Gate Repair Across Metro Detroit
Find the symptom below that matches your gate, or call and describe what it's doing. Every job is scoped to the actual failure, never a flat-rate guess.
313 Gates repairs swing gates, slide gates, and barrier arms across Metro Detroit, from a dead sensor or slipped chain to a bent panel or a motor that stopped answering the remote. Match the symptom below, or call and describe what the gate is doing to get a real diagnosis before any work starts.
Sound familiar?
What a repair visit usually involves
| Repair type | Typical scope |
|---|---|
| Sensor or board issue | Diagnose and replace the failed component |
| Hinge, track, or post repair | Re-level the gate, replace worn hardware |
| Motor or gear service | Inspect drive components, replace as needed |
Every repair is quoted on-site after diagnosis, never estimated in advance over the phone.
How a service call goes.
Questions, answered.
Do you repair both swing gates and slide gates?
Yes. 313 Gates repairs swing gates, slide gates, and barrier arms on residential, estate, and commercial properties across Metro Detroit. Both gate types share common failure points in the operator and sensors, but the structural fixes differ, which is why diagnosis happens on-site rather than over the phone.
My gate won't open. What's usually wrong?
Most no-open cases trace to a dead board, a tripped safety sensor, a drained backup battery, or a remote that lost its pairing to the receiver. It is rarely the motor itself. A technician tests each of those in order on-site rather than replacing parts by guesswork.
My gate won't close. Is that a security problem?
Yes, a gate that will not close is a security gap, not just an inconvenience. The most common cause is a misaligned or blocked safety sensor telling the operator something is in the gate's path, even when nothing is there. That's usually a same-visit fix.
My gate clicker or remote stopped working. Do I need a new one?
Not always. A dead remote is often a receiver board issue, not the remote itself, especially if every remote on the property stopped working at once. A technician checks the board and the receiver before recommending new hardware.
Can you fix a gate opener you didn't install?
In most cases, yes. Gate operators from different manufacturers share common failure points, and a technician can diagnose and repair most makes even if 313 Gates did not handle the original install. Brand-specific parts availability is confirmed on the call.
What if the problem is the gate itself, not the opener?
The same visit covers structural issues: sagging hinges, bent tracks, a dropped post, or storm-damaged panels, not just the electronics. A gate that swings, slides, and latches correctly is part of a complete repair, not a separate call.
Do you offer emergency repair if my gate is stuck?
Yes, for a gate stuck open or stuck closed. See the [emergency gate repair](/services/gate-repair/emergency-gate-repair/) page for how same-day scheduling works and which Metro Detroit areas it covers.
Do gates fail more often in Michigan winters?
Yes. Cold thickens gearbox oil, which can trip the safety sensors into thinking the gate hit an obstruction. Batteries lose capacity in the cold, and ice at the hinges, track, or photo-eye can physically block movement. Most winter service calls trace to one of these three causes.
DIY Fix or Call a Technician?
A gate problem is worth a DIY attempt when it’s a dead remote battery, a blocked photo-eye sensor, or a backup battery that needs a straight swap. Anything touching the circuit board, the motor gearbox, hinge alignment, or buried low-voltage wiring is a call-in job, because a wrong move there can strand the gate open, damage the operator further, or leave a safety sensor disabled without you knowing it.
The tell is usually in how the gate fails. A gate that ignores every remote and the keypad alike points at the board or power, not any single remote. A gate that opens but won’t close almost always means a sensor thinks something is blocking it, even when the path looks clear. A gate that’s just slow or a little noisy can often wait for a scheduled visit rather than an emergency one. See the emergency gate repair page if the gate is fully stuck open or stuck closed right now.
A gate that ignores every remote and the keypad alike points at the board or power, not any single remote.
Why a Gate-Only Specialist Diagnoses Differently
313 Gates only works on gates, so a repair visit tests the operator, the sensors, and the hardware as one connected system, not as an add-on to a garage door call. That matters because gate failures often start in the safety sensors or the track alignment, spots a technician focused mainly on garage doors is less likely to check first.
That focus also covers the opener brands most common on Metro Detroit driveways. If you know your brand, start with its dedicated page: Mighty Mule gate opener repair, Ghost Controls gate opener repair, or FAAC gate opener repair. If you’re not sure, that’s fine, call and describe what the gate is doing and a technician will confirm the brand and the fix on-site.
Michigan Winter and Gate Failures
Michigan’s freeze-thaw cycle causes most winter gate failures. Cold gearbox oil thickens and drags, which can trip the safety reversal into thinking the gate hit an obstruction. Batteries lose capacity in the cold. Moisture at electrical connections can corrode or freeze, and ice buildup at hinges, tracks, and photo-eye sensors physically blocks the gate or falsely triggers a safety stop.
Frost heave adds a second, slower problem: water in the soil freezes and expands through winter, pushing on posts and footings. By spring, that often shows up as a gate that scrapes, a post that leans, or a panel that’s pulled slightly away from its post, even though nothing looked wrong in December. If a gate is stuck right now rather than just acting up, the emergency gate repair page covers same-day scheduling, including for Flint, Ypsilanti, Monroe, and Port Huron, outside the core six-city service area.