Car Cover - CAR1 Size, Silver Portable, Inflatable Car Cover for Hail System for Coupe, Sedan and Wagons up to 175-Inches in Length - Anti Hail Protection

Update: after posting my review I was contacted by the president of the company wanting to swap the cover out with the next size down. They offered to pay for shipping both ways even though I offered to pay to send the original cover back. After receiving the smaller cover, I verified that the cover fits extremely well. It also goes on easier since it fits better. I am upgrading my review to 5 stars for the customer support.Original review: If the unit is properly sized for your vehicle, this works well. My car's length was covered by two different sizes of this cover (according to their website). I went with the larger size, and I regret it. It is really hard to keep the unit firmly attached to the vehicle, even with the straps under the belly of the car and the pull string cinched tight. It wants to float off the back of the car once fully inflated. I really want to give it 3 stars; but if properly sized, it would work well (so I settled for 4 stars). The thing gets lots of attention/comments. It takes 5 to 10 minutes to put on once you are familiar with how it works. The only real gotcha is when you need to take it off the vehicle while it is still wet/raining. I just ended up dragging it into my garage. I attempted to pull it up and over the front end of my truck to dry it out; but it was very difficult to get it to stay in place while wet (kept sliding to floor). So it sat piled up beside the truck until I could get home to lay it out in the sun. If you were in the same predicament while at work or out and about, you would have one wet trunk or back seat. The company recommends keeping it inflated for at least 30 minutes after it finishes raining to dry it out. It does help; but it will still be pretty wet after 30 minutes. I left it on for almost 6 hours after it rained and there was still moisture in/on it in some areas. Of course some of it can be attributed to the fact that mine is too large for the car (allowing water to pool in areas under the trunk).

Short version: I can't recommend this product for anybodyLong version: I live in the DFW/North Texas area, and there are two realities here:1. We have significant hail every spring2. Two car garages are too small (most fit 1.75 cars - no large trucks at all unless you are creative...) so you will see at least one vehicle in the driveway at almost every two-vehicle house in any neighborhoodSince hail is a constant and potentially expensive and time-consuming issue to deal with, any product that can protect the vehicle outside of the garage can potentially be very valuable. I like that the company behind this product is just down the street from me and I can support a local business. Like many of you, I have seen the videos and demonstrations, and this product seems like the perfect solution to the hailstorms we face, but unfortunately it is not.First, this is quite expensive for something that is essentially works the same as any inflatable mattress just at a bigger scale. The bulk of the product, the hassle to set it up, take it down, etc. do not provide value for the price (assuming you can get it to work at all).Getting this monstrous tarp onto your vehicle and secured is a significant effort for two people much less one. If there is so much as a light breeze, good luck.The sizing isn't great and while I understand it is trying to be a one size fits most solution, there is too much variety between vehicles for the size ranges they sell to accurately reflect what you may drive. I saw another review that said it worked great once they sized down, but that just means the descriptions of what size to purchase are invalid. I took the details provided and compared them to the manufacturers measurements of my vehicle to determine the best size and that is what I purchased. They probably need additional sizes between each of the sizes they currently offer.Even if it was otherwise a perfect fit, most people won't be able to successfully install this unless they have all day and plenty of help to do it and when dealing with inclement weather you may get a couple hours of notice or know that a given day has potential for hail, but more often than not this needs to be something you can get on your vehicle reasonably quickly or it has no value. The 5-to-10-minute scenario with practice is not realistic so if you think you will put it on and take it often enough to get to that level of speed, you are fooling yourself. Over two weekends, my wife and I (and also a neighbor once) worked to get this thing installed and inflated. Four times with no better results and just growing frustration. It takes a long time to deflate, and I was so irritated by our last attempt I almost popped the thing instead of letting it deflate on its own. It also takes a long time to inflate, so if a storm is coming it is too late to install it.One specific area that seems to be a weak point is the string you pull to tighten the bottom of the cover. It just isn't a very good solution. It doesn't pull tight enough to really work correctly and even if it does, as the cover inflates if you aren't holding the pvc pipe you use to pull that string tight it will get looser and looser. It seems like a better option would be to have a bungie cord or similar at each wheel. I have no evidence since I'm not going to test it enough to find out, but I also think the string is unlikely to last more than a couple of spring seasons if you use this often.I didn't try the battery pack or car adapter, only directly from an electrical outlet in my house. Given how long it took to inflate, I can't imagine two AA batteries would have enough juice to get it done. So, that would make it really only functional at home. That's ok, I guess, since much of anybody's day is spent at home, but still there are 8 to 14 hours or more potentially where you are out and about. If you are at work or anywhere else, you likely only have the option of the battery pack or car adapter. You also have to contend with parking spaces that are not 3 feet larger than your vehicle in every dimension that this balloon needs to inflate and cars adjacent to you. Those conditions would make installing and using this product very unlikely. So, despite indicating that it could be used anywhere, that just isn't realistic.Along that same thought, even if you are an origami expert and somehow manage to be able to fold everything up perfectly and fit it neatly into the carry bag, it will take up 1/3 or more of your trunk if that is where you plan on storing it to allow use anywhere you go. While not super heavy, fully folded in the bag with all the pieces attached, etc. it is a bit unruly, and I can see somebody smaller than me potentially struggling with it if they are alone. It really isn't "portable" in the real world.I'm disappointed. I wanted this to work and be a good solution, but I just don't see it. I don't generally write reviews and honestly If it were $100, I probably wouldn't even bother with a review and would just consider it a lesson learned. But at several times that cost, I feel that people on the fence about a purchase should have a better idea about what they may be getting into. Since spring is upon us, I will just have to play hail roulette like everybody else and if I get hit deal with insurance companies and body shops.