Along the same vein: A couple of years ago my Thule roof rack was stolen when I parked my car overnight in front of my house (nice area). After a month or two of putting the bike in the back seat and saving my pennies, I finally bought a replacement. Got it on top at night, and headed out the next morning with the new Thule (and my bike and my wife's bike) to meet some friends for a ride. There was a storm the night before, and I didn't see the low hanging cable wire that someone tied across the street to a mail box on a post. Stripped the Thule off, my bike went flying down the road a tad still on the Thule (fell short of an oncoming car), while my wife's bike gently landed on grass on the side of the road. $1,500 damage to my bike, a bent derailleur on my wife's. Insurance (less separate deductibles) covered the damage to the car (auto insurance) and the bike (homeowners). The Thule didn't have coverage. Been riding successfully with Thule #3 for a few years.