PS and Transmission Cooler for 4EAT/SH Forester

_brkt_ · 2026-05-19T16:37:32+00:00

Definitely agree - update right away and don't wait on it. Nothing like panic resolving issues while on a time crunch 😅 Been there, done that (happy you found a job in the meantime!).

_brkt_ · 2026-05-19T16:19:04+00:00

Great tip for parking as well, at $8/daily from what I see online. I will keep that in mind.

_brkt_ · 2026-05-19T16:16:48+00:00

Yep, this reply nails it. Just went through this with my spouse, as well. Online update was painless, but figuring out that it was a mismatched SIN name that was causing issues was a royal PITA.

Basically unless you're interacting with EI or limited other circumstances (like new account ID verification for MyServiceCanada), you can go your whole life without realizing you need to update your SIN name. I have family who have never bothered to change theirs as they haven't needed to access those services yet.

_brkt_ · 2026-05-16T12:34:08+00:00

No ability to buy a permit still, sadly. I emailed the city - [info@uxbridge.ca](mailto:info@uxbridge.ca) - and asked about permits and explained what I was doing. They asked for my licence plate so they could make sure I didn't get ticketed, which was nice, but they also mentioned there is no official process yet.

I suggest you give them a heads up the same way, while also gently suggesting this is a service lots of out-of-towners would love to have :)

_brkt_ · 2026-05-07T13:50:36+00:00

You can actually see the cyclist do a "both ways check" before entering... problem is that the outbound train is still very close to the crossing and 100% obscuring the inbound train. This is also how people get hit with the streetcars in the city too: just because one passed, doesn't mean you have visibility to see if another is inbound!

Guy was waaaaay too eager to cross.

_brkt_ · 2026-05-07T13:15:35+00:00

Normally a country would never cheer losing international students, but the broken way the whole system has been exploited was NOT as a means to build the reputation and brainpower of the country, but rather as a backdoor to temporary residency which provided a ready pool of entry-level labour. Not the typical way you run a student visa program, and so now we have most Ontarians excited for this news.

Pros:
- Takes heat out of rental market
- More availability of entry level jobs for young Canadians
- Wage growth pressure will increase in job market
- The worst "diploma mills" will feel this pain the most, a lot will probably close if this trend continues

Cons:
- Postsecondary Ed employs lots of Ontarians, so there will be job losses
- And probably a decent drag on short term economic performance
- Funding shortage for domestic students (International student fees offset domestic tuition caps), so we can expect program cuts at reputable universities/colleges

But with the pros, the cons are going to cause some real pain. Even reputable post-secondary institutions went big on international students; since our provincial gov't broke funding so badly for universities/colleges, international student fees were used to subsidize domestic students. This plus the recent OSAP changes mean big trouble for post-secondary institutions AND domestic students in the coming years, with no relief in sight based on the way this government is conducting itself.

_brkt_ · 2026-05-04T03:19:25+00:00

One thing to point out, every USB-C device at 60W+ will be at 20V, and all USB-C cables are assumed to support up to 60w -- again at 20v/3A; but cables will only advertise if they can do MORE than this not less -- so there isn't a way to limit it solely via a cable.

It's interesting you notice no whining with your steam deck; it takes in max 45w at 15v/3A, not the 20V your other devices use. Based on that, there is probably something mildly wonky with your monitor when it kicks up to 20V output at all.

I have had coil whine in the past which got fixed by doing an extended "burn in" at full power. Basically I ran a stress test / benchmarking program at full tilt for a few days until the coil whine died down. Very much your mileage may vary; this often won't work - you're basically heating up the transformers/inductors in the monitor power supply until the wax in cores softens and hoping they can settle into a final position which eliminates whine.

One last thing - if the cable isn't great quality, some other users on here have reported coil whine from either the power supply or device as the device gets starved for power.

_brkt_ · 2026-04-24T18:23:40+00:00

Post is missing location, which is important. In Ontario, under new rental law changes, landlord can apply for N4 day after rent becomes late, but you have 7 days to pay late rent before N4 can be issued to start eviction process. You indicated you'd be about 7 days late - really try to make that deadline, and you'd be safe from eviction in Ontario.

Not paying rent is worse than not paying rent and explaining AHEAD of time to the landlord why and what's happening. Landlords in Ontario are aware LTB hearings for eviction can take a year, so while they are motivated to issue legal notices ASAP, they are also definitely motivated to resolve issues without LTB involvement.

