What to Do When You’ve Backed Into Your Garage Door

If you've damaged your garage door with your vehicle, it's possible there are issues that aren't readily visible. Here are some things to look for and what to do next.

Potential Damages From Backing Into a Garage Door

Smashing into your garage door with a vehicle or another large object can happen — and cause damage. Some garage door components that could be affected include:

• Door panels: If you collide with your garage door, you'll likely see damage to the door panels. Any dents, dings or warping of a garage door's panels can impact proper functioning.
• Springs: Torsion and extension springs work together to help the lifting cable successfully raise and lower a garage door. Running into the door can damage these springs, preventing the door from opening properly.
• Brackets: The brackets attach the lifting cable to the door, and they can easily be damaged from a slight collision. 
• Track: An impact from a vehicle can bend or rip the track from its mounting, which could prevent the door from sliding up or down evenly.
• Opener: If you back into your garage door while it's in the process of opening or closing, it could damage the sensors within the opener itself.
• Sensors: Most garage doors come with photo eye sensors that track any movement near the door while it's operating. If you run into your garage door with your car, the sensors might be damaged, which can pose a significant safety risk.

The Next Steps

What can you do if you hit your garage door? Follow these steps closely:

1. Review the damage: Significant garage door damage will be obvious, but even if there isn't anything visibly wrong, the impact could still affect the function of your door. Perform a thorough visual inspection inside and outside before attempting to move the door.
2. Test the door's manual opening: Avoid testing your garage with the automatic opener, as this can lead to more damage. If you see any issues with the alignment, it's best to skip this step altogether, as the entire door can come off the track.
3. Call your local garage door repair service: Garage doors are heavy and complex pieces of machinery, which is why you should contact a professional garage door repair service to take a look at your door. They'll have the right tools and experience to diagnose the problem, and many companies offer emergency repair services. 
4. Contact your home and car insurance: Since you may have done damage to your home and your vehicle, you should contact the relevant insurance companies to file your claims.

Choose Ingstrup Garage Doors for Your Repair Needs

If you've damaged your garage door with your vehicle, don't be embarrassed or stressed. Accidents happen, and the professional service from Ingstrup Garage Doors can get your garage — and your life — back on track. Reach out to request a repair service today.