Questions to ask
1. Are you licensed and insured for garage door work in my city, and will you show proof before the visit?
Why it matters: Garage door service often falls under specialty contractor or home-improvement licensing, and spring work is high-injury if something fails. Ask for the business license number, general liability, and workers’ comp (if they send employees), then verify with your local board. A tech who only shows a truck magnet and a cash rate is asking you to absorb the risk of property damage or injury on your driveway.
2. Is this a repair or a replacement — and what would change your recommendation after you see the door?
Why it matters: A stuck door can be a broken spring, a bad opener, bent track, or a door that is past safe repair. Ask them to inspect on site before locking a full-door quote, and to explain when they repair springs/rollers vs sell a new door. Phone quotes that always push a full replacement (or always “just a spring”) without measuring or looking are sales scripts, not diagnostics.
3. What exact door and opener are you quoting — brand, model, insulation, wind rating — not just “insulated door”?
Why it matters: “Premium insulated” hides big gaps in R-value, section construction, and hardware. Ask for manufacturer and model of the door and opener, insulation rating, window options, and whether the door is rated for your local wind/impact codes if you are coastal or in a high-wind zone. A bid you cannot match to a specific product is easy to bait-and-switch on install day.
4. What spring system do you recommend (torsion vs extension), and are safety cables and proper winding tools part of the job?
Why it matters: Torsion springs above the door and extension springs along the tracks store dangerous energy. Ask which system you have now, which they will install, whether extension springs get safety cables, and whether they replace springs in matched pairs. DIY or untrained spring work is a common ER visit — hire someone who brings winding bars and treats springs as a controlled procedure, not a hammer job.
5. Will the opener’s safety reverse and photo eyes be tested to current UL 325 expectations after the work?
Why it matters: Modern openers must reverse on obstruction and use photoelectric sensors near the floor. Ask them to demonstrate reverse (a 2×4 or similar under the door) and confirm photo eyes are aligned, mounted correctly, and not bypassed. An opener that closes on contact or ignores blocked sensors is a child- and pet-safety problem, not a minor tweak.
6. What’s the condition of tracks, rollers, cables, hinges, and weather seal — and is hardware refresh in the written scope?
Why it matters: New springs on worn rollers and frayed cables often fail again quickly. Ask them to note bent track, noisy nylon vs steel rollers, cable wear, and bottom weather seal gaps, and to price hardware line items instead of burying “tune-up” as a vague add-on. A low spring price that leaves unsafe cables in place is not a bargain.
7. What’s included in the written price — parts, labor, haul-away, permit, electrical, remotes, and keypad?
Why it matters: Door ads often omit disposal of the old door, new remotes, keypad programming, outlet work for the opener, or permit fees where required. Ask for a line-item quote, whether same-day service has a trip or after-hours surcharge, and what happens if a related part fails mid-job. Get change orders in writing before extra parts go on the truck invoice.
8. Who actually does the work — your employees or subcontractors — and who warrants labor and parts?
Why it matters: National brands and lead-gen sites often dispatch local subcontractors; when a door binds, the call center and the tech can blame each other. Ask who shows up, whether they are manufacturer-authorized for your opener brand, and get parts and labor warranty lengths in writing (springs, opener motor, panels, paint). “Lifetime warranty” with fine-print exclusions for springs or labor is marketing, not coverage.
9. How do you handle a door that won’t open, after-hours emergencies, and boarding or temporary securing?
Why it matters: A door stuck open is a security issue; stuck closed can trap cars and delay work. Ask about emergency fees, ETA windows, and whether they can safely disconnect the opener and secure the opening if parts are on order. Clarify whether “24/7” means a real tech or an answering service that books the next business day.
10. Will you balance the door, set travel limits, and leave the manual release working so I can operate it if power fails?
Why it matters: A door that is hard to lift by hand will burn out openers; travel limits that are wrong crush weather seals or leave gaps. Ask them to show the door balanced (roughly stays halfway when disconnected), to set open/close limits, and to demonstrate the emergency release. You should be able to lock and manually lift the door safely after they leave.
11. What does final walkthrough include, and how are punch-list or callback fixes handled?
Why it matters: Before paying the balance, watch a full open/close cycle, confirm photo eyes, remotes, keypad, auto-lock if present, and even panel gaps and seal contact. Ask how soon they return for noisy rollers, uneven travel, or remote pairing issues. Full payment before a daylight test hands them your leverage for free callbacks.
Red flags
- Door-to-door or “we’re already on your street” pricing that expires today and skips a real inspection.
- Won’t show license/insurance, or insists on large cash deposits before parts are ordered.
- Quotes a full new door over the phone with no measurements, wind rating, or model numbers.
- Leaves extension springs without safety cables, or disables photo eyes “so it works.”
- No written labor warranty, or “lifetime” claims that exclude springs, cables, and labor in the fine print.
- Pressure to buy the most expensive opener/door bundle before diagnosing a simple roller or sensor fault.
Next-step checklist
- Note door size, single vs double, opener brand if visible, and whether the problem is noise, won’t open, won’t close, or off-track.
- Get at least two on-site quotes with the same repair-vs-replace assumption and named parts.
- Verify license/insurance where your city or state requires it for garage door or home-improvement work.
- Confirm deposit timing (ideally tied to ordering a door/opener) and final balance after walkthrough.
- After service: test photo eyes, safety reverse, remotes, keypad, and manual release once.
- Keep the invoice with part model numbers — useful for warranty claims and future spring matching.