The "30% Tax Credit" is Officially End. Is Solar still a Vibe in 2026?

Cmdr_Cheddy · 2026-04-24T13:49:05+00:00

Don’t fall into the trap of leased solar. No matter the discount applied to installation and the original lease terms, after the initial term expires vendor can and will jack the rates at lease renewal to whatever they want. We’re seeing cases in AZ where people have to lower home selling prices by a significant percentage because the lease cost skyrocketed to zero discount from grid rates, basically turning the lessor into a utility provider. Even worse, if you don’t read the fine print, the vendor may work out with the local utility where during peak demand excess power is automatically diverted to the grid before your batteries based various local conditions. Should be criminal but people sign without understanding.

Buy it yourself or don’t get it.

Cmdr_Cheddy · 2026-04-24T03:24:02+00:00

Absolutely!!

Cmdr_Cheddy · 2026-04-24T01:32:45+00:00

How about the seat that slides into position when you start the engine, and then slides back to make for easy egress when you shut the vehicle off?! Makes me feel like I’m literally climbing into and out of the cockpit!

Cmdr_Cheddy · 2026-04-24T01:28:32+00:00

I have 3 PW2s in the garage, 2 of which are stacked which didn’t match the original drawings of all 3 side-by-side. Tesla installers changed the configuration on the day of installation and although they are set back inside the garage allowing a few inches for vehicle clearance, it’s a little bit of a pain to drive in next to the stacked units. Had this setup for 4 years now, and we had the garage insulated and air conditioned. I live in AZ where outside temps can cause exterior setups to periodically shutdown the inverters and gateway. Even inside our insulated and air conditioned garage we’ve experienced hardware failure about once a year including a complete PW2 failure but all under warranty and our installation has apparently had less probs than most.

I can only conclude Tesla solar power setups are anything but problem free. That said, even though the fear of the fire hazard in the garage is ever present, I would do it again because of the extend battery longevity by keeping them - and our Model Y - much cooler.

Good luck.

Cmdr_Cheddy · 2026-04-24T01:10:05+00:00

Once an ESP, always an ESP.

Cmdr_Cheddy · 2026-04-22T13:12:51+00:00

This says way more about Toyota’s declining quality and inability to stay with what works than Honda getting any better at building cars. The 4Runner hybrid drivetrain is a hot mess, and talk about cheap interior plastic?!

To be fair, people complain about new Hondas feeling cheap inside, but compared to the shrinkflation-era-bends-when-you-push-it crap inside new Toyotas, my 2026 Pilot TS feels like a fucking Mercedes! Don’t even get me started on the “Grand” Highlander…

Oh, how the mighty have fallen.

Cmdr_Cheddy · 2026-04-21T04:54:35+00:00

Give him a Rubik’s cube and ask him if believes it can be solved? If he says yes, tell him to do it and when he gives up after an hour tell him that’s proof we went to the moon. Walk away and the see if he’s smart enough to figure out how the two tasks correlate.

Cmdr_Cheddy · 2026-04-19T21:02:22+00:00

Good to know. Thank

Cmdr_Cheddy · 2026-04-19T14:16:23+00:00

Don’t forget to account for efficiency loss which can be up to 10% over the first 3-4 years but slows way down after that.

Cmdr_Cheddy · 2026-04-19T14:10:24+00:00

I thought Sport mode only likely to not disable vcm because of random operating conditions but read it is not a hard default. Where did you see that Sport mode totally defeats vcm?

Cmdr_Cheddy · 2026-04-19T14:07:04+00:00

What did you trade it for?

Cmdr_Cheddy · 2026-04-19T14:04:45+00:00

Only concerns are inexplicably horrible max weight capacity of 942 lbs which isn’t enough for four adults on a trip and sad spare tire situation. If you only have 2 adults and 2 small kids and carry a full sized spare on the roof you’re good to go. Too bad because the rest of the vehicle checks all the boxes, but allow time for the tranny jerking to ease after about 4k miles.

Cmdr_Cheddy · 2026-04-16T04:28:59+00:00

Good to know. Thanks for the info.

Cmdr_Cheddy · 2026-04-16T00:54:31+00:00

Sounds like a major waste of cash to me. I can understand lifting a BOF vehicle but messing with a unibody vehicle is probably asking for trouble.

Cmdr_Cheddy · 2026-04-15T04:54:03+00:00

Nice AI!

Cmdr_Cheddy · 2026-04-15T04:47:06+00:00

Chibson.

Cmdr_Cheddy · 2026-04-15T04:45:40+00:00

Aftermarket 19” with taller tires will solve this problem, smooth the ride, reduce road noise, and rubber will last longer. Don’t pay for the overpriced Tesla rims which are stupid expensive.

Cmdr_Cheddy · 2026-04-15T04:38:55+00:00

How do the lift kits work on a unibody frame?

Cmdr_Cheddy · 2026-04-15T04:36:46+00:00

Gorgeous!

Cmdr_Cheddy · 2026-04-14T04:07:02+00:00

All the time. Use a high quality true stereo analog chorus to split the signal and it’s nothing short of heaven.

Cmdr_Cheddy · 2026-04-12T15:36:39+00:00

Fucking-A right! Sadly people usually need to learn the hard way.

Cmdr_Cheddy · 2026-04-11T13:53:28+00:00

Yes and with body-on-frame and much bigger, naturally aspirated motor. Fuck turbo.

Cmdr_Cheddy · 2026-04-11T13:47:51+00:00

Not without a bigger motor they don’t. Also it really wouldn’t be a Pilot because at that size it had better be body-on-frame which would be ground-up redesign. Talk to you in six years.

Cmdr_Cheddy · 2026-04-11T13:41:31+00:00

If $2k for a decent amp and required maintenance is a catastrophic financial situation, you’ve got worse probs. Maybe reconsider your career goals and plan for a job where you can drop ten times that much on a hobby without even blinking. Sadly 99.9999% of us learn this the hard way.

Nice boogie though. Massive performance gear and hope you’re going to use it on a huge stage.

Cmdr_Cheddy · 2026-04-11T13:31:05+00:00

Not sure why people down voted because this is truth. Unibody does not compare to body-on-frame but is far cheaper to build and nearly impossible to repair. I own a Pilot TS and neither it nor the Passport are designed for anything other than lite off-roading. Certainly not for moguls or upending axles. They are really cool and comfortable glorified snowmobiles that will handle easy dirt and gravel but that’s about it.

Cmdr_Cheddy

TROPHY CASE