Lift cables run from the bottom corners of the door up to the drums on the spring shaft. When one frays, snaps or slips off its drum, that side of the door loses support and the door hangs crooked, binds or drops on one side. Cables are under spring tension the whole time, so a loose cable is not something to wind back by hand — the energy behind it is the same energy that makes spring repair dangerous.
We secure the door, release tension safely, and replace both cables together so they wear evenly. Drums are inspected and replaced if the grooves are worn, the bottom brackets are checked for rust and cracking, and the door is re-tensioned, levelled and balanced. Most importantly we find out why the cable failed — a binding roller, a bent track or a door off balance will chew through new cable just as fast.
Signs You Need Garage Door Cable Repair
- A cable hanging loose beside the door
- The door sits crooked or one corner is lower
- Frayed or rust-stained strands on the cable
- The door jerks or jams near the top
- A cable wound wrongly or bunched on its drum
- Bottom corner brackets rusted or bent
⚓ The Bay-Edge Factor
Cables corrode from the bottom up. The lower brackets sit right at the floor line, where rain blown under the door and salt on the bay air settle first, and a rusted bracket or cable end lets go long before the rest of the cable looks worn. On houses north of Central Expressway we see this far more often than further south. Galvanised cable and fresh bottom brackets cost very little extra when the door is already apart, and they are what stops the same repair coming back.
How We Handle It
Secure the door
Door clamped and supported before any tension is touched.
Find the cause
Rollers, tracks, drums, brackets and balance checked — why it failed, not just what failed.
Replace as a pair
Both cables renewed, drums and bottom brackets replaced where worn, one exact price first.
Level and balance
Even tension both sides, door level and balanced, full cycles tested.
Starting Prices — Garage Door Cable Repair
- Garage Door Cable Replacement per cable
- From $150
- Diagnostic Service Call $0 with a completed repair
- $0
Starting prices. A door has two lift cables and one or two springs; the exact price depends on the door, the hardware grade and how many parts are replaced, and is confirmed on site before any work starts.