Finding the right product that will luve up to its features can be difficult. I read all the reviews for this product and decided to give it a go. The box was secure and the parts inside were very well packaged. All parts were present as well as the addition of rubber adhesive pads for the clamping the metal bars to your rack system. The rubber pads were a plus and very happy they were included. I am a visual learner, so the directions were very easy for me to understand. Assembly was pretty straight forward and took about 30 min for me to do by myself. I did use a ratchet to help speed the process up. The product does come with a tool and I used it for the longer bolts. The directions do not specifically say to use washers when attaching the plates to your rack, but the pictures do show washer. I placed a towel on the roof of my car to set my parts in and extra protection. This step took about 20 mins. Move your car to a shady spot if you can. I have factory installed racks on my SUV and the parallel bars are on a tilt, so the J mounts have a slight tilt. If you bars are straight, then the J bars will be straight. The product is super sturdy once installed, very stout. The additional accessories are a real plus. I have three kayaks so the 3rd will sit in between. Very pleased and a fair price as well.