After reading the reviews, I was skeptical about buying this rack.

After reading the reviews, I was skeptical about buying this rack. I took a risk, and it payed off. Sure, the rack isn't a Thule, but the price doesn't rival a Thule either. At around $30 you get an exceptional value. I am leary of putting two bikes on it, because the bikes can get pretty heavy for this bike rack. But for the short distances I drive to the trails to ride, it is worth it and works great for my needs. Friends cannot believe how little I payed for this bike rack. It fits nicely into my trunk when I park at the trails, and it goes on/off in a snap. Realistically, as much of us understand I cannot afford a $200 rack, so this is exactly what I need for an inexpensive way to keep in shape, and enjoy the scenery. I recommend this product, just be smart about how fast you take turns, and the weight of the bikes. Before purchasing this rack from my '99 Accord sedan to take my bike on a five hundred mile move, I read many reviews warning against the possible damage this rack can inflict upon the car's finish. I was confident I could forgo such an outcome by attaching my own cloth buffers from old rags/towels and the like. After promptly receiving and installing the rack onto my trunk with the prior alluded to additional fittings, all of which was done relatively painlessly from my mechanically inclined opinion, I racked my old road bike up. I was thoroughly disappointed when I realized that although the bike seemed to be firmly secure where attached to the rack, the majority of the frame was left swinging and swaying at the whim of a breeze or the force of acceleration/deceleration to the point where I questioned whether I was not missing an additional securative appendage for the rack. As i was leaving next morning I had little time to fully assess the situation and/or apply any simple, curative measures to further secure the nearly bond-less bicycle.In short, I found the rack to be utterly inadequate. The only good thing I can say is that Amazon accepted my return despite the fact that I had negligently discarded all of the original packaging. Easy to set up and remove which is good if you're afraid to leave it strapped to your car in a public place. Holds my heavy mountain bike safe and secure. A cinch to fold and store in the garage or trunk. Great product. Easy to fit to car. Great Price. I have a big specialized mountain bike and it even holds it well. Couldn't afford the racks in the local bike shop so I turned to Amazon...this one is very inexpensive and I was able to hook it up to the car quickly. Holds 2 bikes perfectly. No complaints or regrets here. I have a 1999 Honda Accord, with no spoiler, and this bike rack worked great. I used the "modified" bottom strap connection technique (connected bottom strap to the bottom of my trunk door instead of under the rear bumper) and found this to be more stable. The instructions for how to do this are included in the product packaging. I've driven about 1500+ total miles with two mountain bikes on the rack without any problems. Longest single day drive was about 500 miles and included highway speeds up to 70 mph, road construction sites and dirt roads. So far, I have never had to stop to retighten straps or make any adjustments to the bikes or the bike rack. There has been no damage to the bikes, and aside from a small scratch on rear license plate there has been no damage to the car. Here are the tricks I learned from reading the product reviews:1) Use folder pieces of duck tape to prevent the attachment hooks from scratching the car paint.2) Tie-off any excess hook strap after tightening to prevent straps from loosening while on the road.3) Remove pedals of the inner-most bike before putting it on the rack (prevents bike from scratching the trunk paint and provides more room for the second bike).4) Duck-tape a piece of padding (I used an old wash rag) to the cross bar of the rack (where the bottom strap is normally attached) to prevent the inner-most bike frame from rubbing against the rack.5) Put second bike on the rack in reverse to the first.6) Bungee-cord the front tires of each bike to their respective bike frames (to keep the bike tires from spinning and keep handle bars straight).7) Bungee-cord the two bike frames together with a wash rag in-between to keep the bikes from shifting/rubbing against each other.Granted, this may seem like a lot of extra work, but what do you expect if you only spend $34 for a bike rack???If you want something that is fast, easy and secure you'll need to spend $150+ and get a trailer hitch bike rack. I have one of these for my truck and it works great. Easy on, easy off and very secure. If you are an occasional weekend warrior who doesn't have a tow hitch and you don't want to spend a lot of money, this rack will probably meet your needs. Just be prepared to spend 15-20 minutes each time you are getting ready to go somewhere to ride. I Bought this to carry two bikes back and forth to beach in 2012. The rack is easy to set up, fits well on my Honda accord 2011. The straps seem to be as one would expect- lunch box quality, but they held. I had no issues. My concern is that the strap quality will shorten life of product, but at this price I can buy 2 or three for what other stores want! The price vs. service is good, but yet the product lacks robustest like stability when the lower hook can not be installed as originally recommended. I am so happy I puchased the trunk mount rack. I can take my bike everywhere with me now. It so easy to install, I recommmend it :) I rode around with one bike on the outside of this rack for a long time and it worked great, especially for the money. Then I started biking with my girlfriend and discovered a severe problem with this rack. The inside bike holder is too close to the vehicle so your bike will rub, bump, and just generally destroy the back of your car. I have a nice car and now there are scratches, scrapes, and a place there the inside bike bumped up and down repeatedly, leaving huge pock marks on my bumper. Even checking carefully before I leave, the inside bike will shift and damage my car. It seriously needs that inside rack to be another 6" out. 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