We get some version of this call almost weekly: someone’s door broke, a company came out, and now they’re staring at an invoice for $1,500 wondering if they just got taken. The honest answer is it depends, mostly on which type of spring is on your door, because torsion and extension springs are priced differently for real reasons, not just because one company padded the bill.

Before you can judge a quote, you need to know what’s actually on your garage. So start there.

Look Up. Which One Do You Have?

Walk into your garage and look at the wall directly above the closed door. See a metal bar running side to side, with one or two coiled springs wound around it? That’s a torsion system. It’s the setup on most doors built in the last couple of decades.

If instead the springs are stretched out along the horizontal tracks that run above each side of the door, long and thin, running parallel to the track, those are extension springs. Older homes and lighter doors tend to have these. One thing to check while you’re looking: there should be a thin cable threaded through the coil of each extension spring. That’s a safety cable, and if it’s missing, that’s a legitimate problem regardless of anything else going on with your door.

Two minutes of looking, and you already know more than most people do when the tech shows up.

Torsion Springs Cost More Because They Do More

A torsion spring twists rather than stretches, using a bar, cable drums, and cones to lift the door evenly from the center. That’s part of why torsion doors tend to feel smoother and more balanced than extension setups. It also means installing one takes real skill, the spring has to be wound to a precise tension for your specific door weight using a winding bar, and there’s zero room for guessing. Get it wrong and you’ve got a safety problem, not just a squeaky door.

Standard torsion springs are typically rated around 10,000 cycles, which works out to somewhere in the 7-to-10-year range for most households; we go into the math on that in our piece on how long garage door springs actually last. If you use your garage a lot, or you just want fewer service calls over the life of your door, high-cycle torsion springs are available too, rated anywhere from 25,000 up to 50,000 cycles depending on the manufacturer. They cost more up front. For a busy household, they’re often worth it.

Between the tensioning equipment, the skill required, and the part itself, torsion springs almost always run higher per spring than extension springs. That’s not padding; that’s just what the job involves.

Extension Springs Are Cheaper, and They Don’t Last as Long

Extension springs work the opposite way, they stretch under load instead of twisting, using pulleys mounted along the track. They’re simpler to manufacture and quicker to swap out, which is why they typically cost less per spring than torsion.

The catch is lifespan. Extension springs are usually rated for somewhere around 7,000 to 10,000 cycles, a bit short of what a standard torsion spring offers. So if your tech mentions upgrading to torsion while you’re already having extension springs replaced, that’s not necessarily a sales tactic, plenty of homeowners make that switch and are glad they did.

Why the Cycle Rating on Your Invoice Actually Matters

Here’s a detail most people never think to ask about, and it’s one of the fastest ways to sanity-check a quote: what cycle rating is actually going on your door?

A standard-cycle spring is the base part, priced like a base part. A high-cycle spring costs more, but for a legitimate reason, it’s built to last two, three, sometimes five times as long. What’s worth questioning is being charged premium pricing without the invoice actually naming a high-cycle part, or being told your standard spring needs an upgrade you never asked about. If your technician can’t tell you the cycle rating without checking, ask them to check. It’s a completely reasonable question, and a real technician won’t blink at it.

Why You’re Being Quoted for Both Springs, Not Just the Broken One

If you’ve got a two-spring torsion system and only one has failed, most legitimate techs are still going to recommend replacing both, and it’s not an upsell, even though it can feel like one. Both springs have been cycling through the exact same use since installation day. If one gave out, the other has logged the same mileage and isn’t far behind it.

This isn’t just something we tell customers to make the invoice bigger, it’s actually a standard safety recommendation from DASMA, the industry association for garage door manufacturers, whose consumer safety guidance specifically advises replacing both springs when one fails, even though only one broke. Skip it, and you’re just scheduling your next service call for a few months down the road, plus paying a second trip charge for the privilege.

Where it does become worth questioning is if a two-for-one is being pushed on springs that aren’t actually matched, say, two torsion springs quoted when your door only has one, or extension springs on either side that were clearly installed years apart for different reasons. Ask why both are being replaced. A tech with nothing to hide will just tell you.

So Back to It, Is $1,500 Fair?

Honestly, it can go either way, and the total by itself doesn’t tell you much. Two standard torsion springs with labor tend to land toward the lower-to-middle end of that kind of range. High-cycle torsion springs, or a job that also includes new cables, drums, or a full balance check, can reasonably push things higher. Two extension springs, being a simpler job, usually come in under a comparable torsion replacement.

None of that makes $1,500 automatically reasonable or automatically inflated. What matters is whether there’s a breakdown behind it. “Spring replacement, $1,500” with nothing else on the page isn’t a price, it’s a number, and there’s a difference.

What an Honest Quote Actually Looks Like

You should be able to see the spring type, the cycle rating, and parts and labor listed as separate line items, not lumped together. If replacing both springs is being recommended, there should be a plain-English reason why, and the tech should be willing to walk you over and show you the failed spring before any work starts. You’ll usually see it for yourself, too, a visible gap in the coil where it snapped.

If any of that’s missing, or if you’re being rushed to sign before you’ve had a chance to think it over, it’s worth pausing. We put together a much longer breakdown of the tactics to watch for, including how to check a contractor’s registration in under two minutes, in our guide to garage door repair scams in Washington. It’s also worth knowing the difference between a licensed and unlicensed contractor before anyone gets near your springs, since that registration is your only real recourse if something goes wrong.

And if you’re weighing whether this is even a repair situation versus something bigger, our post on repair vs. replacement walks through how to tell the difference.

When It’s Time to Just Call Someone

Springs are one of the few garage door repairs we’d tell you flat out not to DIY. The tension stored in a torsion spring in particular can genuinely hurt you if it’s handled wrong. If yours have already broken, or you’re just not sure what’s on your door or how much life is left in it, our broken spring repair service covers the diagnosis, a written itemized quote, and installation across King, Pierce, and Snohomish counties.

Call (206) 278-6038, we pick up every day of the week, any hour.

FAQ

What’s the actual difference between torsion and extension springs?

Torsion springs mount on a bar above the door and twist to lift it; extension springs run along the side tracks and stretch. Torsion costs more per spring but tends to last longer and run smoother.

How many cycles should garage door springs last?

Standard torsion springs are usually rated around 10,000 cycles. Extension springs typically run a bit lower, around 7,000 to 10,000. High-cycle torsion springs go anywhere from 25,000 up to 50,000-plus.

Why would a tech quote replacing both springs when only one broke?

Because on a matched two-spring system, both springs have the same wear history. It’s standard industry safety guidance, not just a sales tactic, replacing only the broken one usually just delays a second breakdown.

How do I know if my spring quote is fair?

Get the spring type and cycle rating in writing, with labor and parts broken out separately. If something still feels off, get a second quote and compare line by line.

Can I figure out my spring type before anyone comes out?

Yes, look above the closed door. A bar with coiled springs mounted horizontally is torsion. Springs stretched along the side tracks are extension.