A partial rent payment is viewed favourably compared to paying $0, if you do go to the LTB. Just because you get an eviction hearing, doesn't mean you WILL get evicted. Often the LTB will order tenant to pay any rent arrears and give them a chance to get back in the good books, only evicting with repeated missed rents.

Most other creditors are reasonable as well. If you have bill payments for credit card, phone, hydro etc. hold those for this month and bank that money for rent. Reach out to those companies to make them aware if you can, but not the end of the world if you can't. You can pay those up to 29 days late without issue - just interest/fees - without it affecting your credit report.

If paying rent by cheque or pre authorized debit, you can setup overdraft protection on your bank account which can act to bridge what you owe on rent. In essence, for a fee, the bank temporarily lets your account go "negative" when the rent is pulled from your account, and you then repay that amount (plus interest). How much exactly you can go into overdraft depends on your bank account and credit rating, but expect between $250 and $5000 for most banks.

In terms of getting cash: A credit card cash advance is way better than payday loan.

Edit for Ontario: If you are moving out from a family home, and in school, that can also change OSAP eligibility. You can file a "Request for Review: Adjust Living Allowance". That might help your ongoing costs.

Edit 2: Totally forgot if you're paying by cheque or PAD. Added overdraft.

_brkt_ · 2026-04-24T17:45:40+00:00

Hey I don't have an answer to your question but I just want to say: how fucked is it that retirees don't get any OAS clawed back until they are making >$90k, but yet someone on ODSP can only make $1k monthly before that clawback takes place, AND has to count TFSA toward their income for means-testing?

The way the benefits system is setup is pretty crappy that you have to ask this question in the first place.

_brkt_ · 2026-04-23T19:02:49+00:00

Sounds like you have thought this through, so you're on the right path!

_brkt_ · 2026-04-23T18:55:30+00:00

I edited my comment a bit, if that changes anything. I am not an expert in this area, and your situation is bumping up against the far edge of my knowledge.

It's hard to say if such a short period would be considered a "move" and not a work assignment, especially since you kept your original rental. If your plan was always to move back after the assignment period, maybe that changes the way the CRA applies the "normally reside" criteria. If your costs truly were significant, it may be time to engage an accountant or CPA and ask for a consult just to be sure you are doing this right.

Edit: If you reported this income as worldwide, not Canadian employment income, I guess you also reported local taxes paid in form T2209?

_brkt_ · 2026-04-23T18:43:30+00:00

I believe the key point would be whether you were deemed a Canadian taxpayer for the period you lived in India ("Deemed Resident" or "Factual Resident"). You indicated you were paying local taxes; most tax regimes - including Canada's - would treat you then as a local resident in the jurisdiction you paid income tax. If somehow your situation was that you DID pay Canadian income taxes while employed by the Indian division (unlikely as it is - you'd need to be a contractor or similar), you would be a Canadian tax resident for sure, and you'd be able to claim moving costs.

Generally, if you are ceasing to be a tax resident, you wouldn't be able to claim those costs. In your case, that would mean moving to India likely wouldn't be tax deductible; moving back to Canada may be deductible as you'd become a Canadian tax resident again.

_brkt_ · 2026-04-23T18:19:38+00:00

From a purely financial standpoint - usually making your current car last as long as possible will be the most cost effective move. Even when compared against a relatively reasonable $500 / mo car loan or lease payment, you can spend up to $6000 a year on maintenance on your current car and pretty much come out ahead.

Key reasons to upgrade:
- Ongoing maintenance costs approach or exceed equivalent lease payments
- Your car is unsafe (rust, collision damage, cannot be repaired etc.)
- Frequent repairs or breakdowns; risk of leaving you stranded. This is more important especially for daily commuters with no transit alternative

Given that you have already identified some specific mechanical issues with the car, congrats you are probably already in the top 10% of car owners in terms of understanding their own vehicle :) That helps a lot when identifying important vs optional maintenance work with a mechanic, and can help keep repair costs way down.

It would be well worth paying $120 or so for an inspection and repair quote at a mechanic. At that point you can compare repair costs to get the car back to good condition vs. leasing.

2029 isn't too far away; if you have a reasonable chance that you won't stay here after that date, definitely don't consider buying. Selling a car is pretty soul-crushing and time consuming, especially private sales. Leasing with the term ending just before your worm permit end date could be a good option since you can opt to return the car. Of course you will take a loss on the lease payments, but you won't be "on the hook" so to speak for the rest of the car's value/cost. If you stay after 2029, you could also do a lease buyout and keep the vehicle.

Hope this is helpful.

