Garage door openers, while once considered complicated pieces of machinery, are now standard hardware made widely accessible to consumers. Garage door opener installation is available for many models, while most garage door opener manufacturers also make products designed for do-it-yourself installation.

Good quality budget garage door openers run about $150 or $175, while the most advanced garage door technologies can be bought for about $350. Universal garage door opener remotes and replacement garage door opener parts also are available for most opener models, which should list compatible models in the garage door opener manual.

When looking for garage door openers and parts, do the following:

1. Shop for professionally installed or do-it-yourself openers from major brands;

2. Get universal garage door opener remotes for any opener;

3. Find replacement garage door opener parts for any brand and model.

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Shop for professionally or self-installed garage door openers

Most major garage door opener manufacturers sell lines of a automatic garage door opener designed to be professionally installed and others designed for customer installation. Most models of a garage door opener remote also are designed for self-installation with any compatible opener, though more complicated models, such as the iDrive, may require professional support to navigate.

I recommend: Chamberlain offers online sales information on its Liftmaster garage door opener as well as lines of commercial door openers and gate openers. Genie separates opener models into dealer-installed and do-it-yourself openers, and while Wayne Dalton sells the iDrive wall-mounted (rather than ceiling-mounted) opener for self-installation, professional installation may be required for the non-traditional design.

Find a universal garage door opener remote or keypad

While most garage door openers come with remotes, the universal garage door opener remote is designed to be compatible with a range of brands and models, and to provide remote control for multiple openers. A garage door opener keypad can provide the same universal function, but from a stationary location outside of the garage.

I recommend: AAA Remotes and Chamberlain Do-It-Yourself sell the Clicker garage door opener, a popular brand of universal remote and keypad. AAA Remotes sells the universal garage door opener online, while Chamberlain Do-It-Yourself allows you to buy the Clicker garage door opener and get programming instructions online.

Buy replacement garage door opener parts for ceiling mounts and remotes

Replacement parts are available online for garage door openers and remotes. Ceiling openers may need to have carriages or casings, gear sets or chain belts replaced, while garage door remotes and keypads also may wear out and need to be replaced. While some parts, such as light bulbs and batteries, may be a simple fix, others require the re-order of specific parts.

I recommend: US Door Control sells a range of garage door opener parts for remotes, keypads, gear sets and carriages online. Garage Door Parts allows you to select the brand of opener, and then browse by part number if you need a specific part replaced.

Tips & Tactics

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  When shopping for a universal remote such as the Clicker garage door opener, be sure to check the product compatibility to make sure it will work with your opener. While universal remotes are designed to work with most models, some older or newer garage door openers may not be compatible with universal remotes.