Garage door repair in Des Moines
Noisy, slow, crooked or stuck. Describe it, and a local pro quotes.
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- Des Moines + 10 metro cities
- Sourced price ranges
What to know
Most repair calls come down to a few parts: a spring, a cable, rollers, one dented section or the opener. Tell the pro what the door is doing and you’ll save time.
The short version
A garage door is a heavy panel held up by springs and guided by rollers in a pair of steel tracks. When one of those parts wears out, the whole door starts to behave differently. Most repair calls in the Des Moines metro come down to a short list: a broken spring, a slipped cable, worn rollers, a dented section, or an opener that has stopped cooperating.
Telling a pro exactly what the door is doing saves time. Is it loud, slow, crooked, reversing, or not moving at all? Did you hear a bang? Does the opener hum, click or stay silent? Those details usually point to the part before anyone arrives.
What usually needs fixing
- Springs. The most common repair. A snapped torsion spring leaves the door too heavy to lift. See spring replacement.
- Cables, rollers and track. A door that hangs crooked, binds, or grinds along its path. See cable, roller and off-track repair.
- Openers and sensors. A door that reverses, won’t close, or ignores the remote. See opener repair and installation.
- Panels and seals. A dented section from a bumper or a snowblower, or a bottom seal torn after freezing to the floor.
What to check before you call
A few safe checks can save a visit. Make sure the opener is plugged in and the wall button works. Look for the manual lock bar on the inside of the door; if it slid into the track, the opener can’t lift the door. Wipe the two safety sensors near the floor and see whether both lights are steady. If the door works by hand but not with the opener, the problem is likely the opener or sensors.
What repairs cost
| Job | National estimate | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Typical garage door repair | $150 to $350 | HomeGuide |
| Panel replacement, per section | $300 to $900 | HomeGuide |
| Tune-up and safety check | $100 to $250 | HomeGuide |
A typical repair visit in national cost guides lands between about $150 and $350. Replacing one damaged section costs more, and only makes sense if a matching panel is still made for your door. A tune-up, where the pro lubricates moving parts, tightens hardware and tests the balance and auto-reverse, is the cheapest way to catch a worn spring before it breaks.
Repair or replace the door?
One broken part is rarely a reason to buy a new door. Replacement starts to make sense when three or more sections are damaged, the bottom of the door has rusted through from years of salt and slush, or a wood door has rot. If a repair would cost close to half the price of a new door, ask for both prices. Our page on new garage door installation covers what a replacement involves.
How a request works
You call or send the short form with what the door is doing and your city. We pass the request to an independent garage door company that serves your area, and they contact you to confirm the problem, give a price and set a time. You only agree to work once you have the price.
Questions about garage door repair
Why is my garage door so loud?
Loud doors usually have dry or worn rollers and hinges, or a loose track bolt. Salt brine from winter driving speeds up the wear on the lower rollers. A pro can replace worn steel rollers with sealed nylon ones and lubricate the hinges and springs. Grinding or banging that is new and sudden is worth a call before it gets worse.
Why does my garage door open a few inches and stop?
The opener’s force setting may be tripping because the door has become too heavy, which often means a weak or broken spring. It can also be a binding roller or a bent track. Don’t raise the opener force to push past it; that hides a balance problem and strains the opener.
Is it safe to use a garage door that is making noise?
Usually, if it still moves smoothly and stays balanced. Stop using it if it is crooked, jumps, or you heard a loud bang, because those point to a broken spring or cable.
Other services
Where this is available
Tell us what the door is doing
A local company calls you back with a price. Asking is free.