Prices · Gate motor repairs
Gate motor repair cost: what each job typically costs in Johannesburg
What a gate motor repair costs depends almost entirely on what has failed. A flat battery or a lost remote is a small job; a control card killed by lightning, or stripped gears, is a bigger one. Here are typical Johannesburg prices for each, with what the part alone costs in shops. Prices checked October 2026.
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Typical prices, job by job
For each repair, the typical repair price is what the job costs in Johannesburg, parts and labour, from published cost guides. The part in shops is what that part costs on its own, so you can see how much of a repair is the part.
| Repair | Typical repair price | The part in shops |
|---|---|---|
| 12 V 7 Ah lead-acid battery | R450–R900 (Kandua) | R230–R450 (generic to Centurion-branded; Takealot) |
| Lithium (LiFePO4) battery upgrade | R1 500–R3 500 (Kandua) | about R550–R630 (Takealot) |
| New remote and programming | R350–R750 (Kandua) | Centurion NOVA R210–R390 (1 to 4 buttons; Takealot); ET R240–R280 (Takealot); Gemini R200–R250 (Takealot) |
| Safety beams replaced | R600–R1 200 (Kandua); beams supplied and fitted R750–R1 500 (Kandua installation guide) | ET Blue Eyes about R570 (Takealot); Centurion i5 about R650 (Takealot); Photon about R900–R1 050 (Takealot) |
| Control board replaced | R1 500–R4 000 (Kandua) | Gemini DC slider about R1 050 (Takealot); Centurion D5-Evo R1 550–R1 880 (Takealot, NeonSales); D10 and D6/D10/D20 SMART+ about R1 970–R2 000 (NeonSales); D2 Turbo about R2 280 (Takealot) |
| Gearbox or gears | R850–R2 500 (Kandua) | no shop price found |
| Capacitor (AC motors) | R550–R950 (Kandua) | no shop price found |
Prices checked October 2026.
Small jobs, big jobs and the average
Most repairs fall into one of two bands, and the cost guides put the average Johannesburg repair between them:
| Job | Typical price |
|---|---|
| Small jobs (remote programming, a battery, beam alignment), visit and parts included | R500–R1 200 (Kandua) |
| Complex jobs (board and power supply, gearbox) | R1 500–R4 500 (Kandua) |
| Average repair, Johannesburg | R750–R3 200 (Kandua) |
| Technician labour | R600–R1 000 an hour (ProCompare) |
| After-hours surcharge | R250–R500 an hour (Kandua) |
Prices checked October 2026.
What moves the price
- The make and model. Parts differ a lot between brands: a Gemini DC slider's control board is around half the price of a D2 Turbo's in the shop column above.
- What caused the fault. A battery that has simply aged is one part. Lightning or a surge can take out the control card, the receiver and the beams at once.
- The gate itself. If the motor failed because the gate drags, on seized wheels, a bent track or a rack pressing on the pinion, putting the gate right is part of the job, or the new part fails the same way.
- When it happens. The cost guides note after-hours surcharges in the market for work at night and over weekends.
All our spare parts are genuine, and every repair carries our six-month guarantee on our repairs.
Checks that cost nothing
Some "broken" gate motors need no repair at all. Before booking, it's worth five minutes on these:
- Power. Is the breaker or isolator that feeds the motor on? A tripped one looks exactly like a dead motor.
- The remote. Try a second remote, or the keypad. If that works, the first remote's battery is the likely culprit.
- The release. A motor left on manual after a power cut won't drive the gate. Re-engage it as its manual describes.
- Lock-out modes. Many motors beep or flash at every press when holiday lock-out is on, and simply refuse to open.
- The path. A stone in the track, a branch across the beams or a car parked in their line stops a gate as surely as a fault.
If all five check out, the fault is in the motor or the gate, and that's when the prices above apply. The troubleshooting guides go through each symptom in more detail.
When replacing costs about the same
A repair stops making sense when it costs close to a new motor. For a sense of where that line sits, this is what the motors alone cost in shops, and what fitting one typically adds:
| Item | Typical price |
|---|---|
| The motor alone in shops | Centurion D3 SMART+ about R4 400 (Takealot); D5-Evo SMART+ about R6 000 (Takealot); ET Drive 500 about R5 000 (Takealot); D10 SMART about R11 900 (Takealot) |
| Fitting labour for a sliding gate motor | R1 500–R3 000 (Kandua) |
Prices checked October 2026. Our installed kits, with battery, rack and remotes, are on gate motor prices, and the other things worth weighing up, such as age and parts, are in repair or replace a gate motor.
Call-out fees, and ours
In the market, a call-out to diagnose a gate motor typically costs R500–R850 (Kandua repair guide); R500–R950 (Kandua gates guide), and many companies drop it if you go ahead with the repair.
No call-out fee when we do the work. If no work is done, a R650 call-out fee applies. The technician finds the fault and gives you the price before anything is done. Your exact price is set in a free quote before any work starts.
Where these prices come from
Typical repair prices are from published South African cost guides and part prices from South African shops, checked October 2026. They are the market's prices, not ours.
Questions
Gate motor repair cost questions
How much does it cost to repair a gate motor?
In Johannesburg, the cost guides put an average gate motor repair at R750–R3 200 (Kandua). A battery, a remote or beams are at the low end; a control board or gearbox at the high end. Prices checked October 2026. See prices job by job.
How much does it cost to repair a gate?
It depends on whether it's the motor or the gate itself. Motor repairs are priced job by job above; a gate that drags on worn wheels, a bent track or a loose guide roller is priced once the technician has seen it, because no two gates are alike. See what moves the price.
How much does it cost to replace a gate motor?
The motor alone typically costs D5-Evo SMART+ about R6 000; ET Drive 500 about R5 000 in shops for a domestic sliding motor, and fitting adds R1 500–R3 000. Our installed kits include the battery, rack and remotes. Prices checked October 2026. Compare repairing and replacing.
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