Garage Door Maintenance: Keep Your Door Running Smoothly
Regular maintenance of your garage doors can keep them operating properly for years after installation or after you purchase your home. Many simpler maintenance tasks are well within your grasp if you have a basic toolkit and ladder at home.
Keeping up with seasonal garage door maintenance and regular inspections can help to avoid the cost of a full replacement, which generally cost between $750 and $6,325. If you’re looking for maintenance tips or service quotes from professionals, Garage.com has you covered
or
Fast & Free quotes from garage door companies in your area
Garage Door Maintenance Essentials
Certain garage door maintenance tasks, like spring replacement and full track replacements, should always be handled by a professional. That said, there are plenty of items on this list that you can handle with your home toolkit:
- Visual Inspection Guidelines: Routine inspections each year can help you to spot issues like misaligned tracks, weakened springs and rust buildup.
- Lubrication Fundamentals: Applying lithium grease to tracks and rollers can repel water and keep your garage door rust-free for years.
- Hardware Tightening Basics: Chain and garage door tightening can keep your opening mechanism from straining or damaging your door or tracks.
- Balance Testing: Regularly having your garage door’s weight distribution checked will help ensure that your springs don’t wear quickly or snap unexpectedly.
- Obstacle Detection Testing: Some door systems come with built-in obstacle detection features; routine garage door safety checks are a vital part of DIY maintenance.
- Weather Seal Checks: Testing the bottoms and sides of your doors for drafts or water leaks can keep your garage and possessions free from damage and away from the elements.
- Remote Testing Protocol: Fully testing your open, close and reverse features are an easy DIY garage door maintenance task.
- Seasonal Maintenance: This is a catch-all for DIY maintenance which includes cleaning all components, lubricating tracks and checking your weather stripping before and after winter.
You can check out our expert’s guide to DIY garage door repair for more advice on maintaining and servicing your garage door.
Garage Door Lubrication Guide
Proper garage door lubrication can repel water and some debris. This can prevent rust build-up on the tracks, roller damage and strain to your overall system. While this is a relatively simple DIY task, there are many components in your garage door system that require cleaning and lubrication, including the springs, belt drive and rollers.


Garage Door Weather Seal Maintenance
Functional PVC weather stripping on the sides and bottom of your doors is a vital component in garage door winterization. If you have HVAC components in your garage, these affordable components can conserve energy and prevent interior damage.
Garage Door Spring & Hardware Maintenance
Beyond routine inspections, any work or maintenance on garage door springs is best left to professionals. If you’re in the market for garage door spring replacement, we’ve got plenty of recommendations for qualified technicians near you. We’ve broken down the types of spring maintenance here:
- Spring Inspection Safety
- Hardware Tightening Guide
- Bracket & Fastener Checks
- Cable Inspection Tips
- Roller Maintenance
- Professional Spring Service


Garage Door Opener Maintenance
Beyond simple balance checks, garage door opener inspections include remote battery replacements, chain maintenance and more. We recommend getting a quote from a qualified pro for full garage opener replacements, but you can handle some of the other smaller maintenance tasks on your own:
- Chain/Belt Tension Adjustment
- Remote Battery Replacement
- Safety Sensor Alignment
- Force Setting Checks
- Light Replacement Guide
- Operating Sound Analysis
>>Expert Advice: Find The Best Garage Door Openers
Common Questions About Garage Door Maintenance
Garage door tune-ups include a surprising number of components for many homeowners. We’ve answered a few common maintenance questions here.:
Tips and Expert Advice for Your Garage
Stay informed with expert advice on garage door maintenance, garage door service, garage door replacement, and upgrades. Explore our blog for guides, troubleshooting tips, and more.