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Most technicians in South Africa charge a call-out fee of R350 – R650, then labour at R450 – R800 per hour. Parts are quoted on top of that, so a standard backup battery adds R300 – R600 fitted, a new sliding gate motor R5,000 – R9,500 installed and a garage door motor R4,500 – R8,000. Always ask for the labour and parts split before you agree.

Nine times out of ten the backup battery has died. A lead-acid battery in a gate motor lasts two to three years, and repeated load shedding cycles shorten that considerably. If the motor beeps or the gate crawls a metre and stops when the power is off, the battery is the first thing a technician will test, and replacing it is a quick job.

A motor under eight years old with a worn gear, faulty PC board or dead battery is usually worth repairing. Once repairs start approaching half the cost of a new unit, or the model is discontinued and spares are scarce, replacement makes more sense. An honest technician will price both options so you can decide.

Centurion is the market leader here, with the D5 Evo and D5 Smart on most driveways and the D10 for heavy or high-traffic gates, and spares are easy to find anywhere in the country. ET and Gemini are solid, slightly cheaper alternatives, and DACE is popular on swing gates. Local spares availability matters more than the badge.