Short answer
Repair a garage door when the problem is a part, such as springs, cables, rollers, the opener or one section, and the door itself is sound; replace it when several sections are damaged, parts are no longer made, or an uninsulated door sits on an attached garage you want warmer. HomeGuide puts a new two-car door at about $1,000 to $3,500 installed.
Repairs that almost always make sense
These are parts that wear out on every door. Replacing them is far cheaper than a new door and usually leaves the door running as well as it did new:
- Springs, replaced in pairs and sized to the door
- Lift cables, drums and bottom brackets
- Rollers and hinges, which also make the door quieter
- Photo eyes, remotes and keypads
- Weatherstripping and bottom seals
- One damaged section, when a matching section is still made
Signs a replacement is the better spend
- Three or more sections are dented, cracked or rusted through
- The maker no longer supplies sections for your door
- The door is single-layer steel on an attached garage you want warmer and quieter
- Repairs are stacking up: springs this year, a section next year, cables after that
- Wood sections are rotting faster than they can be refinished
The numbers side by side
These national ranges come from published cost guides and are for planning only. Your door's price depends on its size, material and condition:
| Job | National range | Source |
|---|---|---|
| One panel or section | $250 to $1,000 | Angi |
| Both torsion springs | $150 to $350 | HomeGuide |
| New single door, installed | $700 to $2,700 | HomeGuide |
| New two-car door, installed | $1,000 to $3,500 | HomeGuide |
| Single plus double door | $1,700 to $6,200 | HomeGuide |
| Insulated steel door | $650 to $3,200 | Angi |
Put another way: two sections and a set of springs on an older uninsulated door can approach the low end of a new insulated door. That is the comparison worth making.
Age alone is not the deciding factor
A well-kept steel door from the 1990s can have years left in it if the sections are sound and the springs and cables are replaced as they wear. A newer door that took a hard hit from a car may be the one that needs replacing. Judge by the condition of the sections and the availability of parts, not by the year.
Permits and the opening
In Naperville, a same-size door in the existing opening is a straight swap. The city's permit guide lists door replacement that changes the size or style of the opening, or a door in a new location, as permit work, so widening a single opening into a double is a bigger project. Our permit guide covers the details.
How we help you decide
On a repair visit we price the repair and, if the door is near the line, the replacement too, so you can compare on one visit. We do not push a new door on a sound one. Garage door replacement explains the process when a new door is the right call.
When to call instead
If the door is stuck open, hanging crooked or has a broken spring, the decision can wait. Call first, get the door secured, then compare repair and replacement.
Related: Garage Door Repair, Garage Door Panel Replacement, Garage Door Replacement.
