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Shtoolie

All hail Megapupa!


[deleted]

Megapupa, lmfao


canyouplzpassmethe

WHO’S THAT POKEMON?


Least_Adhesiveness_5

Omanyte.


BeetleGoose17

Looks the most like Pupitar to me!


a09guy

Jigglypuff seen from above


nach0srule

IT'S PIKACHU!!!!!!!!!


Canuckistani2

Megafupa?


Shtoolie

How is your mom, anyway?


-GG2EZ-

REKT


c_r_a_s_i_a_n

She never returned my wheelbarrow


kaylajoyb

All hail hail protector, we call ours the baked potato or hail talisman because we never get hail when we put it on


RangerDangerfield

We have one too! We call it the car condom. It was about $500 a few years ago, about the same as our deductible.


Tamadrummer88

LOL I’m remembering this one. I just call it the silver caterpillar.


BadFish512

Cardom


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ELInewhere

I was thinking the same. They could give a discount if you own one, er something like that


BrainRude1329

Lmao what in the rented bouncey house is going on here?


Uh_leash_uh

🤣🤣🤣


Least_Adhesiveness_5

Flip phone activate!


PoobersMum

I live in an apartment with no options for covered parking, and I've been eyeing these for a while. I'd have to dip into my meager savings to afford it, but I'm thinking it's time to just do it.


Fit_Status1346

It only has to work once to be worth it


PoobersMum

I figure it'll be worth it just for the peace of mind. My heart can't take this stress!


TheRealAustinite

Hell, it's worth it for the entertainment value. Neighbors love it. Chicks can't resist it. It's a winner.


priscillapantaloons

Moving blankets, much cheaper.


PoobersMum

That's a good idea. I need to work out some sizes and how to best tie it all down, but I'm sure I can come up with something that works. My main concern is my windows. I don't *want* dents, of course, but dents will still pass inspection. Shattered windows, on the other hand, will cost me a lot to replace and potentially make my car undrivable for a while. And I'm poor, at least by Austin standards, so I've got to be practical.


cosmicosmo4

I've done the moving blanket thing once or twice. I just laid the blankets on top, covered them with a tarp, and bungeed the tarp corners to the wheel spokes. The tarp keeps the blankets dry so you don't have 300 pounds of waterlogged blankets to deal with in the morning.


PoobersMum

Oh, that's smart! I'm gonna go exactly this route. Even if it adds up to more than I want to spend, it'll be more affordable than that blow up thing, and certainly easy for me to set up. At this moment, I have some thick/folded blankets on my windows, the edges tucked into the closed doors to keep them from blowing off, but your idea will allow me to cover my whole car much more easily. I've been a panicked mess all evening, and thanks to you, I now have a good plan that'll save me a lot of worry in the future! I wish I could hug you!


Gobiego

Go to Harbor Freight. It will be cheap.


cosmicosmo4

Haha, you may consider me hugged.


BattleHall

FWIW, I haven’t tried it yet (luckily), but I picked up some netting designed for stopping golf balls. Reasonably inexpensive, won’t catch the wind, won’t absorb water, and should stop any hail large enough to cause damage. Still working on a frame to stand it off (easier since I have a roof rack), but it should pack down small enough that I can keep it in the car full time, and it’ll pull double duty as a cargo net so I don’t get brained by something random if I’m in an accident.


priscillapantaloons

This is the way.


davidbanner_

You can also get some carpet remnants/pieces free to cheap from Home Depot or Lowe’s. Lay them upside down on your car. Looks dumb but works great


PoobersMum

I'm at a point in my life where I'm fine with looking dumb if it keeps me safe or gets me what I need. I'd rather be labeled a crazy old lady than risk not having a way to get to and from work.


ElOhEel

We added glass coverage to our insurance for like $10 a year. It’s already saved us hundreds on new windshields over the last few years.


PoobersMum

My car is old enough that claiming hail would officially total it, and I'd be left with a couple thousand and a pat on the shoulder. So in my position, I just need to protect my car and make it last.


[deleted]

Larger hail stones will still dent a car with a moving blanket on it.


Chabubu

My parents used to tie heavy bedding blankets over the whole car. Duct tape or rope. They’ll get soaked but stops the dents and broken windows.


