A North Austin, TX, auto body repair shop has returned a vehicle more than a year after a couple dropped it off for hail damage repairs, following months of delays, rising costs and legal action, according to KVUE News.
Joe and Sophie Vastano took their Honda HR-V to Hail Specialists Auto Body and Repair Shop in February 2024 after storms in September 2023 caused $600 million in hail damage across Travis and Williamson counties, marking the most costly hail event in Austin’s history.
The Vastanos said the repair process quickly became problematic. “It gets you so angry that you lose sleep over it,” Joe Vastano told KVUE News in 2024. Sophie Vastano provided text message exchanges showing weeks of silence from shop staff, citing various reasons for delays, including illness, staffing shortages and parts availability.
During the course of the repair, the Vastanos said the estimated costs climbed from $5,200 to $9,600. When the shop requested an additional $1,200 for a windshield replacement — which the couple maintained was unnecessary — their insurance company declined further payments. The Vastanos filed a complaint with the Texas Attorney General’s Office, labeling the shop’s conduct as “gross unprofessionalism,” and later filed a lawsuit against Hail Specialists in spring 2024.
Although Sophie Vastano withdrew the lawsuit in December, the couple did not retrieve their SUV until April 2025, more than a year after dropping it off. The terms of the vehicle’s return remain unclear due to a non-disclosure agreement reportedly signed by the Vastanos. When asked by KVUE if he requires NDAs for vehicle returns, Hail Specialists owner Michael Chanata did not directly respond.
The Vastanos are not alone; multiple other customers have shared similar experiences involving prolonged delays and difficulty reclaiming their vehicles from Hail Specialists. The KVUE Defenders began investigating the shop in early 2024 after a Round Rock couple reported being unable to retrieve their truck.
