No doubt that our opinion is bias here but we strongly believe you should not try to fix a garage door by yourself.
While it can absolutely save you money, it isn’t always worth the savings. Here’s why:
1) Garage Door Repair Costs
For the most part, professional repairs are very affordable. This is because both labor and garage door part costs are low. So, before you decide to go at it on your own, call your local garage door repair company. Any reputable company would be happy to provide you with a free quote upfront.
2) Voided Warranty
Here’s one that many home and business owners don’t realize. Most garage door part manufacturers do not want you to fix the door on your own. This is simply because an untrained person working on the door could lead to further damage. If you do decide to work on your panel, you could void the entire warranty. This is definitely not something you want to do, especially if you have a new garage door.
3) Safety
Not only do garage doors weigh hundreds of pounds, they have many metal parts that could injure you. It’s generally worth paying a few extra bucks to have a professional do it, that way you don’t have to take on the risk yourself.
4) Accidental Damage
The great thing about having a professional garage door repairman work on your door is that they’re covered through insurance and bonding. That means in the unlikely event that they make a mistake or damage your garage or property, it’ll be covered. However, if you make a mistake yourself, you’ll be stuck paying for it. If you do decide to hire a technician, just make sure to verify they’re both insured and bonded before you work with them.
5) Was it repaired correctly?
When fixing a garage door on your own, it’s easy to knock something else out of alignment or forget to tighten a bolt. Even if you successfully repaired the problem, you might have affected another area on the garage door. A common issue we see is homeowners who perform a DIY repair and end up affecting the panels alignment. While you might not have any issues now, this could result in a costly problem down the road.