Basics
Panel Beater vs Spray Painter vs Auto Body Shop: What's the Difference?
The trades overlap but specialise in different parts of the collision-repair process. Here's how to know who you actually need.
20 May 2025 4 min read
Panel beater
Restores the metal — pulling dents, replacing damaged panels, and re-aligning the chassis on a frame machine. This is the structural side of the job.
Spray painter (refinisher)
Preps and re-paints the repaired panels, colour-matching to factory codes and blending into adjacent panels so the repair is invisible.
Auto body shop
An umbrella term — most NZ auto body shops employ both panel beaters and spray painters in-house, plus assessors and detailers.