The sound tells you the part. A deep rumble is the rollers, and that is the common one and the cheap one to fix. Squealing is hinges and springs that have run dry. A bang is different: something let go, so stop running the door.
Listen for where in the travel the noise happens and what kind it is. That is most of the diagnosis.
Lubricate the rollers, hinges and spring with a garage door lubricant, not WD-40, which strips what grease is left.
Check the track bolts and hinge screws by hand and snug any that turn freely.
Stop using the door if the noise is a bang, or if it has started moving unevenly. That is a repair rather than a maintenance job.
Almost all door noise is metal running dry on metal. Steel rollers grinding in steel track make the deep rumble, and it travels up the opener rail into the framing, which is why a garage under a bedroom in a Daly City or Foster City townhome sounds so much worse than the same door on a detached garage. Squealing is hinges and spring coils out of lubricant. A knock at the same spot every cycle is usually one worn hinge or a flat-spotted roller passing the same track joint. A door that has gotten louder over months is wear arriving on schedule rather than damage.
Lubrication is the most worthwhile fifteen minutes a garage door gets, and it is absolutely a homeowner job. Twice a year, every moving part except the track surface itself. Worn parts are where it stops helping. Rollers with flats on them, hinges with slop in the pin, and a door out of balance enough to slam all need hardware rather than grease.
| Job | Price | What it covers |
|---|---|---|
| Roller set | $250 to $400 | Ten rollers on a standard door. Nylon runs quieter than steel and is what makes the difference on a door that grinds. |
Every job we price is listed on the garage door repair cost page, and what each involves is under repair services.
Nylon rollers make the single biggest difference for the money. A full set installed is $250 to $400, and it removes the steel-on-steel rumble that carries into the rooms above. Lubricating the hinges and springs handles the squealing, and worn hinges get replaced as they show slop.
Dry steel rollers running in steel track, in most houses. The rumble transmits through the opener rail and the framing, which is why it sounds worse upstairs than in the garage. Age makes it worse because the original rollers wear flats and lose whatever lubricant they had.
A lithium or silicone garage door lubricant, sprayed on rollers, hinges, springs and the opener rail twice a year. Skip WD-40. It is a solvent more than a lubricant, and it washes out what grease the parts still hold.
Worth a look soon rather than an emergency. A repeating knock at one point is usually a single worn hinge, a flat-spotted roller, or a track joint out of line, and each is a small part while it is caught early. Left alone, the worn part chews the parts around it.
Other problems we get called out for: broken garage door spring , garage door off track , garage door opener not working , garage door will not close , garage door will not open , snapped garage door cable , garage door remote not working .
Call before early afternoon and we can usually get out the same day.
Call (650) 376-6070