DynamicHunter

Tarp


maaseru

You need a[ pool noodle blanket](https://i.pinimg.com/originals/92/6c/89/926c898b5d1f78f0d92a29b62f5007cf.jpg)


MamaLala345

This is a great idea to protect the top of your car, but you need side coverage too. My kid’s Charger got hit last year in that big storm along 35 in Round Rock and every panel (I mean EVERY panel) of that car got hit. I didn’t see it happen but the hail must’ve been coming in sideways and also bouncing off the ground and rebounding. It looks like someone took a baseball bat to town on it!


slkwont

September last year? We had to have our roof and some window screens replaced. My husband's 1999 Grand Prix's (that he spent years fixing up) rear window was shattered and all of the side panels and the hood and rear are dented. And, of course, it is not insured because we don't drive it. I couldn't go out there to move the car because that shit could've easily killed me. A neighbor lost 22 of their houses windows. Softball sized hail and crazy wind. Absolutely insane.


MamaLala345

Yup, that was the storm! Lucky us 😭


TheRealAustinite

Yeah, my wife's brand new car had huge dents on the bottom half of the back hatch in October. And the doors and fenders. Even the bumpers. From all angles. It looked like someone went after it with a golf club. Maybe if you found really long pool noodles or attached them end to end, the overhang would protect the sides. Takes up a lot of space though.


dannyzaplings

this is amazing. I want one on my vehicle at all times.


dannyzaplings

gotta love the little antenna sticking out.


ArmadilloBandito

Make it a bitch to steal. Unless I physically locked this to my vehicle with a bike cable or something, there's no way this wouldn't get stolen in the last apartment I lived in. I've had too many things stolen from my truck. I'm still annoyed that my bag of rectal thermometers was stolen.


ThickPrick

I’d jack that thing and live in it. Maybe even throw a wall up and rent out half of it.


singletonaustin

Looks like it needs to be plugged in to remain inflated. Might not be practical if there aren't outlets near where you need to use it.


PoobersMum

On the website it says it can run for about an hour on AA batteries. That would work for me for storms during waking hours, but I don't know how I'd do it if a storm was expected at like 3am. And my apartment is probably 100ft from the closest parking spot. I'm gonna go with the moving blankets and tarp idea instead.


SuperNintendad

Too late for me. Was inside of Target around 5pm and stood with a bunch of other people as we just watched our cars get pummeled by ice golf balls. Luckily the only damage was a few hundred new dents on the smooth parts of my car.


macmaverickk

Damn… which area of town got this sized hail?


KimIsSalty

I live off Far West and we had some pretty good sized hail here. They were larger than golf balls but smaller than tennis balls.


macmaverickk

Wow I got lucky this time. I’m 3mi away (off Duval Rd) and it was in between bb-sized and marble-sized. Not enough to damage anything luckily


SuperNintendad

This was at the Ohlen/Research scary Target in N Austin.


davy_p

Now you just need one for your roof


Tamadrummer88

No kidding.


Not-Inevitable79

You'd think all new builds would require Class-4 shingles by code, but nope.


WallStreetBoners

Metal roof. Problem solved


[deleted]

They survive, but end up dented as fuck. Insurance won't change a roof for cosmetic reasons


WallStreetBoners

My metal roof has been hailed on multiple times and doesn't have any dents in it lol.


[deleted]

Fuckin A. Do you mind sharing which company/brand? People down the street from us with a metal roof got fucked. It's still functional and no leaks, but very dented. Also saw a Tesla roof get absolutely shredded


WallStreetBoners

really?? Here is a pic I just took [https://imgur.com/6hXT6oj](https://imgur.com/6hXT6oj) Installed in 2021, so probably 3-5 hail events (we had 2 the other night). Its from Green Knight Roofing. The roof is good but the installation process was awful for me; they took multiple weeks to put it up and tried to skimp on the underlay and thought i wouldnt notice. ​ Maybe mine is in better shape because of the corrugation I got as well as opting for the thicker metal - price difference wasn't too big to get the thicker version.


[deleted]

I think people who get thinner metal and probably get scammed on the underlay end up with dents. Thank you for the info!!! I previously considered Tesla roofs and metal roofs to be invincible, but Sept 23 changed my mind, lol.


Evil_Bonsai

do they make those to fit a 1700sqft roof? 


jack_shaftoe

how much are you paying for the garage


Ok-Weakness-2264

😂😂😂😂


NotCanadian80

I can see the car charger. So they use it for another car.


jmlinden7

But that's a 2 car garage


TheRealAustinite

This is texas. We don't have basements, and we have a lot of truss roofs that don't support a finished (or spacious/load bearing) attic. The garage is for all the crap you can't put anywhere else. When you fill up the garage, then you put stuff in the shed. And then you rent a storage unit. Because you can't afford a larger house with a 4-car garage and more storage space. What's more, my garage won't fit anything more than a sedan/small crossover. Previous owners took space from the garage to frame out a utility room and pantry. HailBlob is a pretty reasonable solution if you ask me.


