Broken Garage Door Spring or Cable?
That gunshot bang, a door too heavy to budge, or a cable swinging free — of every garage door fault, this is the one to keep your hands right away from.
Quick Answer
Your door's entire weight — commonly 100 kg and more — hangs on its springs and cables. A snapping spring announces itself with a bang and leaves the door impossibly heavy; a failed cable tips the door sideways or drops one corner. Both store serious tension, making them the most hazardous parts on the door. Leave everything exactly where it is and call us: springs run $240–$1,000 and cables $280–$550, priced before we start.
Common Causes
Metal fatigue from normal use
Every spring has a cycle budget — around 10,000 lifts, or roughly 7–12 household years — and the last cycle ends with a bang.
Rust and corrosion
Perth's sea air pits spring steel and cable strands; rust concentrates stress and brings the failure date forward.
Fraying at the drum
The wear point is where cable meets drum — once a few strands let go, the rest follow fast under load.
Unbalanced door loading one side
A weakening spring quietly shifts its share of the load onto its partner and the cables, which is why one failure invites the next.
Wrong spring for the door
If a past repair fitted a lighter spring than the door needs, it's been overworked on every cycle since.
Missed servicing
A yearly service spots stretched coils, corrosion and fraying before they become a 6 am emergency.
What You Can Check Safely
Safe to check yourself
- From well back, scan the spring above the door for a visible break in the coil
- Note whether the door tilts or a cable hangs free
- A closed door stays closed — never test-lift on a suspect spring
- Keep kids, pets and vehicles well clear until it's fixed
Do not attempt
- Don't try lifting it — with no spring assist the door is dead weight, often 100 kg+
- Springs, cables and drums: no touching, no “small adjustments”, no exceptions
- Don't keep running the opener — it will cook the motor and fold panels against a broken spring
When to Call a Technician
Call a technician straight away if any of the following apply:
- A single loud crack or bang came from the garage
- There's a visible gap or separation in a spring
- A cable shows slack, broken strands, or has left its drum
- The door rises a hand-width, stalls, or crashes back
- It hangs tilted in the opening
- Hand-lifting suddenly takes serious muscle
Cost Guidance
| Scenario | Typical Price Range | Notes |
|---|
Exact pricing comes down to what caused the fault, the parts involved and your door’s size — we confirm the figure on site before starting, and quoting is free.
Spring gone and your car's trapped inside?
Step away from the door — we'll do the lifting. Vans stocked with the common Perth spring and cable sizes, on call 24/7.
Frequently Asked Questions
Four giveaways: the bang everyone describes, a visible break in the coil above the door, a door that's abruptly become immovable, and a lift that dies after a few centimetres. Cable failures look different — the door tips to one side, or a cable visibly dangles.
24/7 Emergency
Garage Door Repairs Perth
Door stuck at midnight? Spring snapped on a Sunday? Call 0412 988 733 any hour, or book online in under a minute — same-day repairs right across Perth.