First, do not force it through
The instinct is to keep going and get clear of the door. Resist it — most of the real damage in these incidents happens during the second or third foot of travel, when a partly closed door or a bent track digs deeper into the roof or drags across the pillar.
Put it in park, get out, and look at where the contact is. If a roof rail, antenna, or the door track is hooked on something, freeing it by hand costs you a few minutes and saves a panel. Then photograph the car and the garage before either gets cleaned up.
- Roof panel and roof rails, photographed from a step stool if you can
- The A-pillar and windshield trim on the contact side
- Mirror housing, since it often catches first
- The garage door panel, track, and opener arm
- Any paint transfer left on the door frame
How coverage splits between two policies
This is one incident and two claims. The vehicle is covered by your auto policy under collision, because it struck an object — that means your collision deductible applies. Nobody else is at fault, so there is no liability insurance company to pursue.
The garage door itself belongs to your homeowners or renters policy. Two deductibles for one mistake is often what tips people toward paying for the car directly, and comparing the repair estimate against your deductible before you call anyone is the sensible order of operations.
What garage door damage takes to repair
Roof panels are the awkward part. They are large, curved, and highly visible, so a dent or a gouge there cannot be hidden in a shadow line. Straightening a roof takes patient work from underneath once the headliner is dropped, and the refinish has to blend across a big uninterrupted surface.
Scrapes down a pillar or a door edge are more contained but demand careful color work, because those areas sit at an angle that shows every mismatch. Roof rails and moldings that are cracked get replaced rather than filled — they carry weather sealing that a repair should not compromise.
- Headliner dropped so the roof can be worked from behind
- Rails and moldings removed rather than masked around
- Sunroof drains and seals checked before any refinishing
- Color measured off the car and blended down the pillar
- Sealant and corrosion protection restored at every seam opened
Bring it in or send photos
Roof damage is hard to photograph well from the ground, so if you can get an angled shot from a stepladder it helps enormously. Send that with a wide shot of the car and we will write a free estimate within 24 hours.
If you would rather have eyes on it, drive over to 8080 W 125th St in Savage. We are open until 11 PM Monday through Saturday, and the paint and refinish work we do here carries a lifetime warranty for as long as you own the vehicle.