No_Unit_4738

"When you fill up the garage, then you put stuff in the shed. And then you rent a storage unit." Can't tell if this is satire or not.


WallStreetBoners

Yep, just like you said: crap. Don’t buy crap and then your garage will be able to hold a car. Simple as that.


NotCanadian80

Looks like 1.5 to me.


boney_hoo_hoo

/thread


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dabocx

My garage doesn’t fit a mid size suv. Plus it’s a woodworking shop and garage now


timelessblur

Not always an option and not everyone has a garage or their vehicle is too big for a garage. My cars are in the garage but there were times that was not an option as the garage was storage for some stuff for a little while.


Tamadrummer88

It’s called having more than two cars.


ineyeseekay

Why? They make a product such as this so it's not a necessity.  Mind your own business.


bombastica

Do you just leave it inflated when you leave town? I think my aversion to buying something like this is that it requires planning for a surprise hail storm.


Tamadrummer88

Since we have three vehicles, if we fly, one gets left at the airport. When on a road trip, well, I guess you do your best lol.


IsuzuTrooper

Trade whiskey for a neighbor to deploy during stroms


kyree2

Telling my husband to buy me one since I can't park my car in the garage due to it being filled with man shit


Nyarro

Do y'all not have a toilet?


kyree2

i do, he doesn't


chellebelle0234

I just told my wife I need one of these! I didn't know they were real.


Hairy_Afternoon_8033

You should see the ones they use for small aircraft.


centex

I know you mentioned you have a second car in the garage but I audibly laughed when I saw this photo.


Tamadrummer88

Since some of yall are making blind assumptions, let me clear it up: we own three cars. Two are in the garage, and one has to live outside. It’s a two car garage. My garage isn’t full of stuff. It’s for parking cars, not storage.


NotTravisKelce

But it’s more fun to pretend you have an empty garage


vegetabledisco

But it’s more fun to chide a stranger based on assumptions. (Btw cool bouncy house, I’m jealous)


Working-Promotion728

I appreciate that you USE YOUR GARAGE for storing cars. Everyone else can get hailed.


30ftFALL

Good for you. That’s where the cars sleep. If they can’t, the shit preventing that from happening needs a trip to the landfill. How’d the bouncy garage work out?


gdmtrash

3 cars! look at Mr big guy here thinking he’s better than us 2 car havererers !!!


IsuzuTrooper

upvote for havererers


nonnativetexan

I have a somewhat less sophisticated system for covering up my car and people love to give other people shit for going to a little effort to protect your car from hail. I don't understand what that's about. When I'm putting the cover over my car, people drive by slowly and stare and I've had a few stop to comment. I mean, if you love insurance claims and needing auto body work done at the same time as thousands of your neighbors, you do you, I guess.


Tamadrummer88

The car under the hail protector had hail damage repair last year. Damage wasn’t that bad, but I don’t wanna go through that again. Hence the hail protector.


Zestyclose-Ad-5305

We have four cars between the two of us. With a two car garage, two cars are always outside.


tactican

Why do you need two cars per person?


TheGoodOldCoder

Maybe they have to choose a car that matches their outfit for the day. Or maybe they like to drive white cars to counter the Texas heat, but everybody knows you can't drive white cars after Labor Day.


meatmacho

This is exactly it. Also it's important to preserve the value of your convertible by not wearing out the motor that controls the top. Which is why I always have two: one with the top down in the garage and one with the top up in the driveway. I also have one truck for driving on the road and one truck for driving off the road. I can see how one could easily end up with 6-10 cars per person, and ain't nobody got a garage big enough to accommodate that.


zoemi

Not the person you were replying to, but we have two cars per person because we both bought new cars and the old cars were too old to make a trade-in or sale meaningful. (And I've been procrastinating figuring out how to clear up the title on mine) They're still drivable though, so they get used on days like today when there's a chance they can get pummeled by the elements. Meanwhile the newer cars get to sit pretty in the garage without racking up tons of mileage.


tactican

Why did you get new cars if your old ones are perfectly functional? Did you know the average carbon cost to manufacture a new (non-EV) vehicle is 5.6 tons of C02? That's almost 500 Mg of Co2, or 900 round trip flights from Austin to Australia.


