Hail on the panels, sun on everything else: what the West Texas sky does to a garage door
Two things fall on a Lubbock garage door that most of the country's doors never see in the same quantity: hail big enough to dent steel, and sun at 3,200 feet with almost nothing between it and the door. One leaves dents; the other chalks paint, cracks seals and embrittles plastic. Here is what each does and what is worth fixing.
Hail
The South Plains gets large hail most years, and a steel sectional door is a wide flat target. Golf-ball hail leaves round dents across the top two sections, which face the sky at the steepest angle; larger hail creases panels, breaks the stiffening ribs inside them and can crack the paint so the steel beneath starts to rust. A dented door usually still works. A creased section or a broken rib is different: the section flexes, catches the rollers, binds in the track and can let the door jump the track in wind. That is when a dent becomes a repair.
The choices are three. Leave it, if the door runs straight and seals, because a garage door is not required to be pretty and paintless dent repair does not suit thin door steel. Replace the section, $250 to $1,000 in the 2026 guides, when the model is still made and only one or two sections are hit; on a sun-faded door the new section will be brighter than the rest for a while. Replace the door, $700 to $2,500 installed, when three or more sections are dented or the model is discontinued, because section-by-section repair then approaches the cost of a whole new door with new hardware and a warranty. The technician writes the section number and the door number side by side.
Sun
Lubbock's sun is intense: high altitude, a clear sky most days, and long summers. On a door it chalks and fades the finish, especially on south- and west-facing doors, so that older doors look powdery and a replacement section stands out. It hardens and cracks vinyl seals along the sides and top of the door, which is why Lubbock seals go in eight years rather than fifteen. It embrittles plastic: opener gears, remote cases, keypad buttons and the plastic parts of older rollers all age faster in heat. And on a west-facing door it blinds the photo-eye receiver in the late afternoon, which is the classic Lubbock evening failure described in the reversing-door guide. The daily temperature swing, hot afternoons and cool nights, cycles the metal and the fasteners too, so hinges and bolts work loose over years.
Sun damage is managed rather than repaired: seals replaced on a schedule, a shade or a swap for a west-facing receiver, an insulated door for a west-facing garage so the heat does not cook the opener and everything stored inside, and a yearly tune-up that tightens what the temperature cycling has loosened.
Insurance, briefly
Hail damage to a garage door is often covered under a homeowner policy's wind and hail coverage, less the deductible. In Texas that deductible is commonly a percentage of the home's insured value, so a one-section repair may not clear it while a whole-door replacement after a bad storm might. Sun damage, fading and worn seals are maintenance and are not covered. Your agent decides what is worth claiming; we supply dated photos and a written quote in a form an adjuster can use, and we do not promise what any insurer will pay. A landlord with a hail-dented rental door gets the same photos and quote by text.
Common questions
Can hail dents be popped out?
Not reliably on door steel; it is thin and the dents are many. Leave it, replace the section or replace the door.
Will a replacement section match my door?
On a newer door, closely. On a sun-faded door the new section will be brighter for a while. We say so before ordering.
How many dented sections make a new door the better buy?
Usually three or more, or any number on a discontinued model. The quote shows both numbers.
Why do my seals keep cracking?
Sun. High-altitude ultraviolet hardens vinyl, and grit under the bottom seal abrades it. Eight years is good going here; they are cheap to replace.
Does insurance cover hail damage to the door?
Often, under wind and hail coverage, less a deductible that in Texas is commonly a percentage of the home's value. Ask your agent whether the claim clears it. We supply dated photos and a written quote.
Does sun damage count for insurance?
No. Fading, chalking and worn seals are maintenance.
Related: Panel replacement · New doors · Seals · Repair cost