Most garage doors in El Paso homes are sectional doors: four or five horizontal panels joined by hinges that roll up along the tracks. When one section is damaged, it is sometimes possible to swap just that section. Other times the damage, the age of the door, or the lack of a matching part means a new door is the better choice.
How panels get damaged here
Wind.
Average El Paso winds often top 30 mph, with gusts measured over 75 mph. A wide door caught half open in a gust can fold at the top or middle section. Long steady wind against a closed door can bow thin panels inward.
Cars and bikes.
Backing into the door, or a bike handlebar against it, leaves dents and creases.
Sun and heat.
With sun on about 302 days a year, paint and finishes fade and chalk, and some thinner doors show more wear on the side that faces the afternoon sun.
An off-track door.
When a door comes off its rollers, the sections can twist and crack at the hinges.
When one panel can be replaced
A single section swap is worth asking about when:
- The damage is limited to one or two sections.
- The door is not very old and the maker still produces the same model, size and color.
- The rest of the door, the springs and the tracks are in good shape.
The technician will need the maker and model, which is often on a sticker on the inside of a panel or on the end stile. A photo of that sticker helps when you call.
When a new door is the better choice
- The matching panel is no longer made, so a new section would not fit or match.
- Several sections are damaged.
- The door is an old single-layer steel door with rust along the bottom.
- You want an insulated door to keep the garage cooler in the summer heat.
A new panel on an old door can look obvious, since the replacement is a fresh color next to faded ones. Ask about painting the whole door if you go that way. See new garage doors in El Paso if replacement looks like the better option.
Small dents and bent sections
A shallow dent in the face of a steel panel is mostly cosmetic. A crease across the panel, or a bend near the hinges or the top bracket, is structural. It can stop the door rolling up smoothly and put strain on the opener and springs. Stop using the door if a section is folded or the door binds when it moves.
Getting through windy season
- Keep the door all the way closed on windy days and during dust storms from March to early May.
- Do not leave the door part way open for air on a hot afternoon if wind is forecast.
- If the door has a strut (a metal brace across the top section), make sure it is still firmly attached.
- Ask about a reinforcing strut if your top section has bent before.
What panel work costs
We have not found a published national figure for single panel replacement that we would stand behind, so we do not list one. Ask for a written price for the section, the labor, and painting if needed. For general repair figures see the cost guide.
Common questions
Can I replace just one garage door panel?
Often, yes, if the same model and color are still made and the rest of the door is sound. Have the maker and model ready from the label on the door.
Is a bent top panel dangerous?
It can be. A bent top section can bind in the track and strain the opener and springs. Stop using the door until it is checked.
Why do El Paso garage doors bend in the wind?
A wide door acts like a sail. With strong average winds and high gusts in El Paso, a door left part open, or one with thin panels, can fold or bow. Keeping it closed in wind helps.
Other services
Spring Repair
Snapped torsion and extension springs replaced, with the door balanced so the opener is not straining.
Opener Repair
Openers that hum, reverse or ignore the remote, plus new chain, belt and wall-mount openers.
Off-Track and Cables
Doors knocked off their rollers, crooked doors and frayed or snapped lift cables put back right.