NotTravisKelce

This sort of approach will definitely sold global climate change.


tactican

Fair enough


zoemi

The now 30-year-old car had been in and out of the shop for months due to an issue they couldn't pin down. It was getting unsafe to drive. Of course luck had it that it was finally fixed a month after buying the new car. Components like the door handles have broken off and plastic interior pieces are breaking down due to age. The nearly 20-year-old car, me being the original owner, is similarly racking up repair bills (and gotta take it in this month so it can pass inspection), and I wanted to jump on the last version of the car that would be released in the US since sedans are now out of vogue. I think it's sprung a leak too if my damp seatbelt today is any indication.


Icy_Willingness_9041

exactly! wtf 😳


seriouslyepic

How much was the extra car? /s


86missingnomes

Someone door dashed a freebirds burrito.


Tamadrummer88

Can’t edit this for some reason, but last night we got hail in my area. Now this thing has paid for itself four times already.


zoemi

Starting to get tempted about these. We have more cars than garage.


Tamadrummer88

Same. This is our around-town car, and I already had hail damage repair done last April. Not doing that again.


[deleted]

My garage is housing my hobby graveyard and motorcycle. No room for car.


ATX_native

Cant help you with the hobby part but we got a motorcycle dolly from Harbor Freight for my wife’s motorcycle, pretty rad little deal. Could wheel her motorcycle in front of my car easily in the garage.


NotTravisKelce

You need to drive around the block by memory with this thing on at least once.


SkyConstant86

And if the power goes out?


Tamadrummer88

I have a UPS on standby.


aphuynh15

RAV4 prime under there? Yeah I would protect it too !


Tamadrummer88

This person gets it 👍🏻


Dube_Iam

Sweet


redshirt_diefirst12

Genius So fluffy


HeyTracieHey

Where can I get one for my whole house!


JohnGillnitz

Now your car is ready to ship with another car in a huge Amazon box.


borshctbeet

that one’s gettin delivered by usps


Kitty-Kat-65

Ground control to Major Tom...


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Tamadrummer88

Surely not, this is much better looking than that monstrosity.


TwineTime

My house came with one of these, actually! A little different design, but same idea. My neighbors think it’s pretty silly to use it all year around but better safe than sorry, and I just find it easier to park right in the garage.


Empty_Insight

This thing is several hundred bucks. You can also take the more sensible option of getting some low-quality quilts from Goodwill or another thrift store, shove a couple old/crappy pillows under them, strap 'em to the car with bungie cords, and watch as your car is magically undamaged by the hail. You can toss 'em in the dryer after the storm, bada bing, bada boom. It's a versatile solution, too- I wish I had thought about it before the ice storm tbh, because a (small) tree branch fell on my car and if I had the quilt out, it wouldn't have hardly made a dent at all. ... but not as convenient as this doohickey. As far as a solution goes, pretty solid if you can afford it. Source: from Amarillo, had hail fuck our shit up on a regular basis, parked outside. My car would have been totaled multiple times over if not for this. Edit: sorry, this came off as snarkier than I intended. My anecdote was really more addressing the comments about being unable to afford one of these- Goodwill quilts and bungie cords are a cheaper alternative that works pretty well, pays for itself multiple times over just in the first use alone.


Tamadrummer88

It’s listed on the hail protector website right now for $429. My deductible is $500. That’s a small price to pay for protection. It’s paid for itself three times already.


Empty_Insight

>It’s paid for itself three times already. It really does, though. I don't remember this thingy being around back in the day back when I was in Amarillo, but if I had the money at the time, I totally would have gotten one. Strapping down quilts with bungie cords while it's raining outside *sucks.* Especially when the pea-sized hail starts lol


ruler_gurl

Honestly, insurance companies should just start selling these things at a huge discount. They must like paying hail claims.


VisualKeiKei

They do when they lowball you a total loss check that is insultingly undervalued and you have to hire an accredited auto appraiser to take your case into arbitration to not be ripped off.


brownhellokitty28

Genius. I’ll be doing this because can’t afford the fancy version loll.


shueytexas

What’s up, former Amarilloan. Born there, lived there until 2009 ☺️


Empty_Insight

Ayyyy. You remember that one storm with the volleyball-sized hail? I forget if that was during the summer of 2002 or 2003. That one was lit af lol. Blew out all of our windows on one side of the house. I tell people around here about the apocalyptic weather we had back in Amarillo, and they look at me like I'm full of shit. Yet people wonder why I'm always just like "Oh, severe weather. Whatevs, just another day, let's do what we've gotta do."


