Once a year inland, and every 8-10 months on the west side and coast, where salt-heavy fog accelerates spring and cable corrosion. Between visits, a homeowner lube of hinges, rollers, and springs twice a year keeps things smooth.
The full drivetrain: spring condition and balance, cable strands and bottom brackets, roller wear, hinge tightness, track alignment, opener force and travel limits, and both safety systems — photo-eye sensors and contact reversal. You get told what is worn and what it will cost before anything is replaced.
The math is straightforward: a tune-up runs about $95-$165, while the emergency failures it prevents — snapped springs, stripped opener gears, frayed cables — run $140-$560 each, often at the least convenient time. Catching a fraying cable one visit early pays for several tune-ups.
Every maintenance visit below costs less than a single emergency repair — typical ranges in the cost guide.