When you go to the dealership to purchase a new vehicle, you don’t ask them to take your old, worn tires and put them on your new car before driving out of the lot as a way to save money. When doing a home remodel, you don’t ask the contractor to reuse the old sheetrock and nails for the new addition in an attempt to save a couple bucks. The outcome just won’t be the same if you’re recycling old parts for a brand new project.

The same can be said for reusing the existing track for a new garage door installation. When considering a new garage door, many homeowners ask if they can reuse their old track to save some money. While technically you can, we won’t install a new garage door on your existing track. When you purchase a new garage door, you are buying an entire system, from the rollers and cables, to the spring system and garage door.

These elements of the garage door system need to age together in time, just like new tires on a new car or fresh sheetrock and nails for a home renovation. In fact, reusing an old track can do much more harm than good for your safety and your wallet.

Old tracks can be a safety hazard.

As with most things, garage door tracks can become worn, rusted, and warped over time. Oil, lubrication, dust and dirt can start to accumulate over the years from use. Replacing your garage door track when you get a new garage door ensures that everything ages in tandem. The new garage door track will be able to properly support the weight of the garage door and will be secure to the goal posts and ceiling in your garage, helping to reduce any hazards that can occur with a worn track.

They can be an eyesore.

Most people don’t really think of the garage door track as being “pretty” or “ugly” until you see an old track next to a beautiful new garage door. The contrast between an old track and a new track can be drastic when placed next to a brand new door and you’ll want everyone’s attention to be on the new garage door, not the rusty worn track.

Old tracks can hinder a new garage door’s functionality.

Your existing garage door track has likely lived a long life. And rightfully so, but that doesn’t mean that it’s still functioning to the best of its ability, thus hindering the functionality of your new garage door. Your brand new garage door should operate smooth, close completely and not cause a headache. New garage door tracks will be properly installed and aligned specifically for your garage door, which can help make your garage door operate efficiently.

Old tracks may not be right for your new garage door.

The radius of your existing garage door track may not be aligned with the necessary radius for your new garage door. The maximum size of your radius can define how many horizontal panels that you can have in a door–which is especially important if you are interested in a 3 panel door which allows for larger windows. If your existing garage door track does not accommodate for 3 panels, you can run into issues come installation day.

They could void your garage door warranty.

A garage door is a complete system, so when a new garage door is installed, every part of the installation should be new. Avoiding having a new track installed could in fact void your warranty on the door. If the track were to come away from the goal posts or the track hangs fall off the ceiling, the door could get damaged. The warranty wouldn’t stand because the fault may have been on the old faulty track.

Reusing the old tracks won’t save you money.

Ultimately, reusing the old track won’t save you money. As a company, we don’t discount the price for keeping the old tracks. And should any issues arise using an old track with a new door, you’ll ultimately wind up spending more money in the long run to get it replaced. Updating your track system when you update your door ensures that the garage door system ages together and you can know what to expect from each part for years to come!

As you can see, there are more reasons to replace your track than reuse it. The garage door system needs all of its parts to be functioning correctly, and the best way to ensure that is to install each component together with brand new materials. This will help keep your new garage door working correctly and looking beautiful!