such, we can carry out this work for you and hold stock of the batteries required – the batteries are slightly unusual in that they are Lithium AA batteries, rather than the usual Nickel Cadmium batteries used in other devices. If you absolutely have to you can use NiCad AA batteries but they will wear out significantly faster than Lithium batteries.
If you do choose to carry out the work yourself then first of all turn off the power to your door to be extra safe. Identify the safety edge transmitter on your door – this will almost always take the form of a plastic casing on the inside of the garage door, attached to the bottom slat of and can be on either the left or right hand side. The giveaway is usually a battery shaped bulge. Typically these are screwed shut with small screws that will require a micro-screwdriver to undo properly. When you have opened the casing it is usually a simple job to disengage the batter and install a new one. Then reverse the steps previously followed – carefully screw the case back on and power up the door. It should now work as usual.
If you have your door serviced then changing the battery in the safety edge every other year is included. Take a look at the ‘Should I have my garage door serviced?’ article for more information.
Give us a call today and we will be pleased to assist.
The method for changing the cables on garage doors varies from door to door – the doors that have cables to deal with are most typically up and over type garage doors but there are cables on sectional garage doors and, much more niche, on the Garador / Hormann spring assisted roller doors.
On modern up and over doors, including the Garador / Hormann doors from 2003 to present, then you only need to change the cables themselves. They have an anti-drop system installed though which complicates things somewhat – when the tension of the cable is released then a sprung hook is released from the roller assembly which then engages into punched holes into the track. The point of this is to stop the door from dropping in an uncontrolled way if the cable snaps whilst you are operating the door. In practice this makes closing a door with snapped cables at best challenging.
For older Garador doors – such as the Mk3C Garador which is the most prevalent older door – it is also a case of just changing the springs and with no anti-drop system it is simpler. But you do need to take a great deal of care dealing with spring tensions.
For Henderson and Cardale garage doors then as well as the cable you need to remove and replace the nylon cones which the cables come pre-attached to. This involves locking off the tension of the springs with grub screws, removing a pin that hold the cone in place with a punch, removing the cone and then installing the new parts in the reverse order.
For sectional doors and the unusual spring assisted roller door cables we would not recommend that this be attempted on a DIY basis as the tension on the springs of a sectional door is much greater and the repair is much more involved, whilst the cables on the roller door are hard to access.
As with many repairs, we understand that getting the door back to reliable functionality is not something that can wait too long so we hold stock of the vast majority of cables / cones and cables to facilitate a rapid turnaround.
For more information or to arrange a repair please get in touch today.
It is normally possible to change the lock on your garage door, and if you have the existing keys it should be relatively simple. It is more challenging if you don’t have the keys as normally the lock barrels are not removable when they are in the locked position and therefore will need to be drilled out which is a fair bit trickier, and takes more time. It is possible though!
As with all the repairs, there are still some very old garage doors in existence and so sometimes the locks have become obsolete. There is though a thriving industry of pattern parts – pattern parts being non-official parts made by third parties to meet demand for obsolete components – and so there is usually a solution.
Where there is no lock that fits the bill then you can add a secondary locking solution to your door – for more information on these take a look at this article: ‘What extra locking options are available for my garage door?’
We hold stock of all the most popular locks so for a quick turnaround get in touch today.
Yes! Replacing the handle on a garage door is one of the easiest and safest repairs.
On modern up and over doors where the handle is separate to the lock barrel then changing the handle is as simple as undoing one screw on the inside of the door, sliding the old handle out and installing a new one by reversing the process.
Even on older doors changing the handles is usually relatively simple.
The challenge comes when handles are obsolete – although there are a wide range of pattern parts available which we have tested for quality – or are riveted into the door. If the handle is just not available – we try to retain the more niche handles to add to our stock when we replace old doors that still have functioning handles, although these become fewer and fewer as time passes – then in some cases a different handle may fit.
Where the handles are riveted to the door then it is a more complex job to remove them and then re-rivet them in place, particularly when the door panel is not in the best condition.
If the lock barrel is integrated into the handle, as they are on many older garage doors, then changing the handle will also mean changing the lock barrel.
To help identify the handle that you have, its availability and ease of replacement then the best bet is to take a picture and email it to us.
For more information, friendly advice or to arrange for us to attend to replace your lock get in touch today.
