Top damaged by snapped garage door rail
Thread Starter
Junior Member
Joined: Jan 2019
Posts: 20
Likes: 5
1969 Camaro
Top damaged by snapped garage door rail
This isn't E63s related really, other than my new 2019 just got a good bit of damage from a garage door opener failure. Looking for some advice...
I had a garage door installed a few months ago, it is lifting a very heavy door. Last night I pulled my car in and hit the button to shut the door, I heard a bunch of noise and the door stopped dropping. I ran back into the garage and the metal bar that connects to the door had snapped and was being dragged along the top of my wagon. While the damage doesn't look that bad, the metal roof panel in the back was hit on the edge and gouged to the metal, the fixed glass panel is chipped, a roof rail is scratched, a wiper arm is scratched, and the edge of the hood is gouged up to the metal. That is a lot of parts that are going to need repaired/replaced and the paint is magno so even if the panels can be fixed, they will need to be painted. I saw this with a flash light, it may be more when I have the stomach to look at it in the light of day.
So, considering this is obviously a fault with the opener or installation, do I ask the company that did the work to cover this? If they refuse, do I lawyer up? Alternatively, do I go through my home owners insurance and have them go after the company? I'll need to get an estimate of course, but I am guessing this is going to be well over $10K to fix.
I had a garage door installed a few months ago, it is lifting a very heavy door. Last night I pulled my car in and hit the button to shut the door, I heard a bunch of noise and the door stopped dropping. I ran back into the garage and the metal bar that connects to the door had snapped and was being dragged along the top of my wagon. While the damage doesn't look that bad, the metal roof panel in the back was hit on the edge and gouged to the metal, the fixed glass panel is chipped, a roof rail is scratched, a wiper arm is scratched, and the edge of the hood is gouged up to the metal. That is a lot of parts that are going to need repaired/replaced and the paint is magno so even if the panels can be fixed, they will need to be painted. I saw this with a flash light, it may be more when I have the stomach to look at it in the light of day.
So, considering this is obviously a fault with the opener or installation, do I ask the company that did the work to cover this? If they refuse, do I lawyer up? Alternatively, do I go through my home owners insurance and have them go after the company? I'll need to get an estimate of course, but I am guessing this is going to be well over $10K to fix.
Super Member
Joined: Feb 2019
Posts: 594
Likes: 308
From: South Florida
E63S Wagon
Wow, so sorry to hear that happened.
In times like these, I like to hit the easy button...which is your homeowners policy. Call in the professionals.
Don't try to move the car until you talk to your insurance company...they may send an adjuster right away to assess. If you think it will be too difficult to extract the car from you garage by yourself, tell your insurance company. Take a lot of pictures of the car, and all the failure points of your garage install. The failure could be with your home, and not the install...but document everything just in case the installer is liable. The insurance company will do this regardless.
If you have a preferred body shop, remember to mention it to your insurance on the first call. Always use a shop that warrants their work for a long long time.
This really sucks, but everything will be fixed up in no time.
In times like these, I like to hit the easy button...which is your homeowners policy. Call in the professionals.
Don't try to move the car until you talk to your insurance company...they may send an adjuster right away to assess. If you think it will be too difficult to extract the car from you garage by yourself, tell your insurance company. Take a lot of pictures of the car, and all the failure points of your garage install. The failure could be with your home, and not the install...but document everything just in case the installer is liable. The insurance company will do this regardless.
If you have a preferred body shop, remember to mention it to your insurance on the first call. Always use a shop that warrants their work for a long long time.
This really sucks, but everything will be fixed up in no time.
Junior Member
Joined: May 2016
Posts: 51
Likes: 9
From: TCP, IP
2018 E63 S
i'd try to get it covered by the home policy if possible, as the premium is less likely to double than the auto side of the fence. i'm sure the homeowners side will try to defer to auto but it seems you have a logical argument to the contrary.
Out Of Control!!
Joined: Jun 2004
Posts: 13,799
Likes: 3,229
2014 E63S; AMS 100 octane ECU dyno tune; EDOK TCU tune; BB intakes; sprintbooster
And you may have accident forgiveness on the auto policy that you haven't used yet
