The hardware is not the door
Springs, cables, rollers, hinges, tracks and openers are all wear items and all replaceable. A 20-year-old door with sound sections and new hardware can run better than a five-year-old door that has never been serviced.
Clear reasons to replace
These are the cases where replacement is the better investment.
- Rust perforating the bottom section
- Several dented, split or delaminating panels
- Bent struts or a door that has been through a serious impact
- A single-skin uninsulated door on an attached or heated garage
- A discontinued model where damaged sections cannot be matched
Reasons that do not require replacement
A noisy door, a door that will not close fully, a broken spring, a failed opener or one dented panel are all repairs. None of them, by themselves, mean a new door.
The insulation question
In an attached or heated garage, an insulated door with intact perimeter sealing makes a real difference to comfort and noise. In a detached, unheated garage, insulation mainly buys quieter operation and dent resistance.
What a replacement should include
Removal and disposal of the old door, new tracks and hardware, springs calculated for the new door's weight, and an opener check. Reusing old springs on a heavier new door is the most common corner cut.