Lifetime warranty springs and the full rebuild. Read this before you say yes
Nothing on the door is going to get worse while you take a day to get a second quote.
What is probably happening
- The lifetime warranty spring pitch: a big premium for springs 'guaranteed for life'. Massachusetts consumer regulators say a lifetime guarantee can be a sign of a scam, and describe the pattern: parts installed that will fail, replaced free, with a heavy service fee each time.
- Angi describes the same thing: vague warranties that cover parts only, not labor, so every failure is a paid visit.
- The rebuilding package: springs, rollers, cables, bearings, brackets and sometimes the opener replaced at once with hidden markups, when one part needed fixing. Angi lists it as a common garage door scam.
- A real spring has a cycle rating, not a lifetime. Angi: 10,000 to 20,000 cycles is standard, and torsion springs last 8 to 15 years.
Do this in the next five minutes
- Ask for the quote itemized in writing, part by part, with the cycle rating of the springs and the brand of the opener.
- Ask what actually failed and to be shown the failed part.
- Take the itemized quote to a second company by phone. Read it down the line and ask what they would charge.
- Compare against the numbers: springs $150 to $350 each plus $75 to $150 labor, rollers $110 to $230, cables $100 to $400, opener installed $218 to $540.
- If a lifetime warranty is offered, ask whether labor and the service call are covered under it, in writing.
Do not
- Do not pay a deposit or cash before you have a second number. Massachusetts consumer regulators: never pay for the job in advance.
- Do not accept parts replaced that show no wear. A 5 year old roller does not need replacing because a spring broke.
- Do not let the word lifetime replace the cycle rating on the quote.
Who to call
A second garage door company, by phone, before you agree
The fix for an inflated quote is a second quote. Any established local door company will price an itemized list over the phone.
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What it should cost
$150 to $350 per spring plus $75 to $150 labor
Spring replacement, average $250. A full rebuild should be the sum of its parts at Angi's ranges, not a package price
Source: Angi, garage door spring replacement cost, updated July 2026. View source
National published range, not a quote for your job. The full cost table for this trade is on the garage doors page.
Ask this contractor, on the phone, before anyone comes out
Tap each one as you ask it.
- What is the cycle rating of these springs, and what does the warranty cover: parts, labor, and the service call?
- Which of these parts actually failed, and can you show me?
- What is the price for replacing only the failed part, done properly, with both springs?
End the call if
- Lifetime warranty at a premium with labor not covered. Massachusetts OCABR and Angi both name this pattern.
- Every part on the door on the quote after one failure. Angi: the rebuilding package.
- Pressure to decide before the technician leaves.