And this week's wintry blast is expected to increase the backlog, Dunedin panelbeaters say.
Bodyline Collision Centre owner Sean Blair said he had been inundated with requests for vehicle repairs - so much so, he had taken on another staff member in the past week to help keep up with the workload.
''We've never been so busy.
''This year has been our best year ever in the nine years I've been here.''
Despite the wintry weather in the past month, Mr Blair said it was actually the long hot summer which had caused the most damage to vehicles in Dunedin.
''It's really taken off since January.
''We've had such a warm summer and we occasionally got a sprinkle of rain which makes the roads very greasy.
''We've had a lot of nose-to-tails.''
Mr Blair said he had 35 cars awaiting repairs and there was a waiting list of up to two weeks.
Twenty vehicles had been brought in for repair after the last snowfall in Dunedin.
Castle Street Panelbeaters co-owner Nigel Constable said he had also been hectic with large numbers of repairs, and believed driver inattention was the main cause.
''Business is good.
''We're getting a lot of nose-to-tails - people aren't paying attention and keeping safe driving distances.
''Kids in the car are saying, `hey look, Dad, there's a horsey,' and then bam - you've run into the back of someone.
''You've got to concentrate.''
Harrow Motor Body Collision Repairs co-owner Steven De Graaf said he, too, had a backlog of repairs created by the bad weather. Cars were booked up to two weeks in advance for repairs, but if owners wanted the use of a courtesy car, the wait could be up to four weeks, he said.
''Every winter is different, but this one is shaping up to be one of the busier ones,'' he said.
Another panelbeating business owner, who declined to be named, said his business was so busy, there was a waiting list up to five weeks long for repairs.
Brownlie and Scoles owner Michael Philpott also reported waiting lists of up to four weeks.
He said his business serviced mainly commercial trucks, buses and tractors.
''It's been pretty full on since the start of the year,'' he said.
Newton and Sykes owner Robert Homan said it was not only the large panelbeating businesses in the city which were being run off their feet.
He said his business was ''slightly smaller'' but he, too, was busy with the spillover from larger panelbeaters.
''We're getting customers from the bigger shops which have long waiting times.''
As a result, he said his business was now reporting waiting times of up to two weeks.
''It's pretty good at the moment.''
A nationwide supplier of panelbeating equipment confirmed Dunedin was in the middle of a business boom.
Auto Body Equipment owner Shane Harvey, of Hamilton, said there had been a significant increase in panelbeating activity in recent months, and estimated Dunedin businesses were buying about 15% more tools and equipment to help keep them ticking over.
