Backed Into Your Garage Door? Here's Exactly What to Do Next

It's a top-five call for us, usually before 8 AM: the door was coming down, the car was backing out, and now the bottom section is creased and the door is jammed. In order:

1. Don't operate the door. The torsion system is still under full tension while the door's geometry is wrong. Running the opener — or yanking the door by hand — can snap cables, strip the opener, or drop the door. Disconnect the opener (red cord) and leave it.

2. Photograph everything now. The door inside and out, the track, the car's bumper, the whole scene. You'll want this for insurance whether or not you file.

3. Understand the insurance picture. Your own car hitting your own door is typically a homeowners claim for the door (and an auto claim for the car). Whether filing makes sense depends on your deductible: a bottom-section-and-track repair often lands in the $150–$800 zone — sometimes below a $1,000+ deductible. A destroyed double door ($1,400–$4,500 replaced) usually clears it. We provide the written assessment and photos adjusters ask for either way.

4. Get an honest repair-vs-replace verdict. Low-speed taps commonly damage only the bottom section, track, and a few rollers — repairable. A solid hit that creases multiple sections or racks the frame usually means replacement is the safer money. This is exactly the assessment call we run: we'll tell you which side of the line you're on and show you why on the door itself.

5. Secure the opening if the door won't close. A garage stuck open is a security and weather problem. Same-day response for stuck-open doors is our standing priority in the west-side core; tell us it's stuck open when you call.