Garage door rust spots appearing on the door
This is almost always a coating failure, usually starting at the bottom section. Repair costs $130 to $400 and takes 60 to 120 minutes. Safe to operate: Yes.
Check this first — it may cost you nothing
Look at the bottom section first and at the inside face. Rust almost always starts where water sits, which is the bottom rail, and it is usually worse on the side you do not see.
Why this happens
Steel doors are painted or coated over galvanising. Once that coating is breached — by a stone chip, a scratch, or standing water at the base — moisture reaches the steel and rust spreads under the paint from there.
Rust starts where water sits: the bottom edge and around fasteners. Caught at the bloom stage it sands and seals; left, it perforates the skin.
Less likely, but possible
- A failed bottom seal letting water sit against the steel
- Salt exposure in a coastal or road-salt climate
- Bare steel exposed where a section was cut or drilled
What happens if I ignore it?
Surface rust becomes perforation. Once the bottom rail is holed the section is structurally compromised and can only be replaced, which is far more than the paint repair it started as.
The repair: panel repair
Garage door panel replacement costs $250 to $600 per section installed. A single damaged section can usually be swapped on doors made in the last twenty years, but colour match and panel availability decide whether it is worth doing.
Read the full panel repair guide →Get a tech dispatched
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