Best Panel Beaters on the North Shore
We assessed 20 panel beaters on the North Shore and ranked the top 5 on public rating quality, review volume and how recent the reviews are. The businesses listed below hold 2,128 Google reviews between them. No business can pay for a place in these rankings. Last updated 29 September 2026. How we rank →
Before you hire
Panel and paint work, whether a minor dent or a full collision repair, is hard to judge until months later when paint fails or rust appears. Ask whether the panelbeater uses genuine or aftermarket parts, what paint system they use, and what warranty they offer on the repair. If going through insurance, confirm they are an approved repairer.
Top 5 Panel Beaters on the North Shore
The top 5 panel beaters on the North Shore are #1 Holgate Panelbeaters Browns Bay, #2 RJ Don, #3 Hibiscus Coast Panelbeaters, #4 Scratch Busters, and #5 DW Panel Beat and Paint, ranked by Top5 score. Scroll for our take on each, plus what to ask before you book.
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1
Holgate Panelbeaters Browns Bay
★ 4.9 582 reviews +7 Top5 Score 186 +15★ 542 4★ 26 3★ 3 2★ 2 1★ 9Holgate Panelbeaters coordinates insurance claims, bumper replacements, and accident repairs with a focus on keeping customers informed at each step. Mike and the front office team are frequently named for guiding clients through the claims process and finishing jobs within the timeframe given at booking.
location_on 746 Beach Road, Browns Bay, Auckland
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2
R J Don Panelbeaters
★ 4.9 390 reviews +13 Top5 Score 184 +25★ 365 4★ 18 3★ 2 1★ 5RJ Don turns around dent repairs, bumper reshaping, rust fixes, and paint damage quickly, with several jobs resolved on the spot during the same visit. They provide courtesy cars for insurance jobs, return cars cleaned inside and out, and their repairs carry a lifetime guarantee for the original owner.
location_on 124 Wairau Road, Wairau Valley, Auckland
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3
Hibiscus Coast Panelbeaters
★ 4.9 329 reviews +2 Top5 Score 178 +45★ 315 4★ 9 2★ 3 1★ 2Hibiscus Coast Panelbeaters covers paint blistering and peeling, rust repairs, bumper replacements, and scratch work, with completed jobs regularly coming in under the original quoted price. A complimentary full interior and exterior clean is included as standard, and they pick up your car from home while dropping off a courtesy vehicle at the same time.
location_on 681 Whangaparaoa Road, Stanmore Bay, Auckland
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4
Scratch Busters Panel & Paint
↑ 1★ 4.8 178 reviews +5 Top5 Score 169 +15★ 159 4★ 13 3★ 2 1★ 4Scratch Busters takes on scratch removal, dent repairs, bumper fixes, paint jobs, and fibreglass damage across vehicles ranging from classic cars to campervans and motorhomes. Angel and the team have sourced loaner cars for clients during repairs and worked through staff shortages to hit agreed deadlines without compromising the finish.
location_on 205 Archers Road, Glenfield, Auckland
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5
DW Panel Beat and Paint
↑ 1★ 4.9 122 reviews +13 Top5 Score 169 +25★ 117 4★ 2 3★ 1 1★ 2DW Panel Beat and Paint handles front bumper resprays, rust repairs, dent and scratch work, and full vehicle restorations, with paint finishes that owners of prestige and rare vehicles have described as flawless. Jensen and the team walk clients through insurance claims from first inspection to handover, and courtesy cars are available for the duration of repairs.
location_on 55 Porana Road, Wairau Valley, Auckland
Other suburbs
Before you book a panel beater on the North Shore
Drawn from 163 customer reviews collected for this page. The first answer is what it costs.
What does panel beating typically cost in New Zealand? expand_more
Minor dents and scratches run from $150 to $500, while a damaged bumper or single panel repair falls between $500 and $2,000. Structural or multi-panel repairs can exceed $5,000, and a full respray often costs $3,000 to $8,000 or more in Auckland. Insurance jobs are assessed separately, and your excess still applies even when an insurer directs the repair.
Does my insurer have to use their preferred panel beater, or can I choose my own? expand_more
Your insurer can recommend a preferred repairer but cannot legally force you to use one in New Zealand. Choosing your own repairer may leave you covering the gap if your insurer's assessed value is lower than your chosen shop's quote. One reviewer found that after poor results at an insurer-recommended shop, their insurer did honour the repair and arranged for the work to be redone elsewhere, so pushing back is worth doing.
Will my car be repaired with genuine parts, or non-genuine substitutes? expand_more
New Zealand insurance policies commonly allow aftermarket or reconditioned parts unless your policy wording specifically requires genuine manufacturer parts. One review highlighted a significant difference in outcomes, where a repairer sourced three genuine brand-new parts costing over $6,000 compared to another shop's plan to patch the same damage for $1,100. Ask your repairer in writing what parts will be used before approving the job, and if your policy does not cover genuine parts, you can pay the difference yourself to upgrade.
What are the warning signs of a panel beater you shouldn't use? expand_more
- –Paint colour that does not match under natural daylight is a sign of poor blending and inadequate quality control.
- –Repairs that take significantly longer than quoted, without proactive communication, suggest poor job management.
- –A shop that identifies new problems at pick-up that were not flagged during the initial assessment may be attempting to charge for unrelated work.
- –Rust covered with sealant or filler rather than properly cut out and repaired is a shortcut that will cause bigger problems within months.
- –Returning a vehicle with debris in the clear coat, swirl marks, or misaligned panels after multiple attempts points to a systemic quality problem.
- –Aggressive or dismissive behaviour when you question the repair plan is a strong signal to take your business elsewhere.
