Garage door openers are a helpful tool during the cold winter months, but, in truth, they make life a lot easier all winter long. When evaluating the potential convenience of these devices, it is important to remember stolen garage door openers can be a means of accessing your garage or home. What should you know and what should you do if someone steals your garage door opener?
New Trend in Theft
Stealing garage door openers from unlocked cars is a growing threat. Burglars realize many people do not lock their cars at night, even if they are diligent about locking doors and windows in the house. Burglars also know it’s easier to enter through garage doors than breaking into a person’s home.
It’s common for garages to be connected to homes, so access to one usually means access to both. In fact, police often report cases where thieves broke into locked cars to steal the garage door opener and other valuables. Once they have access to the garage, they have easy entry into your home, so your garage door opener should be safeguarded the same way you look after your house keys.
If You Are a Victim
As soon as you realize your garage door opener has been stolen or lost, take necessary steps to protect you and your family. Contacting the manufacturer immediately to find out the exact method to reset it is a very good idea. If that isn’t immediately possible, most garage door openers work in similar ways, so follow these general steps to erase and reprogram the access code:
- Find and hold the learn button for about 10 seconds. The learn button is usually underneath the white plastic cover. Holding it will erase the original code.
- Purchase a new remote. This remote can be programmed for your current garage door receiver.
- Program a new code to operate your garage door. Most likely, you will press the learn button and hold down the button until you hear a click or see flashing lights.
Bear in mind that these steps may not work for every brand, so it’s good to familiarize yourself with your particular opener’s features before any potential emergency situations. If you can’t find instructions, you can find many videos on YouTube for all major brands of garage door openers. If you are using an old system, you may take this opportunity to upgrade your entire garage door system rather than spend money on replacement parts.
Wiser by Experience
Don’t panic if you’ve been a victim, but learn from your mistakes to avoid a similar or worse situation in the future. Lock vehicle doors when unattended, especially at night. Even if you utilize street parking, thieves watch residents’ habits and which vehicles belong to which house. Parking inside your garage is the safest solution.
If you are in the Nashville, Tennessee area and looking for a new garage door operating system or just to replace a lost, stolen, or malfunctioning part, contact Tri-County Garage Doors. We offer a large selection, knowledgeable representatives, and fast, reliable service.
