Getting a quote for an automatic door installation is straightforward — but not all quotes are equal. What’s included in one company’s price is sometimes excluded from another’s. And the cheapest option at the time of installation often becomes the most expensive option three years later.

Here’s what to look for, what to ask, and what the answers will tell you about the company you’re dealing with.

1. Are they manufacturing or reselling?

This is the first question and the most important one. There are two kinds of automatic door suppliers in South Africa: those who manufacture and fabricate their own systems, and those who import a standard product and install it.

A company that manufactures in-house can build to your exact opening — any width, any height, any configuration. A reseller is constrained by the sizes and specs of whatever they import. If your opening doesn’t match a standard size, you either pay a premium for modifications or accept a product that doesn’t fit the space properly.

Ask directly: “Do you manufacture the door system yourself, or do you import a standard product?” The answer tells you a lot about what you’re getting.

2. Is the site visit included?

A quote that’s given over the phone without a site visit is not a real quote. Automatic door installations involve measuring the exact opening dimensions, assessing the floor surface (for sliding door tracks), checking ceiling clearance, reviewing the structural wall for mounting points, and understanding foot traffic patterns to specify the right sensor configuration.

None of that can be done accurately without being on site. A reputable company will offer a site visit before providing a final quote. In our experience, this is where cheaper quotes unravel — a price that looks attractive at first contact often changes significantly once the installer actually sees the space.

“We visited a commercial client in Durban who had received three quotes before calling us. Two of them hadn’t been to site. Neither price held up once we took measurements.”

3. What’s included — and what isn’t?

An itemised quote is a sign of a professional company. Ask for a breakdown that covers:

• The door system and mechanism
• Sensors and activation hardware
• Installation labour
• Removal and disposal of any existing door
• Floor work (if a track needs to be set into the floor)
• Electrical connection
• Commissioning and testing
• Warranty terms

If any of these are missing from the quote, ask specifically whether they’re included. A surprise line item at the end of a job is a common complaint in the industry — and one that’s easy to avoid by asking upfront.

4. What happens when it needs a service?

An automatic door is a mechanical system. It will need maintenance. Motors wear. Sensors get dirty or misaligned. Seals deteriorate. In a high-traffic commercial environment, components work hard every single day.

Ask any company you’re considering: “Do you offer ongoing maintenance contracts? What’s your response time if the door stops working?” A company that installs and disappears is a liability. A company that services what it fits is a long-term partner.

In South Africa specifically, load shedding adds a complication. Ask whether the system has a battery backup or manual override for power outages. A commercial entrance that locks everyone out during load shedding is a serious problem that’s entirely preventable.

5. What brands and systems do they work with?

Not all automatic door systems are equal. The components matter — the motor, the sensors, the control board, the hardware. A system built around a reputable drive mechanism will outperform and outlast a cheaper alternative, often by years.

In South Africa, trusted systems include the FAAC Centurion A1000 range — widely used in retail, healthcare and commercial environments. Ask your installer what drive system they use and why. If they can’t answer that question clearly, that’s a red flag.

6. Does the price feel too good to be true?

A significantly cheaper quote almost always means something is different — a lower-grade system, imported components without local support, no warranty, no after-care or a price that doesn’t include the things that matter until they’re invoiced separately.

Automatic doors are not a place to find a bargain. A door that fails in a busy retail entrance doesn’t just cost money to repair — it costs you the customers who couldn’t get in, the staff time to manage the problem and the first impression you never get back.

The right question isn’t “who is cheapest?” It’s “who gives me the best combination of system quality, installation expertise and long-term support for my budget?”

What does a quote from 3MC Services include?

We come to site first — always. We take measurements, assess the space and talk through your requirements before producing a written quote. Our quotes are itemised and cover the full scope of work with no surprises.

We manufacture our systems in-house, which means we build to your exact opening rather than fitting a standard product to a non-standard space. And we service what we install — most of our commercial clients have maintenance agreements with us and have been using us for years.

If you’d like a site visit and a straight quote, call us or send a message.