After coming home at 10am on a Friday, I used the remote, and the door only went up a few inches before collapsing down on one side.
We called B&H Garage Door Repair showed up by 1:30pm the same day.
He quickly identified the problem as a broken cable, and told me I would need to replace both cables (as a set). Parts and labor came to $215. It was a little higher than I had hoped, but I've watched someone fix a garage door before, and I know there are a lot of tricks to the trade. It can be costly, and even dangerous to try and do it yourself.
I asked him if that price included adjusting the tension as well, and how much it would be to have him lube the door (which I usually do myself). I figured it would be worth some money to see A) what he lubed, and B) what he used to do it.
He said, those things are included in the price. What?!? I was sold, and asked him if he would like to get started.
Not only did he do everything he said he would, but he left my door in better condition than it had been in years (maybe ever).
He noted that sensors were too high (4-6 inches off the ground, by code), and moved them down at no additional charge. In addition to lubing the door and retensioning the springs, he also lubed the track for the opener, which apparently, had never been lubed even by the original installers. Finally, he adjusted the set points (open and close positions) correctly, which had either been set incorrectly by the last guy out to fix a broken screen, or he never bother to adjust them after installing a new spring.
The lack of lube, the incorrect set points, the too-low tension - All these things were causing a lot of stress on the motor, which I could hear, but thought was normal. Now, it runs more quietly, and all the problems were corrected and included as part of the service. Expensive? probably saved us from having to buy a new motor.
Thanks, B&H Garage Door Repair. I will definitely recommend you to anyone who needs your service.