What is the difference between a garage door tune-up and a repair?

The difference is whether something has already failed. A tune-up services parts that still work so they keep working. A repair replaces or fixes a part that has broken or worn past adjustment. Many visits start as one and turn up the other, which is why the work is quoted before it starts.

What a tune-up includes

• Inspection of springs, cables, drums, rollers, hinges, brackets and track.
• Lubrication where the door and opener manufacturers specify.
• Tightening fasteners that vibrate loose over thousands of cycles.
• A balance test with the opener disconnected.
• Opener checks for travel limits, force settings, the chain or belt and the safety reverse, plus sensor alignment and an obstruction test.

What counts as a repair

• A broken torsion or extension spring.
• A frayed or snapped cable.
• A cracked hinge or bent track section.
• Worn or damaged rollers that need replacement.
• A door off its track, or an opener with a failed part.

How one visit handles both

If the technician finds a failed part during a tune-up, it is quoted separately and you decide before anything is replaced. We would rather tell you than service around a part that is about to break. Service visits carry a $45 diagnostic trip fee, and you approve a written price before work begins. As a rule of thumb, a door that still runs but is loud, rough or slow usually starts with a tune-up, while a door that will not move, banged, or hangs crooked needs repair.

Read more

• Garage door tune-up
• Garage door repair

Related questions

• How often should a garage door be serviced?
• Will a tune-up fix a garage door that won't open?
• What if I put lubricant on the wrong garage door part?
• How do I check and balance my garage door?
• What if my garage door is still noisy after lubrication?

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