Garage door repair
A $265 job is the single most overcharged repair in the house.
Garage door repair has a well documented bait and switch problem. Here is the real price of the common jobs, how the switch works, and a free call to a local technician.
BestHonestPro is a free comparison resource, not a contractor. There is nothing to sign up for and we do not sell your details. When we begin connecting callers to contractors, we will be paid a referral fee by the contractor, never by you, and this line will say so.
Published cost ranges
What garage door work should cost
These are national published ranges, not a quote for your job. Use them to judge whether the number in front of you is in the right ballpark.
Repair averages $265 nationally, ranging $80 to $700 and up. Full door replacement averages $1,230, typically $754 to $1,707 per door.
| Spring replacement | $150 to $350 per spring plus $75 to $150 labour |
|---|---|
| Opener repair | $100 to $500 |
| Panel replacement | $250 to $1,000 |
| Track repair | $5 to $400 |
| Service call fee | $50 to $75 |
| Labour per job | $150 to $450 |
Source: Angi, garage door repair and replacement cost, 2026, cross checked against This Old House 2026. View source
What moves the price
- Spring type. Torsion springs cost more than extension and last longer, 8 to 15 years against 7 to 12.
- Door material and size. Steel $650 to $3,200, wood $900 to $4,500, glass $2,500 to $8,000.
- Urgency and access. Emergency service carries a premium and a difficult garage adds labour time.
Or have us do the legwork
Tell us the job. We will do the checking and send you the shortlist.
Free, and there is nothing to buy. A few taps, and you get the same research we would do for ourselves, written down.
Got it. The clock has started.
We will come back to you within one business day at the email you gave. If it is not there, check the spam folder before assuming we forgot.
What comes back to you
Up to three names we would call ourselves
Licensed for your state and trade, checked on the state board the day we send it, with the licence number so you can check it too.
What we verified on each one
Licence status and classification, how long the business has been registered, and whether anything shows on the state board or attorney general. If something looks wrong, we say so.
What your job should cost where you live
The published national range narrowed with what we can find for your area, so the first quote has something to sit against.
The questions to ask them, for your job
The same seven on this site plus the ones specific to your trade, in the order to ask them.
What this is not. We are not inspecting your property and we are not standing behind anyone's work. This is desk research done properly and handed to you, nothing more and nothing less.
Step one
Where to get your three names
Telling you to compare three contractors is useless if you only have one. These are the five places the three names actually come from, in the order we would use them. None of them involve us.
Your state licensing board
Every US state runs a free public search of licensed contractors, and most let you filter by trade and county. Starting here means all three of your names are licensed before you dial, which removes the single most common problem in one step.
The supply house
Call the plumbing, roofing or HVAC supply counter nearest you and ask who they would use. They know exactly who pays their bills on time and who does not, they have no stake in your job, and almost nobody thinks to ask them.
Maps, filtered properly
Search the trade plus your town, then keep only businesses with a real street address, a landline, and photographs of actual work. Skip anything with a stock photo and a mobile number only, which is what a lead broker looks like.
Your insurer, if a claim is involved
Most carriers keep a preferred contractor list. Use it as one of your three, not as the only one: the list is chosen partly for the carrier's convenience, and your interests and theirs are not identical.
The neighbour with the same problem
The most reliable source there is, and the least scalable. If someone on your street had this exact job done in the last two years, that is your best single name.
Your three calls
Call three. Ask all of them the same seven questions.
You cannot tell an honest contractor from a dishonest one by looking, and neither can we. What you can do is ask every one of them the same things in the same order, and watch where the answers stop matching. That is a comparison you can run yourself in twenty minutes, and it is worth more than anybody's badge.
Are you licensed for this work in my state, and what is your licence number?
Can you email me a certificate of insurance for general liability and workers compensation?
Who actually does the work, your own employees or subcontractors, and are they covered by your policy?
Will you put the scope in writing before any money changes hands, including what is NOT included?
What is your call-out or diagnostic fee, and does it come off the job if I go ahead?
What is your workmanship warranty in years, and is that yours or the manufacturer’s?
When can you start, and what is the most likely thing that would delay it?
Then the ones that only matter for this job
Does this price cover both springs, and what is the cycle rating?
What is the total, including the call-out fee, before anyone starts?
Ask all three the same questions in the same order. The spread in the answers tells you more than the spread in the prices. Two quotes cannot tell you who is wrong. Three can.
The comparison sheet
Screenshot this, or copy it onto paper before you dial. Fill one column per contractor while you are still on the call, never afterwards from memory.
Swipe the table sideways to reach columns two and three.
| Pro 1 | Pro 2 | Pro 3 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Licence number (and did it check out) | |||
| Certificate of insurance received | |||
| Own crew or subcontractors | |||
| Written scope, with exclusions | |||
| Call-out fee, credited or not | |||
| Workmanship warranty, in years | |||
| Earliest start date | |||
| Total price |
Before you say yes
Five things to check yourself
You can verify all five without a single phone call to us. That is the point. An honest contractor will hand you every one of these without being asked twice.
State contractor licence where the work is licensed
California licenses this specifically as CSLB classification D-28, Doors, Gates and Activating Devices, covering overhead door assemblies. Check the number and status on cslb.ca.gov.
General liability and workers compensation certificates
Spring and cable work is under high tension. The Better Business Bureau's advice on this exact scam is to request proof of insurance, licensing and credentials.
IDEA certification
The Institute of Door Dealer Education and Accreditation runs real, verifiable credentials including Residential Installer Certification and Advanced Overhead Door Operator Technician Certification, plus Door Dealer Accreditation for the business.
A written itemised estimate before work starts
The BBB's advice is to require written estimates detailing scope and cost, and to get more than one so the outlier is visible.
Whether the quote covers both springs
Springs work in pairs and when one goes the other is close behind. Replacing both on one visit avoids paying a second service call of $50 to $75 plus $150 to $450 labour. Ask for the cycle rating in writing.
Warning signs
Three things that should end the conversation
Each of these is documented by a regulator, a state agency or a consumer protection body, not by us.
A very low advertised call out fee
The BBB names unrealistically low initial quotes as the opening move of the garage door scam, followed by demands for more once the technician is in your garage.
Invented work and payment demanded up front
The BBB documents companies inflating the work or parts needed, insisting you must not wait, and demanding payment before the job is done.
No verifiable identity
BBB warning signs: a generic unregistered business name, no verifiable physical address, and technicians with no uniform, ID or company vehicle. Search the company name together with the word complaint.
Why waiting costs more
The Door and Access Systems Manufacturers Association is direct that springs wear out, that injury can result when they break, and that because of the tension involved lift cables should be replaced only by a trained technician. Separately, if a quote is for an opener replacement, photo eye entrapment protection is not an upsell. It has been federally required on residential openers made since 1 January 1993.
Source: DASMA and US CPSC. View source
How this works
Free for homeowners. No sign-up, nothing to buy.
Know the number first
Every page publishes the national cost range for that job with its source named and linked, so the quote in front of you has something to sit against.
Call three, ask the same seven things
The questions are written out, in order, with what a real operator says and what the tell sounds like. Fill the comparison sheet while you are on the call.
Verify it yourself, in five minutes
Licence number on the state board, certificate of insurance from the insurer, written scope with the exclusions named. Nobody has to take our word for anything.
Three names, seven questions, five minutes of checking
That is the whole method, and you can run it this afternoon without us.
BestHonestPro is a free comparison resource, not a contractor. There is nothing to sign up for and we do not sell your details. When we begin connecting callers to contractors, we will be paid a referral fee by the contractor, never by you, and this line will say so.