Spring replacement
Springs do the lifting; the opener just tells them when. When one lets go it snaps loudly and the door turns into dead weight, which is why the most common call in this niche is "the door won't move and I heard something snap."
How you know it's the spring
The door feels impossibly heavy by hand, the opener strains and quits, or you can see a gap in the coil above the door. Torsion springs live on the shaft over the door; extension springs run along the horizontal tracks. Both fail the same way: cycles.
What the work looks like
- The replacement has to match your door's weight, not just its size
- On a two-spring door both get replaced; the survivor is the same age, and a second visit costs more than a second spring
- Your door gets rebalanced afterward, so the opener isn't fighting a mismatched load
Don't DIY this one
A loaded torsion spring stores enough energy to take off a hand. This is the one garage door repair that belongs on the do-not-touch list no matter how handy you are.
What moves the price
Door weight and whether it's a one-spring or two-spring setup, plus what else came loose when the spring went. A clean swap is routine work; a spring that took cables or the shaft with it is a bigger job.
