I had a garage door tech come out today to check out an error message on my garage door controller. While he was here, he noticed gray "gunk" coming out of the bearings at one end of the door. When I told him that I suspected that the door was 18 years old, he recommended replacing the spring and bearings for ~$570. He said that they typically last around 12 years.

What say you? Am I getting a sales pitch? Do the bearings and spring likely need replacing? Is $570 a reasonable charge for replacing them?

Oh, and there will be another $59 service call fee on top of that amount.

For comparison, back in 2020 spring replacement was $269 (DFW). That was just the spring, not bearings.

Not a simple DIY, and in fact can be dangerous/deadly. This is one of those you bite the bullet and farm out.

My kids left a stick out that jammed the door up, so I had Welborn Doors in DFW out to check it. They told me the same thing, that the date code on my spring was about 15 years old and they only last about that long (really they are rated on open/close cycles, not years). I could tell that the spring needed to be tightened at least(door thuds because it closes a little too hard).

They tried to upsell me on nylon rollers because mine were dirty. They wanted $1000 to do the rollers and springs, I asked them how much for just the springs and they quoted me $800+ for just my one double width door. When I said no, his manager dropped it to $700 something, but i still declined. I wouldn't do the rollers unless they were obviously seized. It's a garage and they are lubricated, so they get dirty.

I wouldn't do it myself because of the safety factor, but if they had offered me sub $500 I would have accepted. $269 sounds like a good deal, so I am thinking $350 in 2023 dollars would be about right.

txag2008 would you mind telling us what company you used?

Don't touch the spring, but should be sub $500. Rollers are cheap and easy DIY.

just had rollers and springs replaced for 525.

grease the rollers yearly. mine lasted 20 years.

Nylon rollers are an easy DIY. I replaced the metal rollers on my doors to quiet things down.

Springs are also easy DIY, but as mentioned, you could also maim yourself.

Thanks guys. There seems to be some confusion. The quote isn't to replace the rollers but rather the ball bearings. Those bearings are at the end of the rod around which the spring rests.

FWIW, I've never heard of replacing bearings. Or where they even are. Wish I had more.

AtlAg05 said:

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Replaced two springs myself, didn't die. I feel obligated on all these threads about replacing them to point that out.

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Its not a technically difficult job to do. It's just a high consequence for failure.

I replaced a set of springs a couple of years ago when one side went kaput and snapped in half. I have changed my tension before and know how to do it so I went looking for replacement springs. I couldnt even find anyone to sell them to me because of the safety issue. It was about $300 for the set of springs and install.

Jabin said:

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There seems to be some confusion. .

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Seems to happen on just about everything thread.