Product review (4 stars): Side vent works great
Like everyone else you have to exercise caution when working with sheet metal. Like everyone else the duct tape was the hardest part. Working with smaller pieces seemed to work the best. I too found the side exit tube does not extend beyond the side wall. A simple solution (maybe this is the way it was intended) is to buy a 4" aluminum male to male connector found at most hardware stores. Here's an example from Home Depot [...] (sorry Amazon removed the link)
This worked perfectly to connect the external vent pipe.
You have to be patient but for me this was an excellent solution.
We did gain a little space behind the dryer however our main objective was to eliminate the telescoping box vent that restricted air flow and always leaked lint from poorly made joints.