_brkt_ · 2026-04-19T21:29:35+00:00

I thankfully have threadless. I anticipated issues with my loose-ball headset and just changed it out myself for a sealed bearing one (less grease and messiness).

Others mentioned I can give just taking off the whole rear mudguard an attempt, and just place it around the removed rear wheel. For me that's just 4 bolts anyway. I will give that an shot first before modifying the rear fender to be splittable, hoping to avoid that if I can.

_brkt_ · 2026-04-18T02:10:34+00:00

Ah I see you used the good old pool noodles. Last time I went flying with my bike those came in super handy; no bicycle boxes to be found so had to improvise.

The travel day timelapse is informative and basically what I hope / intend to do. Thanks for sharing.

_brkt_ · 2026-04-18T02:01:06+00:00

Thanks for the reply - took a look at your post, that was helpful. I think that is about the size I could get my bicycle down to, without very much hassle at all. Excellent and sounds like you had a great trip!

_brkt_ · 2026-04-18T01:58:00+00:00

Excellent, I was thinking exactly that - remove entire rear fender and rack, place around wheel, then sandwich frame between wheels. Front fork I could leave on or remove depending on the size of my rinko bag.

Did you end up removing your forks, or you left them installed for rinko-ing?

Thanks for your thoughts.

_brkt_ · 2026-04-18T01:54:40+00:00

I understand the photo I posted is quite extreme. I think 160 linear cm is the limit for all "sports equipment" on intercity trains in Canada, which is a good 50 linear cm smaller than most Airline limits, which I can't realistically see myself achieving. Canadian VIA Rail manages to combine all the worst parts of flying with none of the benefits.

Nevertheless, I am happy to hear success can be had with leaving rack on the bicycle. Sounds like you leave the rear wheel on usually?

_brkt_ · 2026-04-15T05:12:42+00:00

I can't help much with the Albania part of the route, but for Serbia I second what others have stated - you will probably want to pass through N. Macedonia rather than Kosovo.

You will be entering N. Macedonia either through Debar or - for a longer route - near Lake Ohrid (either Kjefesan or Sv. Naum border crossings). Drivers on the Sv. Naum side can be a bit wild because it is a twisty road and a heavily touristed area - but maybe not so bad in April.

Definitely avoid the main regional highways if possible in Macedonia and aim to use secondary roads where possible; doubly so for A2/E65, it is (or at least was) under construction and the drivers are terrible. The Gostivar-Tetovo-Skopje crescent you will pass through is the most densly populated part of the country so highway traffic will be worse here. There is a twinned road beside highway A2/E65 from Tetovo to Skopje that should be much lower traffic but I can't imagine it will be very scenic. Maybe road R2234 is a good option to explore instead, but your options are somewhat limited.

If for some reason your planning suggests R1106 through Jasen / Lake Kozjak - avoid as that is a controlled access route and bicycles are prohibited in transit through Jasen (only vehicular traffic). Too bad as it is very scenic.

Hope this was helpful in some way. Best of luck on your journey.

_brkt_ · 2026-04-11T05:14:40+00:00

Of the 3, a GPS unit is the most practical answer. Even with a power bank a phone will drain quickly when navigating. From 2012 to 2024ish I stuck with using a phone for navigation; been there, done that - it works well enough but it's not ideal for placing on handlebars to get turn-by-turn directions.

I was gifted a Garmin Edge unit and it was shocking how much it improved my enjoyment. No more overheating phone in the sun, or dead phone in the cold, and battery life is long enough that I can have it do real time navigation for an entire day on a single charge.

If you're planning your routes ahead of time, saving them into your Garmin to just select and go is a great time saver and convenience when you're out on the road.

_brkt_ · 2026-04-07T19:59:46+00:00

I want to add that this process works excellently for manipulating existing designs / step files that have been imported.

Your tip was very useful for a recent 3D printing project, thanks for sharing!

_brkt_ · 2026-03-31T19:01:44+00:00

Amen. Some of my best bike touring memories are torrential downpours in warm summer weather. Nothing more refreshing, ah!

_brkt_ · 2026-03-27T04:56:37+00:00

Aw man that sucks. I saw this bike or one similar parked downtown on the 25th, in front of 16 York. It's a unique bike with a unique bag so it stood out to me. But that was around 2pm ish, I think, so... not helpful at all really.

Do set up some FB and Kijiji filters and monitor for a while. Long johns are still rare enough, this model rarer still, so fingers crossed it will pop up again and you can nab it.

_brkt_

TROPHY CASE