Earlier this month I bought a used air compressor (US made 4.5HP Campbell Hausfeld Professional with a 26 gallon tank) from a local company that was going out of business. I went and picked it up and put it in the back of my Explorer. It seemed pretty stable and I had a storage bin against it to try to keep it from shifting. Should be fine for a quick trip back to my office.
I made one turn out of the parking lot and the top-heavy compressor flopped over and punched a hole in the rear quarter panel glass on the passenger side.
Man, I felt like an idiot. I stopped, tied it down, then continued on to the office. I had some gaffer tape and taped up the broken window temporarily.
I haven't had much free time lately, so I thought I'd see what my options were. One of those mobile automotive glass repair joints quoted me a little under $500 (right about the glass deductible for my insurance). A local body shop/gunsmith quoted me $1,000. Well then. It turns out I've got enough free time to save that kind of money. I bought used rear glass off of eBay and a roll of Window Weld. A quick swap (with more time spent cleaning off the old adhesive than actually swapping parts) and it's been working nicely since with no leaks. Total price $100.
The 3m Window Weld is pretty good stuff. Very easy to get a good seal, and since it is in roll form the bead is consistent and easier for me to position than the tube-applied sealants. Also, when you butt the ends together it mashes together perfectly - can't even see where there was a seam.
I think the compressor was still a pretty good deal, just not as cheap as it should have been if I had tied down my load like I should have.