Panelbeater
What the work is
Repairs damage to metal, fibreglass and plastic body work on vehicles, and forms replacement vehicle panels.
Would you enjoy the work?
These are the main tasks in the official description. Mark how each one sounds to you.
- Assesses vehicle damage and determines the best method of repair
- Removes damaged panels and parts, and straightens bent frames and panels using hydraulic jacks and pulling devices
- Fills depressions with body filler, smooths surfaces using sandpaper, and fits and welds replacement panels into place
- Repaints repaired surfaces using spray guns and other painting equipment
- Reassembles vehicle parts and checks for proper alignment and functioning
- Tests repaired vehicles to ensure safety and quality standards are met
Try it
A simulation and a case study from this kind of work, set in a collision repair shop where damaged cars arrive on tow trucks and leave looking new. They are fictional.
The kind of days you could have
Good days
- A car that arrived crumpled leaves with panel gaps so even nobody could tell
- You run your hand along a finished panel and cannot find the repair
- A young driver collects their first car, fixed, and grins the whole way to the door
Hard days
- Stripping a car back and finding damage nobody could see at the first quote
- An insurer wants the repair done for less than the work really takes
- Heat and dust in the shop on a long summer day, with a car due out at noon
Written by Career Calling as a general guide. Real roles vary by employer and place.
Work a mission
Step into a simulated workplace in this field, with a brief from your manager.
Description and tasks: Australian Bureau of Statistics, Occupation Standard Classification for Australia, 2024, Version 1.0 (opens another site), occupation 351331, used under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 licence. The skill guide above is our plain English summary.