What should you ask before approving panel beating work? expand_more
- –Ask whether they will liaise directly with your insurer and handle any supplementary claims if hidden damage is found during the repair.
- –Confirm the realistic timeframe in writing and ask how they will notify you if that changes before you are chasing them.
- –Ask specifically how they handle colour matching and whether they will blend adjacent panels to ensure a consistent finish in sunlight.
- –Find out exactly what parts will be used, whether OEM, aftermarket, or reconditioned, and get this recorded on your quote.
- –Ask what their process is if you are unhappy with the finished result, including whether they will re-do work or involve the insurer if needed.
Also recommended panel beaters on the North Shore
Ranked 6 to 10 on the same public review record.
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6
Holgate Panelbeaters Albany
↓ 2★ 4.8 174 reviews +5 Top5 Score 1685★ 157 4★ 8 2★ 3 1★ 6Holgate Panelbeaters takes on paint matching and blending on EVs like Tesla and BYD, door ding repairs, hail damage, and bumper work, returning cars washed and vacuumed as standard. Courtesy cars are available for around $70 for the duration of repairs, and reception keeps customers updated while the vehicle is in the workshop.
location_on 342 Rosedale Road, Albany, Auckland
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7
Glenfield Panelbeaters & Painters
★ 4.9 123 reviews +7 Top5 Score 167 +15★ 118 4★ 1 1★ 4Glenfield Panelbeaters restores cars from rear bumper repairs and door replacements through to full resprays and engine bay paint on classic vehicles, with finished results customers describe as indistinguishable from factory condition. Rob keeps clients updated throughout the job, loan cars are available during repairs, and the car comes back cleaned.
location_on 1 Ashfield Road, Wairau Valley, Auckland
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8
Apache Panelbeaters
★ 4.9 87 reviews +4 Top5 Score 159 +45★ 82 4★ 3 1★ 2Apache Panelbeaters fixes rear panels, structural dents, and bumper damage while actively steering customers toward the most affordable workable solution rather than the most expensive one. Mark explains repair options in plain terms, including cheaper dent removal techniques versus full part replacement, so customers leave with a result that fits their budget and passes WOF.
location_on 17 Ashfield Road, Wairau Valley, Auckland
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9
Barnett Panel & Paint
★ 4.7 85 reviews Top5 Score 1595★ 71 4★ 7 3★ 3 2★ 1 1★ 3Barnett Panel & Paint gets collision repairs, hail damage, panel resprays, and pre-sale tidy-ups done with the kind of communication that keeps clients informed from drop-off to collection. Andre, Tom, and Jared are each named for walking clients through insurance paperwork, organising courtesy cars, and following up after handover to make sure nothing was missed.
location_on 4 Gills Road, Albany, Auckland
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10
Coast Panel & Paint
★ 4.9 58 reviews +1 Top5 Score 153 +25★ 53 4★ 4 1★ 1Coast Panel & Paint delivers dent repairs, panel replacements, and custom paint matching across everything from daily drivers to classic and prestige vehicles, with several reviewers unable to find where the repair was done. Jobs come back on time, on budget, and with the car cleaned before handover.
location_on 613 Whangaparaoa Road, Stanmore Bay, Whangaparāoa
About this ranking
What the 10 panel beaters listed above hold, at the 29 September 2026 check.
We first assessed panel beaters on the North Shore in March 2026 and have rechecked the ranking four times since. Holgate Panelbeaters Browns Bay has held first place at every check, and RJ Don and Scratch Busters have been in the top 5 alongside it throughout. Across the 14 locations we assess panel beaters in, the 140 businesses listed have a median rating of 4.8, and one-star reviews are 3.2% of their total.
What has changed since March 2026? expand_more
- Sep 2026
Scoring method updated. DW Panel Beat and Paint entered the top 5, up from #6. Holgate Panelbeaters Albany left the top 5, down to #6. Barnett Panel & Paint entered the list at #9.
- Aug 2026
Scoring method updated. Coast Panel & Paint entered the list at #10.
- Jun 2026
Scoring method updated. Hibiscus Coast Panelbeaters entered the top 5 at #3.
- May 2026
- Mar 2026
First check. Holgate Panelbeaters Browns Bay #1.
How are the top panel beaters on the North Shore chosen? expand_more
We build this page from Google Maps results for panel beaters on the North Shore. Each one is scored on its public rating and review record. Businesses outside the area, or whose reviews describe a different line of work, are left out, and a business whose main Google category is a different trade is held back until a person has checked what it does. A business whose website no longer resolves and that has had no Google review for six months is treated as dormant and left off the page until either changes. Every category and city is rechecked on a rolling cycle, about every two to three months. A location with a subscribing business is rechecked every month, and the whole page updates with it. See how we rank for the full method.
What does a business subscription offer? expand_more
No business can pay for a place in these rankings. Claiming and verifying a listing is free. It adds a phone number to the card and a small trust bonus (+3 points) to its score, for confirming a real operator stands behind the listing. The owner also gets a dashboard showing how their score is made up. A paid subscription provides an enhanced card with more ways to reach the business, including a website link and a detailed profile page. It also refreshes this page monthly and adds ranking history and competitor analysis to the owner's dashboard. The subscription adds nothing to the score. Claim your listing or see what a subscription includes.
Why isn't my business listed? expand_more
We build this page from Google Maps results for panel beaters on the North Shore. The usual reasons for missing out are a Google Business category that does not match, too few reviews to score near the top, or an address outside the area we cover. Sometimes we miss a business that should be here. Check where you rank first. If you are not there and think you should be, get in touch.