A garage door is probably the largest moving part of a house. Sectional, sliding, up-and-over, side-hinged or roller, they all rely on hinges, rollers, tracks, springs, cables and locks. Dust, dirt from tyres, moisture and winter road salt gradually take their toll: the door starts to squeak, judder or stick.
Regular maintenance takes about an hour and adds years to the door's life. The routine is simple: inspect, wash, remove rust, lubricate the moving parts and check the opener if the door is motorised.
What you will need
Important: Isolate the power to the opener before you start. Do not adjust or dismantle torsion springs and cables yourself: they are under high tension and can cause injury, so leave them to a technician. Do not use petroleum-based products on plastic hinges and rollers; use silicone for those.
Step 1
Inspect the door
Open and close the door slowly and listen for squeaks, judders and knocks. Check the rollers, axles, tracks and their fixings, the hinges between sections, the seals, cables, pulleys and springs.
If there is an opener, check the cables, chain or belt, the limit switches and the obstacle sensor. A frayed cable or cracked spring means calling a technician, not reaching for a lubricant.
Step 2
Wash the door and tracks
There is no point lubricating a dirty door: sand and dust mixed with lubricant become an abrasive. Wash both sides of the door with warm water and a mild detergent. Avoid pressure washers, which can damage the finish and seals.
Wipe the tracks thoroughly, as dirt from the wheels builds up there. After winter, always rinse off road salt and let everything dry.
Step 3
Remove rust
Spray WD-40 Multi-Use onto rusty areas of hinges, fixings and the bottom edge of the door. It gets under the rust and makes it easier to remove.
After a few minutes, go over these areas with a stiff brush and wipe off the residue. Tighten any loose hinge and bracket bolts.
Step 4
Lubricate hinges, rollers and springs
Apply WD-40 Specialist White Lithium Grease to the hinge pins, the bearings of metal rollers and, in a thin coat, to the springs. It is thick, does not drip, repels water and lasts a long time, so the squeak stays away.
Do not drench the springs; a light even coat is enough. Open and close the door several times to spread the grease.
Step 5
Treat the tracks, seals and lock
Apply WD-40 Specialist Silicone to the tracks, plastic rollers and rubber seals. It reduces friction, is kind to rubber and plastic, and in winter stops the bottom seal freezing to the floor.
Spray the lock and handle with WD-40 Multi-Use through the straw and turn the key several times. Wipe away any excess.
Step 6
Check the opener
Treat the opener's connectors, terminals and control buttons with WD-40 Specialist Contact Cleaner: it removes moisture, dust and oxidation, evaporates quickly and leaves no residue.
Restore the power and run the door through a full cycle. Always test the obstacle sensor: the door must stop and reverse if something is in its way.
Tip: Do not coat the opener chain or tracks with a heavy layer of runny lubricant before winter, as dirt and lubricant stiffen in the cold. A thin coat of silicone on the tracks and seals in November prevents the door freezing shut in hard frosts.
What next
Do a full service twice a year, in spring and autumn, and always rinse off salt after winter. For small garage jobs keep WD-40 Multi-Use and WD-40 Specialist White Lithium Grease to hand.
These uses come from the experience of WD-40 users in many countries. Always follow the instructions and warnings on the product label.
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