The Cost of This Job
We don't have a fixed number to quote you without seeing the door - cable length, drum type, and whether the bottom bracket needs replacing all change the job. What we can tell you is that Lathrop's housing stock, mostly built well after 2000, means we're rarely dealing with the seized, rusted hardware that makes older jobs run long. Newer galvanized cable and factory drums usually come apart clean, which keeps the labor side of the bill predictable.
Where it can run higher: doors with a broken bottom bracket, since that part has to be replaced along with the cable, or double doors where both cables need swapping to keep tension even side to side. We'll tell you which situation you're in before we start, not after.
What the Fix Involves
We release the spring tension first - that's non-negotiable, since a cable under load is what causes injuries. Then we pull the old cable off the drum, check the drum groove for wear or gouging, and check the bottom bracket the cable anchors to. If the bracket's bent or cracked, it gets replaced along with the cable, not just patched.
New cable goes on, we reset drum tension to match your door's weight and size, and we run the door through a full open-close cycle watching both sides for even travel. On doors with a separate safety cable through the bottom bracket, we check that it's still intact and properly routed - that cable is a backstop, not a repair item, but it's cheap insurance we verify while we're already in there.
One limitation worth knowing: if the drum itself is worn or cracked, that's a separate part order, and we won't have it on the truck. We'll get the cable replaced and the door safe to use, then schedule the drum swap once the part's in.
Time on the Job
A straightforward single cable replacement on a door this age, with a factory drum in good shape, usually runs under two hours once we're on site. Add a bottom bracket replacement or a second cable on a double door and it stretches out, mostly because we retest tension and travel on each side separately rather than assuming symmetry.
What we can't promise is a same-day fix if a specific part isn't something we stock - a cracked drum or an odd-length cable on a non-standard door sometimes means ordering, which can push the finish to a second visit. We'd rather tell you that up front than leave your door half-fixed.
