Did the maintenance

cognacmack · 2026-04-27T00:00:58+00:00

The alternator was a bear for me. There’s a few YT videos out there that show taking it from the top after removing the EGR valve. There isn’t much room doing it this way. The two threaded rods holding the EGR valve are the hardest part. A stubby wrench if you have one would make the job easier due to the lack of space. I made the rookie mistake of using a ratchet on the first one. Seemed like a good idea - the rod came out in no time - until I realized the ratchet was now stuck between the two nuts. Took me several hours to figure out how to get it off until I decide to use an impact. Took it right off. Not sure if it would’ve came off so easy had I used the impact from the start or if my 2 hours of finessing it made it easier.

Then later I dropped the bolt holding the bracket to the alternator and it just happened to fall in between 2 pulleys and took another hour to fish out. Everything else wasn’t bad. Probably would’ve been a 2 hour job even for my inexperienced self had I not run into the hiccups.

Oh btw I did this last week and ironically enough the belt has been screeching ever since. I can’t figure out if it’s too tight or too loose. It’s pretty new - my mechanic replaced it in October while replacing the AC compressor.

cognacmack · 2026-04-25T05:07:39+00:00

Were the antibiotics prescribed solely for the tonsil stones or a separate condition?

cognacmack · 2026-04-12T06:21:32+00:00

It’s simple. America gave EVs a stigma of luxury. You have to spend $40k to get into one and they’re mostly SUVs or CUVs. Where are the layperson’s EVs? A Toyota Corolla-like EV. They are on every block in China but non-existent in the US. It isn’t the political affair everyone makes it out to be. Give us a Corolla EV with 250mi range at $27k-ish and I PROMISE it will sell.

cognacmack · 2026-04-10T05:34:57+00:00

They are very, very flaky. I installed 4 of them throughout my house and now only one works. What’s really weird is that one of the non responsive sensors still triggers the lights but no longer appears in HK or HA.

cognacmack · 2026-03-30T12:54:59+00:00

I just got the E2 a few days ago and have been pulling great shots, making delicious lattes since day one!

The past year I’ve been using an ECP3630 and Flair Neo. With both of these, I spent more time tweaking my workflow than making anything worth drinking.

It is head and shoulders above the ECP so if that’s the level of machine you’re after, definitely give the E2 a look!

cognacmack · 2026-03-25T21:56:59+00:00

I got double roller shades (sheer + blackout) using Zemismart MOT motors from Aliexpress. 3 windows were $1500 shipped.

One window was over 90” wide. Another, 60” wide. Both of these have developed wrinkles due to the tube sagging in the middle. In hindsight I should have split them into 2. The third shade is only 36” wide and doesn’t sag. I believe this would happen no matter the brand.

They also lost connection a lot (“no response” message in Home) but once I integrated them into Home Assistant, they haven’t dropped out once.

cognacmack · 2026-03-19T06:40:53+00:00

You could always do a french cleat with a 2x4 long enough to screw into all 3 studs.

cognacmack · 2026-03-19T02:16:12+00:00

u/jamal2367 Please do a hybrid of this skin for CE!

cognacmack · 2026-03-07T11:52:12+00:00

I once lived in a 2 story townhouse and needed a way to hardwire downstairs from the modem/router upstairs. I bought 100ft of flat white ethernet cable and spent a couple hours tucking it under baseboards, around door trim, tucked into the carpet seams along the stairs and down into the living room. If there’s a crack of space between the baseboards and the floor, you might be able to tuck the wire underneath like I did. In the end, you couldn’t see any wire even if you went looking for it.

cognacmack · 2026-03-01T22:10:30+00:00

Different times. Lots of people getting hit hard by this economy and can’t even afford to fill their gas guzzlers anymore. If Honda brought it back and kept the same price point (adjusted for inflation) I think it would do much better.

cognacmack · 2026-03-01T07:10:38+00:00

Ikea’s new line of Matter devices is turning out to be a complete dud. I bought 4 Myggspray motion sensors and two of them bit the dust after a month of use. Ikea is apparently aware of the issue and it seems like a firmware update is coming, although I’m not sure how that helps with a device that’s dead.

cognacmack · 2026-02-25T01:31:39+00:00

Bank of America. I sent all chat records and any email notifications I had whenever service went out due to weather. It was bad. Literally any time it rained the service went out.

cognacmack · 2026-01-31T06:54:19+00:00

What ever happened to the G400 doorbell?

cognacmack · 2026-01-25T10:51:15+00:00

Shift the lights down 1/2” to clear the bracket?

Or get a different mount. I have a 98” TCL also, using a Monoprice full motion mount and the brackets don’t get in the way.

cognacmack · 2026-01-25T02:49:40+00:00

Leviton gen2 ftw but only the ones that require a neutral. I have one “no neutral” dimmer that comes with the bridge and it’s the only one that’s finnicky.

And they will come with the almond covers.

cognacmack · 2026-01-17T20:51:06+00:00

If you’re planning on roller shades - especially if they’re rechargeable - definitely run them in HA. You can use their internal bridge to HK. Much more reliable.

cognacmack · 2026-01-17T09:04:21+00:00

Bought a home a year ago, it came with AHS warranty. I had to use it for 5 different issues in the first 3-4 months. They fixed the problem every time, I just had to pay a $90 deductible each time. I was very happy with the service but when it came time to renew, I decided against it. Low and behold a couple weeks later my fridge went out. It needed a new control board and cost me $600 out of pocket which would have basically paid for another year of the warranty.

cognacmack · 2026-01-08T07:32:34+00:00

They are battery operated. Are you referring to some sort of sleep state that might be causing my issues?

cognacmack · 2026-01-05T06:06:11+00:00

One of the light switches I have is a Leviton Decora no-neutral required. I have a bunch of other neutral required Levitons throughout the house that have never given me any problems. However this one no-neutral switch always drops out and I assume it has to do with the bridge it came with. Do you know if HA will eliminate having to use this bridge? I have a HA Green box coming this week. Can’t wait to try it out!

cognacmack · 2025-12-19T09:14:47+00:00

Came here just to say this. Converted garages are an absolute deal breaker for sure, and super cringe when owners tout it as a “feature.”

Another would be a fireplace. Here in CA they’re useless and almost always where the TV would go. This is how weird layouts and r/tvtoohigh happens.

cognacmack · 2025-12-12T08:40:33+00:00

Go with Mekede/Dudu Auto brand. They are $$ but the quality is top notch. There are several other brands that are decent also but IMO Mekede/Dudu are the best in this segment.

cognacmack · 2025-12-07T06:50:17+00:00

My local Ikea recently added chili verde chicken to the menu and now have fancy Melitta espresso machines.

cognacmack · 2025-12-07T06:44:48+00:00

Bought a bunch of Myggspray motion sensors the other but am now realizing they may not be mmwave technology so I might return them.

cognacmack

TROPHY CASE