8550 LiftMaster Garage Door Opener Review

A few months ago I was given the opportunity to review a LiftMaster 8550 garage door opener. I wasn't even sure if we needed one but when I asked my hubby he said YES!

He was actually thinking of replacing our old ones because they had been going wonky for the last few months. We were having trouble with the car remotes. We were also having trouble with the sensors and the lights would sometimes work and sometimes not. Our garage door openers were installed when they built the house about 20 years ago so they were just getting worn.

We were only receiving one garage door opener but after reading all the material on the LiftMaster 8550 garage door opener that we were going to get installed, hubby opted to replace our other opener as well. He was that impressed. The 8550 LiftMaster is a belt drive system that delivers smooth-running power and reliable performance year after year.


We had Richard DeLalio of New Look Garage Doors come out to check out the current system. He noticed a few things right away. The original installation was done in a total willy-nilly fashion.  So every time the garage was opened, we could hear it throughout the house because the openers were installed incorrectly thus making them shake and rattle. The other thing he noticed was that our openers did not have safety wires. This was scary because I never realized that if the spring breaks, it could shoot out and kill someone.     

I have to be honest and say that garage door openers don't turn me on. I really wasn't as excited as hubby about this review but after the installation was completed and hubby went through all the bells and whistles with me, I have to say that I changed my mind. The new Liftmaster Garage Door openers have the new MyQ technology and let me tell you that it is cool.

The MyQ technology has some great features. The wall control panels not only tell us the time but also tell us the temperature in the garage. We can also program the wall panels to close the doors automatically on a timer we set. The panels also let us know if there is something blocking the sensors. It stops the doors from closing if they sense anything.

The lights go on automatically when the doors open and when anyone enters the garage. This is great for those dark mornings when the sun is not out yet and we have to go to work, the lights come out when they sense us. Love that!  The remote controls allow you to turn on the lights before you arrive home.

One of the coolest features, is the indoor sensor. When the garage doors are open, the indoor sensor  lets us know. With the old noisy units, I could hear the doors being opened so we knew if someone had come home. With the quieter units we can no longer hear them inside the house, which is nice. But it is even nicer that the sensor lets us know if the door is open.This is great because on occasion, I zone out and forget to close the door but now I know one of the doors is open and I can close it from inside the house!


The feature my hubby loves the most is that we can set up the garage door opener online or on our phones, so if we leave the door open we can check from work or anywhere else. We can also close it automatically from our phone or computer. Hubby loves this.

The units also feature a battery backup so if the power goes out, we can still open and close the doors which is huge especially during winter. The remote controls are great as well. They were easily programmable and each one can open either door. So we do not have just one assigned spot now. We can park on either side.

Beside the fact that the new garage door openers now are mounted correctly and have safety wires, they are a lot better than the old ones. They are quiet and run smoothly when opening or closing. The sensors now work without a problem.

Overall, we are loving our new openers. It's funny because garage door openers are not something you think about but when you get new ones, you realize what a difference a good unit makes.


Would I recommend the LiftMaster 8550? Absolutely! We are really happy with the units and know they will last until we decide to move.

I want to thank LiftMaster for this great opportunity. I also want to thank Rich from New Look because he was wonderful. Friendly, professional and the installation went smoothly! If you are in the market for a garage door opener, check out the LiftMaster.



***UPDATE-Sept. 23, 2013*** Someone asked me if I was still happy with this garage door opener a year later and the answer is yes. It is still running smoothly and we have had ZERO problems with it since it was installed. Our only issue is that we need new garage doors but that was an issue before this unit was installed. But overall, I would still recommend this product. It has served us well and we are happy with the LiftMaster***

Disclosure: I received a sample product for review purposes. No other compensation was given and the opinions in this post are solely mine and are based on my experience with the product.  Hubby also put his two cents in too!