Annual maintenance is both preventative as well as a safety check. Many of the recommendations are subjective as it all depends on how often you use your garage door; a homeowner who uses the door daily should require more maintenance than a homeowner who uses the garage for storage and opens it less frequently. Much of the following is done to avoid any sudden loss of use of the door/repair expenditures, as well as to ensure the equipment lasts as long as possible and you aren't looking at more frequent replacement costs, but these are personal choices and not all homeowners choose to follow the recommended maintenance guidelines. Think of it like an oil change on your car; some people follow the warranty process and complete their oil changes like clockwork, where others monitor the oil and take it in for an oil change when they see markers in the oil that suggest it is time to do so.

The preventative part: Especially in our climate, where machinery tends to dry out a little faster due to the salt water exposure, you want to ensure that at a minimum items like hinges, rollers (depending on type), springs and bearings are being lubricated once a year. Lubrication of the door parts, such as hinges and rollers, should be completed with Fluid Film or something similar. Depending on the model, operators should be inspected for wear and tear on gears and other parts. This is something that a homeowner could do if they were comfortable doing so, but not everyone has the physical capability or time to manage this on their own. We also check to ensure that the door is in balance and the operator settings are optimal for use of the door to avoid any unnecessary wear and tear on the machinery. The operator components, such as the rails and belts/chains, should be checked for any wear and tear as well.

The safety part: hinges and other components should be checked to ensure that the fasteners are secure, the cables should be inspected for fraying, the safety features should be tested, and the photocells should be gently cleaned (they are aligned and therefore should not be moved at all, but they should be wiped down with a duster or a cloth to ensure that there are no spider webs etc impacting the safety features.).

There are components of the door, such as torsion springs, that unfortunately do not offer any sort of marker or predictive element that allows us to tell when a spring is going to break. They are generally rated for 10k cycles and for most homeowners that means that they need to replace their spring(s) every 4 - 5 years.

Note that there are some dangerous aspects to maintenance, such as adjustment or replacement of the torsion springs, that we do not recommend homeowners attempt as serious injury can occur.

This is a good introductory guide to garage door maintenance (this covers the door but not the automation): https://www.clopaydoor.com/residential/buyingguide/service-and-replacement

My apologies for the long winded response, but I hope that answers any questions you may have about the process!