It is theoretically possible to repair dents in garage doors, which can improve the appearance of your door and extend its life. However, in our experience, it is unusual and difficult to do so.
For steel garage doors then short of using a hammer to beat the dent out, with a piece of timber on the other side as a flat layer, then it is the same skill set as car repairs to remove dents and would require a professional fine finisher. This is not a cheap process. If the dent is into a panelled section of a door then it will be virtually impossible to achieve the same effect again as the panel detail is rolled into the panel using a metal die in the factory.
For fibre-glass doors then typically they do not dent and the impact that would dent a steel door will crack or punch a hole in a fibre-glass panel. It is possible to repair this sort of damage – as it is on other fibre-glass products such as boats which can be similarly damaged by strong impact – but it is a specialist skill and achieving a good match to the existing door finish is a challenge. Again, the services of a fine finishing company would be called for.
Finally, if your timber garage door has been damaged then a repair is possible but the majority of timber panels are made of tongue and grooved planks which makes it difficult to swap out individual pieces without damaging other parts of the door in the process of removing and replacing damaged sections.
In all cases, if the dent has impacted the chassis or bracing of the door – these are the parts that give the door its stiffness – then even if you can improve the aesthetic of the door it may be the case that the door has lost its structural integrity which would make spending money on the appearance a waste as the door will not run smoothly, putting stress on other parts of the mechanism and leading to failure.
If you would like any more advice on this then please get in touch and we would be pleased to help.
The vast majority of modern motors use a belt system rather than the traditional chain drive, so in most cases then new chains aren’t available. However, not dissimilar to a bike chain, it is sometimes possible to insert a new link.
One important factor to consider when repairing the chain is to make sure that the motor system is isolated from the power and that proper protective equipment is worn to minimise the risk of injury.
If your motor system doesn’t have a safety system that complies with modern standards – i.e. that the motor will stop and reverse if it encounters an obstacle – then it may be worth considering the snapped chain as a sign that perhaps it is time to upgrade the motor to one that is safe, and which would then have the benefit of a guarantee.
Whatever the issue, for friendly advice please get in touch today.
In common with virtually all other aspects of garage doors, most garage door motors can be repaired.
The most common types of garage door motors are either boom motors – which have a long metal shaft that runs above the garage door, fixed just above the middle of the garage door panel and running back around 3m to the motor head itself – and tubular motors that are the type of motors that power roller garage doors. Other more specialist motors are available – such as shaft motors and side drive motors – but they are relatively uncommon.
In the case of boom motors the most common issues tend to be the failure of the motor head when cogs wear out or the connection between the motor and the door becoming damaged. On tubular motors then after prolonged use then the motors can wear out or the limits, the part of the motor which determines where the door stops when opening, can fail.
However most motors are very robust and typically fairly binary in that when they fail they tend to have reached the end of their service life.
Whatever the issue that you are having, get in touch today and we will be pleased to help identify it and wherever possible, recommend a repair.
Sometimes garage doors can lose their original colour after years of absorbing UV, particularly darker colours. Whilst the doors can typically be re-decorated this can be a time-consuming and / or costly process.
As such, before taking the step to redecorate it may be worth considering using a product to restore the colour.
The product that the garage doors manufacturers most often recommend for reviving faded colours is viewable by following the link below:
As with all such products, if you do decide to use it then it is highly recommended to test a small discrete section of the door (typically a bottom corner of the door panel would make sense) to check that you are happy with the finish, and also that it is effective.
If you have any other queries please get in touch and we would be pleased to help.
Almost always, yes you can!
The most popular type of garage doors – steel garage doors with a painted finish – are the most straight-forward to redecorate and there are a range of garage specific paints available from most major hardware shops.
Before you start painting the door it is important to sand the door to remove any loose or flaky paint, and also to give the surface a key for the new paint to grip.
The same also applies to timber garage doors, and these should be redecorated – either with a stain or a paint – inline with the manufacturers recommendations which is normally every 2 years.
To make your life easier there are companies who will come to your property and respray the door in situ for the best, even finish.
For different door types such as fibre-glass doors, upvc doors, aluminium roller doors and foil-coated steel doors (foil-coated steel doors are typically those in a timber-effect), then it would be worth getting the advice of a professional decorator.
Whilst we don’t redecorate doors ourselves, if you have any queries at all, please get in touch and we would be pleased to advise.
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