Garage door keeps breaking

Garage door keeps breaking

Rental Property Investor · Shoreview, MN · Member since 2021 · 19 posts · 18 votes

This past November, I got a call from my tenant one morning that the garage door at the house he is renting came off the track and wasn't able to close all the way.  I reached out to a couple local repairmen, and hired the first one that was able to fix it that same day.  He had a good reputation on Google, and he's always struck me as a straight shooter.

That first repair was not cheap.  He had to replace a panel of the garage door, a cable, some of the track, and he rebalanced the door for $971.

About a month later, the tenant calls and tells me it's off the track again.  I call my repairman.  He says he stands behind his work so he goes over to the house and puts it back on the track, tweaks a few things (not really sure what he did) but he gets it running smooth again.  No charge since he felt responsible for making sure his repair held up.

Another month goes by and the tenant calls again, says it's been coming barely off the track lately but he's been able to get it back on the track so he could use it, but this time it came off so bad he couldn't fix it and was afraid the door might fall down and land on his car (or worse, him or his wife).  I call my repairman, he makes some other repairs this time, replacing the arm that connects the door to the chain that is pulled by the motor and braces the top panel with a strut that spans the panel, and this time the repair is only $199.  Since he purchased more parts to make this fix, I figured it was fair that I had to pay for them.  I didn't feel great having to pay more, but I figured I'd probably get charged a lot more going with another guy.

Well now fast forward a couple more weeks, and the door is off the track YET AGAIN!  My guy is working on fixing it as I type this, and he says it's going to be $450 this time.  He's replacing more of the track that in the past he tried to just bend back into place (I probably should have insisted on replacing it then, but I'm trying to manage this over the phone and not drive the 1/2 hour to the property each time a repair is made).

I feel stuck.  Anybody have any sage advice on how to handle this?  The repairman seems like a standup guy, and he has solid reviews on Google, but I think he might not be seeing something that is the root problem here.  I keep using somewhat of a "sunk cost fallacy" of thinking he's giving me the best price possible because he knows he's kind of screwed up, but should I just punt and find a new repairman?  I'm thinking about having another guy come look at his work while it's still operational to see if he can spot anything wrong with the installation.  My repairman also keeps hinting about how there may be something wrong with the garage structure, separate from the garage door, that would need to be fixed by a carpenter or someone like that to fix the root problem.  Anyone have any idea what he means?  I suppose if the whole garage isn't built very level or square, that could pose some problems.

Not sure if this matters at all, but the property is located in St. Paul, MN, for what it's worth.

Please help!

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Joe SplitrockPro Member
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Rental Property Investor · Sioux Falls, SD · Member since 2015 · 9k+ posts · 18k+ votes
4y

I have had a lot of garage door issues over the years. When there is a damaged panel, it is very possible other panels or the tracks were bent. I would never replace just one panel. At that point I would replace the entire door, unless the door was very new.

If it is falling of the tracks, it could be twisting or causing more damage to the door. I used some random people in my early years, then switched to only using my local Overhead Door franchise. They can fix anything and no call backs.

Either that door has major issues and needs to be replaced or your repair guy isn't very good and needs to be replaced. 

I guess he is repairing it right now, so hopefully that does it. If not, your next call should just be replacing the door. Use someone different to do that and replace the opener at the same time.

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  • Investor · Las Vegas, NV · Member since 2013 · 8k+ posts · 10k+ votes
    4y

    The first Elsie seems expensive. The rest is reasonably priced if it’s fixed this time. $2k should replace entire garage door, tracks and opener. I’d like some kind of guarantee that this will be the last time you’ll be charged for a repair (I doubt that will go anywhere but you pretty much have to switch guys if it breaks again.)

  • Real Estate Broker · Rochester Hills, MI · Member since 2009 · 2k+ posts · 2k+ votes
    4y

    "I'm thinking about having another guy come look at this"

    Yes, 100%, 3 phone calls ago you should have done this. By the way, not sure about prices in MN but we are not to far away in MI and I can tell you for what you have paid you could have gotten a new door, track and opener for that kind of cash.  I know prices vary but nice or not, competent or not, he is not doing a good job for you. 

    If this is the first time you have used him, I would have called him back the 2nd time, but never again after that.  

  • Rental Property Investor · Shoreview, MN · Member since 2021 · 19 posts · 18 votes
    4y

    Thanks for the advice.  I think I'm learning a lot from this experience.  Sometimes making mistakes is the best way to learn.
    I'm going to reach out to other garage door repairmen in the area and see if any of them are willing to come take a look at it before it breaks down again.

  • Nathan GesnerBusiness Member
    Moderator
    Real Estate Broker · Cody, WY · Member since 2010 · 28k+ posts · 41k+ votes
    4y
    I agree with the others. The first repair was expensive, but that's water under the bridge. The second time, he went out for free to check his work. When the problem came back, you should have immediately hired a different contractor to look at the door because the first guy clearly did not fix the problem completely.

    Hire a contractor one time, let him go back once to fix any mistakes/missed repairs. After that, you need a second opinion.
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  • Rental Property Investor · Shoreview, MN · Member since 2021 · 19 posts · 18 votes
    4y

    You guys are all telling me what I knew deep down was the answer:  get another opinion.

    But the main reason why I posted, was to see if any of you had come across this before with a garage door specifically, where the repairman claims his repairs aren't lasting because there is something wrong structurally with the garage itself.  Anybody know what he's talking about and could there be any truth to it or is he just making excuses?  This is why I'll get another opinion from a professional, of course, to see if they see something that would agree, just wondering if any of you have encountered that before.

  • Investor · Rochester, NY · Member since 2016 · 576 posts · 358 votes
    4y

    Seems doubtful to me that it would be a structural issue with the garage. Impossible to assess without seeing it, or seeing photos. Take some pictures next time you're there, or ask the tenant to take some. Is everything square, plumb. Any signs of excessive movement? Does the building move, oscillate, when pushed on?

  • Joe SplitrockPro Member
    Moderator
    Rental Property Investor · Sioux Falls, SD · Member since 2015 · 9k+ posts · 18k+ votes
    4y

    I have had a lot of garage door issues over the years. When there is a damaged panel, it is very possible other panels or the tracks were bent. I would never replace just one panel. At that point I would replace the entire door, unless the door was very new.

    If it is falling of the tracks, it could be twisting or causing more damage to the door. I used some random people in my early years, then switched to only using my local Overhead Door franchise. They can fix anything and no call backs.

    Either that door has major issues and needs to be replaced or your repair guy isn't very good and needs to be replaced. 

    I guess he is repairing it right now, so hopefully that does it. If not, your next call should just be replacing the door. Use someone different to do that and replace the opener at the same time.

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