At the risk of sounding cliché I believe it was PT Barnum who said “There’s a sucker born every minute.” While that may be true, those of us here at Overhead Door of Albany™ would like to offer you some information so you don’t become one of Barnum’s targets.
If you live in the greater capital region and you need some general maintenance on your garage door you have as many choices as just about any city in the country. There are way more than a handful of garage door companies you could contact for this service and with that in mind let’s go over what you should expect because not all garage door service is created equal.
We’ve found other area companies providing this service for as little as $50.00 and you get what you pay for. Consider this, it’s nearly impossible for a professionally trained technician to travel to your home or business, spend 30-45 minutes doing a professional maintenance, and then travel back. There’s just no way they will have a fully stocked service vehicle with virtually any part needed to do this correctly. Chances are you’re going to get a subcontractor that shows up with a $5.00 can of lube and a ladder. We hear it all the time and here’s what happens. In about 10 minutes they can lube some important parts of your door, run it up and down a few times and ask you how it sounds now. For older doors especially this can be the most effective way for someone to prove their worth. The lube process will make your door much quieter and seemingly better but so many other items can and will be overlooked. Because of this “lube and leave technique” we actually have an instructional post so you can easily do this yourself because, although it’s part of our process too, simply lubricating a door is an incredible disservice to you.
Depending on the age of your door you should be looking for a service company that provides the following steps. This is part of our Tune-Up Process.
- Complete Lubrication of all moving parts that require it
- Complete tightening of hinges, tracks, and appropriate hardware depending on the system you have
- Complete door testing including balance, travel, and up/down position
- Spring Adjustments based on testing
- Replacement if needed with your approval
- Complete Roller evaluation
- Replacement if needed with your approval
- Complete Track inspection for wear and cleanliness
- Adjustments and recommendations if necessary
- Complete locking hardware inspection, adjustment and lubrication if needed
- Cable inspection for wear and fraying
- Adjustment if necessary
- Pulley and/or Drum inspection (depending on your system)
- Replacement if needed with your approval
- Inspection of door seals and recommendations if an issue found
- 100% Electric Door Opener testing for safety and performance (if equipped)
- Including auto reversing and photo eye evaluation
- An explanation of your door, recommendations and DIY tips from your technician
- Address any concerns or questions you have honestly and professionally
That’s a brief outline of what you should expect to receive. We know that it can be a difficult pill to swallow when you see so many items marked inspection which can be an indicator of nothing physical actually being done or the simple fact that some of these parts may need no adjustment at all.
Using our technician’s years of experience we can quickly and effectively indentify problem areas and in some cases predict future issues. No replacement parts will be installed without your express consent and accurate pricing given to you on the spot.
Special Note: It is not possible to predict when a spring will break. We can determine spring replacement needs based on door testing (if they no longer support the door properly due to weakness etc.) but if anyone tries to tell you a spring is about to break it’s simply not true. Reply with “I’ll give you a call when it breaks.”
At Overhead Door of Albany™ we’ve built our reputation on honesty, courtesy, and professionalism. So next time you need maintenance on your garage door remember those 13 steps and don’t make PT Barnum smile and fall for the “can of lube guy”.
Your garage door team at AlbanyOHD