First Assess the Damage
The degree of damage typically depends on how hard you pressed on the gas pedal when you backed into your garage door. Don’t try to open the door if you hit it so hard that the panels are coming off at the sides. Getting hit with a piece of the garage door has the potential to do real damage to both you and your car. If this is the case, you don’t want to add a hospital visit to your day.
Take a deep breath and look at how much damage you see. If you only slightly bent a panel or two, you’re in luck. If you gunned it when trying to get out of the garage, you might have pulled the panels off their tracks. Garage doors aren’t rocket ships. Still, they do have enough complex parts that you’ll want a professional to assess the damage after you’ve backed into your garage door.
Call a Professional
After you’ve had a chance to take a deep breath and see exactly how much you’ve damaged your garage door, you’ll want to call a professional garage door company. We have trained technicians who can assess the damage to cables, rollers, springs, and panels. Don’t use your garage door opener before knowing what kind of damage you have. If you try the opener and the door doesn’t move, you may damage the motor and do more damage to the tracks as well.
Open the Garage Door with Caution
When you backed into your garage door, maybe you’ve minimally damaged your garage door and had other pressing obligations. In this case, you may want to try and open the garage door manually. If it doesn’t open easily manually, don’t force it as it could come off its track and cause damage to you or your car. Keep in mind that even if you get it open, you may not be able to get it closed. Most people have a lot of treasures, or junk, depending on which spouse you ask, in their garages. Consider that before giving it a try. This might be the time to grab a cab or call an Uber until you can get home to meet with a professional garage door technician.
Insurance Considerations
Garage doors come in various styles, colors, and price ranges. The cost of the damage will also depend on how expensive the garage door you or the previous owner purchased. You also have your car to consider. Give your insurance company a call so you’ll be sure of your deductible and confirm that they’ll cover the garage door. Depending on the extent of the problem and how high your deductible is, it may be better to pay it out of pocket. Ask your insurance agent how much they expect your insurance rates to increase if you file the claim instead of paying it yourself.
You’re not the first person, nor will you be the last one who’s had this happen. When you backed into your garage door, it was an accident, so quit beating yourself up. Give us a call at Door Tech, and we’ll have a trained technician out to give you a fair and accurate estimate. We take immense pride in our reputation and prompt service. Call us now.