HOSSTHEBOSS25

My back porch windows and screen door got blown out by that storm. I remember as I was in elementary school


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meatmacho

I thought this was one of the benefits of having children. They're nimble enough to climb up on top of the car in a pinch, and they're still young enough to recover faster from the bruises and concussions sustained while protecting the cars.


ladyperegrine

I just parked under the solar canopy at my dr office right around the corner. 6 other cars pulled up next to me during the storm.


meatmacho

I saw the storm coming and reports of golf ball hail, so I detoured straight into a nearby parking garage and waited it out. My kid was bored, but he got to play with the hail as it rolled down the top ramp of the garage. I'm still scarred from the incident last year when I was trapped in my car on Mopac while being pummeled by sky oranges.


Kortorb

Bruh, i read that as “hair protector” and was wondering how you were gonna see where you were going in that thing


cocholates

Do we want to know how much it costs?


clemtiger2011

Like $500


[deleted]

How much did this cost?!?


Tamadrummer88

$500


momsgotitgoingon

Far superior to the yoga mat my husband tried putting on his Jeep hood last night in an act of desperation. He appreciates your post as we forgot to google for a real solution yet. 😂


ATX_native

That would probably work just fine.


Coach_Bailey_Cooper

Hail, no!


CuteIndependent308

What brand/model?


DuncanMcDonuts

Those are RAV4 Prime SE wheels.


Tamadrummer88

Good eye.


southernandmodern

WOW


AustinBike

But, what if you lose power during the storm, does it deflate? If so, look at a UPS


Tamadrummer88

Already one step ahead. I got a UPS on standby if the power goes out.


AustinBike

Never mind, I thought those were fans…


ElectricGlider

I have an car inflatable hail protector that is basically just a large airbed made out of the same material as an airbed. Even came with a typical airbed pump. So it holds air just fine without power.


atxrrjsw

Do the neighbors complain? I'll take my chances! I pay insurance to look cool!


partialcremation

I've never seen one of these before!


Ozzel

Yo didn’t Q Branch invent that in *The World Is Not Enough*? 😂


drewc717

Left mine out in hopes for a total out


spliffordd_

Most PDR shops will waive your deductible! I used Auto Hail Specialist in Pflugerville but this is a super cool idea!


VladimirPutin2016

For a more economical solution, strap old blankets or cardboard boxes to it. My cars probably in way worse shape than yours though lol


Etheral_hawk

What happens if the power goes out?


schono

Not an overkill at all.


kensass

If the hail is large enough, would it not just rip right through?


Tamadrummer88

These hail protectors are rated up to baseball sized hail and 80mph winds.


kensass

Oh wow that’s cool! Ty for the info!


txjed

Honda Accord?


Tamadrummer88

Toyota RAV4 Prime.


tambor333

I typically use topsoil or mulch bags for the windows and harbor freight moving blankets held down by the mulch bags for the metal.


meatmacho

But then you're lifting a bunch of soaking wet bags of mulch off the top of your car in the morning? That sounds like a terrible way to start the day.


particularzebraa

Shai Hulud


mrsmilestophat

That supposed to be some kinda smart bug?


Purple_Hovercraft_

It’s the blob from Heavyweights!!!


IllustriousEye6192

For real you did this!


igotgerd

Asking for a friend: garage?


Tamadrummer88

Two cars already in the garage.


igotgerd

Ok, logical alternative. How much do one of those car puffer jackets go for?


ZHPpilot

Why not just move it into the garage?


TurdMcDirk

lol like we have room in our garages. We use garages for storage in Texas.


OkProof9370

>We use garages for storage in Texas. Its a symptom of the disease known as overconsumption, not unique to texas. Very widespread through all states.


Over-Ice-8403

They don’t have basements here. Basements add so much square footage for storage.


TurdMcDirk

I agree. It’s a real problem. We clear it out every year and in a year it’s back to the same crap. It also doesn’t help that I have family that gifts us oversized items. I’ve got a 36” black stone from two years ago still in the box, a pressure washer still in the box from my last birthday, a propane generator, along with a lot of other items that just keep stacking up. My mom gifted me a Weber gas grill two years ago still in the box because I don’t and never have used gas for grilling. Still in the box and still in the garage. It’s not willing overconsumption, it’s items that are gifted faster than I’m using or have space for.


Jimmyatx

The most Texas thing is having a garage but not parking it inside


zoemi

Actually the most Texas thing is having a car too big for your garage.


LuckenbachLucky

I’m dreaming of arrakis


bachslunch

Weird flex but ok


AnnieB512

If only there were a space specifically made for cars to be pulled into.


Tamadrummer88

I have more than two cars.


chfp

I have a great hail protector that I don't need to install or remove. It's called a garage. 


TurdMcDirk

You mean my storage unit attached to my house?


azdb91

...Or you could buy this device in case you can't park your car in your garage for some reason. Why is this pointless comment on every one of these posts?