R.S Lane Panel & Paint's Petone workshop on Sydney Street is one of Wellington's longest-standing panel shops, established in 1963 and still repairing the capital's dings and collisions more than six decades later. From this Lower Hutt site, the team offers expert collision repair, panel beating and spray painting, alongside fleet vehicle maintenance, wheel repairs and vehicle detailing for customers across the Wellington region.
The business carries real history. Founder Bob Lane started as an apprentice at a local panelbeater in 1955, worked his way up to partner by 1962, and ran the shop that bears his name for 61 years before retiring in 2016. Current owner Mike Bradley, who joined the workshop in 2009, carries on the same focus: fully qualified technicians, high-quality workmanship and a friendly, transparent approach.
The Petone site is home to Wellington's largest dedicated Structural Repair Centre, plus a Rapid Repair Centre built around the shortest wait and repair times in the region — same-day repairs are the goal, with coffee in the guest lounge while you wait. Wheel repairs and diamond machining through the Wheelsmart partnership, courtesy cars, free mobile assessments and a detailing team that returns every car washed and vacuumed round out the service.
Assessments and quotes are free and without obligation, and the team works with most major insurance companies to keep claims smooth. You'll get SMS updates through the repair and a follow-up call the next day. Open 7.30am to 5pm weekdays at 80 Sydney Street — call 04 568 6363 or simply drop in.
Step into R.S Lane Panel & Paint on Sydney Street in Petone and you're walking into one of Wellington's longest-running panel shops. The business was born in 1963, when Bob Lane — who had started as an apprentice at a local panelbeater in 1955 and worked his way up to partner by 1962 — took over the shop and gave it his own name. He ran it for 61 years before retiring in 2016.
The Petone sites have their own stories. Before R.S Lane transformed them, the Structural Repair site served as a large tyre storage facility in the 1950s, while the building that became the Rapid Repair Centre across the road was built and used by Peter Baker Transport in the 1980s. Today the workshop is owned by Mike Bradley, who started at the panel shop in 2009 and took over from Bob in 2016, carrying forward a reputation built over 55+ years in the industry.
R.S Lane handles the full range of collision and auto body work: panel beating, spray painting, paint matching for a seamless finish, and custom paint options for owners who want to personalise their vehicle. The Petone site is home to Wellington's largest dedicated Structural Repair Centre, equipped with high-tech gear that lets the team replicate the original manufacturer's quality and finish on any repair.
Speed is the other signature. The Rapid Repair Centre is built to cut your time without a vehicle to an absolute minimum, and the team claims the shortest wait and repair times in Wellington for rapid repair, fleet work, structural repair and commercial maintenance. Smaller jobs can often be done same-day, and there's a guest lounge where you can grab a coffee while you wait.
The workshop also looks after the vehicles businesses depend on. Fleet vehicle repairs and commercial vehicle maintenance are designed to get vans, utes and trucks back on the road fast — turning them back into an asset rather than a liability. Through a partnership with the Wheelsmart Repair Centre next door, R.S Lane offers diamond cutting and alloy wheel machining, restoring wheels other shops would replace and saving customers thousands in replacement costs.
Every job ends the same way: with a detailing team that takes as much pride in presenting your car as the repairers do in fixing it. It's a detail customers notice. "I was pleasantly surprised they washed the outside of the car plus vacuumed and detailed the inside as well," wrote one Wellington reviewer, one of several five-star ratings for the team.
It starts with a free, no-obligation assessment and quote — drop into 80 Sydney Street, call 04 568 6363, fill in the online quote form, or book a mobile assessment and a team member will come to you (currently available in Lower Hutt only). Towing can be arranged for damaged vehicles with a single call.
Once you've agreed on the work, the quote goes to you or your insurer for approval — R.S Lane works with most major insurance companies and helps navigate the paperwork. You'll book in a time that suits, any parts are ordered ready before you arrive, and you'll get a reminder the day before. At drop-off the team walks you through the plan; while the work is under way you'll receive SMS updates on the expected completion date. At collection you inspect the car together, and the next day they follow up to make sure you're still happy.
Courtesy cars are available if you need transport, and all repairs are backed by warranties, with details provided on your invoice. Payment can be made by cash, credit or debit card, or electronic funds transfer.
R.S Lane is 100% New Zealand owned and operated, and its technicians are fully qualified panel beaters and auto refinishers with ongoing training to meet industry regulations and standards. That mix of longevity, qualifications and friendly transparency is what keeps Wellington drivers coming back. Doors are open 7.30am to 5pm on weekdays, closed weekends and public holidays. If you get in a ding, as they say: give them a ring.