Camlynn Panel Repairs Limited is a Christchurch panel workshop at 18 Saxon Street in Phillipstown, founded in 2016 by Brad Coulbeck after a career that began with an auto body repair course and an apprenticeship completed with first place in 2003, followed by years learning every side of the trade from hands-on repairs to estimating and administration.
The team handles all standard vehicle repairs, with particular care for the moments when a customer needs guidance most. Insurance work is a core offering: whatever company you are with, you have the right to choose your own repairer, and Camlynn takes the lead from claim to completion. Private repairs come with an estimate and honest advice, whether it is a small accident, an uninsured car or a vehicle that deserves a spruce-up, and WOF failures are treated as the urgent headaches they are — the team explains the fix, can supply a loan car, and aims to have you ready before the 28-day window closes so you avoid paying for another check.
Beyond the day-to-day smash repairs, the workshop welcomes bigger projects: campervans to tidy up, caravans to convert into business ventures, and special renovations taken from idea to reality. Customer reviews regularly mention friendly, efficient service, reasonable pricing, quick turnarounds and clear communication — along with one memorable rescue, when a passing traveller's bumper was repaired during a one-hour stop in the city.
Brad works alongside Jayson Rondel, who joined in early 2021 bringing dismantling and motorsport experience while training towards a NZ Certificate in Collision Repairs, and Anna Coulbeck, who has handled administration and marketing since the very beginning.
Few things derail a week like a dented guard or a cracked bumper. Between the insurance paperwork, the phone calls and the hassle of being without a car, even a minor prang can feel like a major disruption. Camlynn Panel Repairs Limited, based at 18 Saxon Street in Phillipstown, Christchurch, was built around a simple idea: take that stress off the customer's shoulders and handle it from claim to completion.
Owner Brad Coulbeck has been in the trade his whole working life. After high school he joined the Southern Institute's auto body repair course, spent six months training there, then completed an apprenticeship, gaining first place in 2003. The years that followed were spent learning every side of the business — hands-on repairs, estimating and administration — before he took the leap and founded Camlynn Panel Repairs in 2016.
He is not alone in the workshop. Jayson Rondel grew up around cars, worked as an automotive dismantler, and joined the team in early 2021 to gain hands-on collision repair skills through an apprenticeship, bringing motorsport experience with him. Behind the scenes, Anna Coulbeck has handled administration and marketing since day one, keeping the growing business organised and running efficiently. Together they have built the kind of workshop that customers' own mechanics are happy to refer people to.
Camlynn covers all the standard vehicle repairs you would expect, with three core offerings. Insurance work is a specialty: whatever company you are insured with, you have the right to choose your own repairer, and the team will guide you through each stage of the claim. For private jobs — small accidents not worth claiming for, uninsured vehicles, or a car that simply deserves a spruce-up — you get an estimate and honest advice so you can make an informed decision.
WOF failures are treated as the urgent headaches they are. The team explains exactly what needs fixing, can supply a loan car, and aims wherever possible to have you ready before the 28 days are up, so you don't have to pay for another WOF check.
Beyond the everyday work sits a softer spot for projects. Campervans needing a tidy-up, caravans destined to become business ventures and one-off renovations are all welcome, with the team enjoying the challenge of taking ideas and turning them into reality. That openness extends to older vehicles too: one customer praised Brad for bringing a 74-year-old classic up to a standard that other repairers had refused to even consider.
Reviews on the company's site return to the same themes again and again. Customers describe friendly, efficient service at reasonable prices, quick turnarounds and clear communication throughout. One traveller who was in Christchurch for barely an hour found Brad dropping everything to fix their front bumper — work that earned the joke that it may now be the most secure bumper in all of Aotearoa. Another customer, referred by their mechanic, highlighted the quality of the workmanship and the loan car supplied while the job was done.
Camlynn Panel Repairs is open Monday to Friday from 8am to 5pm and closed on weekends and public holidays. You can reach the workshop on 03 2600635 or 021 415 320, or email [email protected] to talk through a job before you come in. Whether it is an insurance claim, a failed WOF, an uninsured dent or a campervan dream you have been putting off, the team at 18 Saxon Street is happy to talk it through and get you back on the road with as little stress as possible.