A Gilligan Question

Raoul’s Two Cents: May 1, 2026

Garage Door Repair

If you don’t want to ponder, move on to the Jokes.

Today’s topic is a little bit different because I put on my repair hat and I think it’ll be good for you (who own a home with a garage door) to know what is involved in its expensive repair. Hopefully, I will save you some time and money.

THE DO-IT-YOURSELF PHASE
My garage door suddenly died. I clicked on the remote — nothing! I clicked on the wall switch — nothing! No lighting … no sound … nothing! That began my adventure to the wonderful world of garage door repair.

Off the bat, I knew it had to be the circuitry … ie. an electronic problem (and not a mechanical problem) because if it were mechanical, the light would have turned on and I would have heard the motor running. I stared at the garage circuit box overhead for a long time. “How do I open you up? Where will I find the circuit board and will I be able to pinpoint the defective diode (resistor or capacitor)?” I’m hoping it’s just a simple fuse. And then I reminded myself that I’m a senior citizen now and falling off a step ladder would most certainly bring death by a thousand slings of arrows of outrageous fortune. In plain terms, “do I really want to do this?”

A neighbor recently had to replace her garage door remote and it cost her $800. Shock! Being the legendary cheapskate that I am, I boldly went where no cheapskate had gone before. I accepted the challenge! I mean, how hard could it be?

My Dad inspired me to fix things ever since I was a kid. I was his reluctant weekend assistant whenever our blue Chevrolet station wagon broke down. Our garage was full of opened radios,TVs and broken electronic trophies that I tinkered with to discover their inner workings. I also went to the Don Bosco Technical Institute (a private High School for boys) and took vocational mechanics – I learned how to arc weld and acetelyne torch … how to operate a lathe machine and a milling machine. I learned drafting and understood schematic diagrams — so I knew a thing or two about repairs. With all my illustrious technical achievements, no garage door apparatus was going to scare me.

It was a strain on my aging muscles to unscrew that overhead case but I finally got that circuit board out — a marvelous piece of wired-up, worthless junk. I did a visual and sniffed for anything burned — nothing! But I was dead certain it was the culprit … it was the only logical explanation. I got the model number and surfed the web but that part was “discontinued.” I called numerous repair shops but nobody carried it and there were even some hostile garage companies that dropped the phone saying: “We don’t sell parts! We only replace garage doors!” For ordinary DIYs (Do It Yourself-ers) that would have been enough discouragement. But not stupid ol’ me. No, I am of a different breed of stupidity!

My last hope was Ebay and suddenly, there in this lonely shop 10 miles away from me, was the illusive part! The model number checked out. The picture was identical … and all for $50! That looked like a real bargain! I purchased it and drove to a dinky grage room in a motor home. The Mexican owner was an electrician with his own cluttered trophies of opened TVs and electronics. “No hablo ingles, pero aqui tiene su Circuit board!” I made sure there weren’t any snooping federal agents, dug into my trench coat and handed him the cold cash. The “drug deal” was complete.

Back home, I slid the new circuit board in and voila! When I hit the remote, the light turned on and the motor started turning, I imagined a parade of angels started marching down the garage, a clarion of trumpets played “Oh When the Saints Come Marching in” … but the fanfare stopped when I noticed that the gate was still not moving up. Something else was wrong!

I figured (this time) it was a moving part. Searched Youtube University for other desperate souls that shared their garage nightmare and came to the conclusion that the culprit was a white plastic gear the size of a top that was worn out. Unfortunately, my internet search proved once again that the part was also “discontinued.” Alas, that was the end of the road. Even though I had the energy to continue the repair, the gods of garage parts no longer smiled at me. Reluctantly, I called the one shop that would send over a technician right away.

THE PROFESSIONAL
Ivan came with a red truck carrying all sorts of parts. I sized him up. He did the same. “I’ll charge you $700.” I said “$500.” He said “no.” I said “see ya!” He pondered and said he didn’t come all the way here for nothing. So we shook at $600. Later, I searched for the price of the garage kit and it was less than $300. Doing the math, this guy’s 2 hour labor was going to cost me $350. For a cheapskate like me, that’s a lot but I was desperate to get it done. (Commentary: Why go to college for a non-existent job to eventually get paid $20 an hour to flip burgers and straddle a student loan when you can learn a trade and get paid $150 an hour? Think about that!)

The repair was so simple. You replace everything but the side rollers. You replace the wall control, the two side sensors, the horizontal belt drive, the 2 remote controls and the garage circuit box. I could have done it myself … maybe not as fast but I could have figured it out. It was done in 2 hours.

REAL TIPS:
Next time your garage door malfunctions, learn from my mistakes. Don’t even try finding parts (they make new models ever so often) so they do not stock up on discontinued parts. Just buy the garage door opener kit which costs $250. Fix it yourself or buy the kit and haggle for labor cost. You’ll sleep better, you’ll keep the missus happy and you won’t die a Shakespearean death.

TGIF people!

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Quotes of the Week

“Measure twice, cut once, swear silently.” — Anonymous

“When in doubt, use more duct tape.” — Anonymous

“No Worries, I watched the safety video.”— Anonymous

“The acknowledgment of our weakness is the first step in repairing our loss.” — Thomas a Kempis

“For which of you, desiring to build a tower, does not first sit down and count the cost, whether he has enough to complete it?” — Luke 14:28

“The masons and stonecutters. They purchased timber and blocks of dressed stone for the repair of the temple of the LORD, and met all the other expenses of restoring the temple.” — 2 Kings 12:12

Joke of the Week

Thanks to Tom of Pasadena, California

Parting Shots

Thanks to James of Los Angeles, CA

Thanks to Art of Sierra Madre, CA

Thanks to Barbara of Pasadena, CA

Thanks to Jacob of Whittier, CA

Thanks to Fred of Long Beach, CA

Thanks to Norm of Encino, CA

I found these:

My good friend (and jokester) Terry and I came up with these.

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