You wake up late and throw on your clothes in a hurry. You guzzle a cup of coffee, scalding your mouth in the process. You dash out the door, crank the car, and slam it into reverse. A split second later, it happens – CRASH! You’ve just backed your car into the garage door. Or maybe you actually remember to open the garage door, but forget that your bike rack is mounted to the top of the car. The result is the same. You’ve got a seriously damaged garage door. What do you do now? Well, first, calm down a little. Take a few deep breaths.
Your actions depend on the amount of damage
In most cases, it’s the bottom half of the garage door that sees the lion’s share of the damage. More people forget to open the door and back into it than any other type of error. There’s usually no damage to the garage door opener, and it may be able to lift your door even in its damaged state, provided that it’s not out of the track.
Before attempting to open or close the garage door, take stock of the situation. How severe is the damage? Is it confined to the panels on the door itself, or have the door’s rollers come out of their tracks? If the rollers are no longer seated in the metal track, do not attempt to move the garage door. This could lead to serious repercussions, even injury.
If possible, move your car out of the garage. If the door seems to still be in its track and you don’t notice any damage to the springs, stand well away from the door and press the down button to close it. If you hear loud noises, or the door seems to be juddering, or doesn’t move at all, immediately unplug the garage door opener and don’t touch anything on the door itself.
If the door is out of the track
If your garage door has come out of the track, there’s not much you can do, nor should you attempt to move it or fix the problem. Do not touch anything. Now’s the time to call a garage door specialist. Call a family member, friend, or even a taxi to get to work or to drop your kids off at school.
Does my insurer need to be involved?
If the damage to your garage door is serious, you should definitely notify your homeowner’s insurance provider. If you damaged the car in the incident, you’ll need to contact your auto insurance company. If you’re lucky, you have a bundled policy and will deal with the same agent for both situations. However, remember that your auto insurance won’t cover damage to the garage door. Make sure you check your deductibles first, though. If they are high, it might not be worth it to file a claim.
How much will repairing my garage door cost?
The ultimate cost of repairing your garage door really hinges on the amount of damage caused by the impact. It might actually be that your door is old enough that you won’t be able to find replacement sections on the market. There’s also the possibility that the entire system will need to be replaced. If that’s the case, plan for a minimum of two hours of labor.
Of course, you might only need to replace the door itself, and none of the track, rollers or the garage door opener. However, you’ll still need to account for the cost of labor involved. Even replacing a single section of a four-section door will mean having to take the entire door apart to replace the damaged portion.
If you need the entire door replaced
If you need the entire garage door replaced, call us at 1‑800‑409‑3667. We understand garage doors, and we can provide you with a free quote via email if you’d prefer. We will even come to your home to examine the door and explain the replacement process, as well as options in terms of insulation and style. You can even utilize our Design Centre to see how the replacement will look on your home, or browse through our image gallery.
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