My Garage Door Crunched Itself Please Help I don't Know What To Do.

[Ben144]

My Garage Door Crunched Itself Please Help I don't Know What To Do.

I live in a condo complex and my garage is in a separate building that. The garage door is not a single piece, it is broken up into hinged parts. Recently someone backed their car into the corner of the exterior of my garage cracking the stucco and it caused it to be misaligned. They left before I could see who it was. My garage door was open at the time and when I tried to use to electric garage door opener it stopped at the last section and bent the last piece slightly in the center where the electric opener attaches to the last piece. I stopped the electric door opener before any major damage was done. The door manually pulls down manually but is definitely not aligned. 4 months later the HOA got around to fixing the exterior of the garage. The guy fixing the exterior of the garage door tried to open and close the door when I wasn't home with the electric door opener. He bent and tore the first piece when the electric arm was ripped out of the garage door piece. I was wondering - can I rivet and patch the door and realign the tracks? How do I realign the tracks? I've spent hours looking online and can't find a good guide to realign. What is the main goal when aligning the tracks? Is this even the problem? I have to rent out my place and don't want to wait another 4 months for the HOA to help me. I really appreciate any thoughts anyone might have. Thank you for your time.

-Ben

[HayZee518]

use a measuring tape and align the left track with a known straight edge - like the garage wall on the left. then use the tape to take a measurement from the back of the track to the other track. do this every few feet all the way to the bottom. fix what needs to be fixed to get all the same. the door sections "float" on its respective roller bearing at each joint. as far as the HOA agency - I think you have a good reason for a lawsuit against the guy that "fixed" it. he ruined the door when he operated it.

[John1949]

Bent garage door

Alot of these door companies put in cheap doors like a 26 guage door with a 4' strut instead of a 16' strut. I don't know what size door you have but I'm going to figure you have a 16' door which is a standard 2 car garage.
A strut is 1 piece of metal that is install at the very top of the top section and it reinforces the top section for the operator. The operator should be connected just below this strut.
If the top section is cracked more than likely you will have to replace this top section.I can explain how to replace the top section, but it maybe easier to have a door company replace it as you will have to find out who made the door and then transport it from the door company to your home. if it is a small door you can transport it in a pick up with out bending it.If you purchase the small section remember to purchase the strut with it, Install the strut before installing section. IF YOU NEED me to explain how to replace the top section let me know
The way you explained the damage to the out side wall, it appears that only vertical track on one side maybe out of alignment, adjust this an be done by loosening the flag brackets (which are the L shap brackets that bolt onto the track with a 7/16th nut and bolt. those brackets can be removed and straighten and reinstalled. The lag bolt that holds it to the wood fram can be loosened and the track can slide about 1/2" either way, or move it and reinstall in a new hole
If the vertical track is bent you will have to replace it and the only way to do that would be to go to a door company and purchase track then replace it.

Replacement of vertical track :Purchase the track before doing this task, just measure the height of the track from the bottom up to where it connects to the top Horizontal track ( 4- 7/16th bolts just remove the 2 bottm bolts

With the door in the down position and the operator disconnected from door and unpluged, clamp a couple of vise grips, and clamp on the other track one above the roller and next section up or down clamp below the roller. Remove damage track and install new.
Work door manually to insure door is working smoothly, besure the door is not hitting any part of the wood frame, if the HOA replaced may have gotten the wood to close to the door and that will have to be aligned.
Let me know if you have anyother question.

Retired door guy of 23 years