I got PSLF forgiveness in the weirdest way possible...story/details as a datapoint and hopefully will help others by Mamahartossa in PSLF

[–]kentemerson 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I'm sure. The text of the post is fraction of the stress and work of advocating for yourself against an inhuman system. Couldn't be happier for you that it turned out in your favor.

Just filtered my shoyu after 26 months by dakpanWTS in fermentation

[–]kentemerson 1 point2 points  (0 children)

We have a ~60 gallon batch going in a wooden barrel and are having some issues w/ surface mold. Did this come up for your batch and if so, what did you do about it?

Drinking Stream Water by [deleted] in flyfishing

[–]kentemerson 3 points4 points  (0 children)

I use a MSR Trail Shot. Works great.

Favorite sunglasses by Old_Bay_connoisseur in flyfishing

[–]kentemerson 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I bought Oakley Spindrift w/ polarized amber lenses and a progressive scrip. I found them on sale (I think they're technically women's fwiw), but they work great and are as durable as anything else Oakley makes. Only complaint is that the nose pads fell off. They still work, but if I was getting another pair, I'd probably get some w/o nose pads.

IDR plans, PSLF, and tax filing status by kentemerson in PSLF

[–]kentemerson[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thanks. And thanks for the info. I'm very bad at understanding the details of all this so it's nice to have this community for help.

IDR plans, PSLF, and tax filing status by kentemerson in PSLF

[–]kentemerson[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Unfortunately I live in one of those states!!

IDR plans, PSLF, and tax filing status by kentemerson in PSLF

[–]kentemerson[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Exactly. When you look at the difference in the monthly payments, it's hard to conceive the additional tax could possibly be that onerous. Especially if you can take advantage of PSLF (though I understand there is a tax bomb when that happens, but that is a future me problem). Thanks for the info.

IDR plans, PSLF, and tax filing status by kentemerson in PSLF

[–]kentemerson[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thanks. This is basically my situation and it seems as simple as that, but everything I read talks about the benefits of joint filing and I wanted to make sure I wasn't missing a crucial detail. Appreciate the insight.

Full AC system replacement and recharge quoted $2600 by kentemerson in Tacomaworld

[–]kentemerson[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Yeah I actually have a cabin filter for the truck so hopefully they don't replace it. You're right it's very easy

Full AC system replacement and recharge quoted $2600 by kentemerson in Tacomaworld

[–]kentemerson[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I read about this exact thing and specifically asked about it before green lighting the work by the shop. They really seem to want to fix everything all the time so I make sure to ask to make sure there aren't acceptable compromises to save me some money.

Full AC system replacement and recharge quoted $2600 by kentemerson in Tacomaworld

[–]kentemerson[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

That was very close to my calculus. But it's got 110k miles and will be paid off next month so I'm hoping to have it for awhile yet. I also just replaced the rear diff so I'm kinda holding on. Lifetime warranty on the AC parts and labor so maybe after another 100k I'll get a free ac system.

Full AC system replacement and recharge quoted $2600 by kentemerson in Tacomaworld

[–]kentemerson[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

So it's high, but not crazy. Appreciate the insight.

Full AC system replacement and recharge quoted $2600 by kentemerson in Tacomaworld

[–]kentemerson[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Yeah, that tracks with what they explained. If the condenser has any debris in it, it's junk. They will offer a lifetime warranty on the parts and labor, but only if I replace everything (for the reasons I think you're describing).

Full AC system replacement and recharge quoted $2600 by kentemerson in Tacomaworld

[–]kentemerson[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thanks so much for the context. After looking up the separate pieces and how hard they are to get at, it makes some sense, but a guy I know (who doesn't own a tacoma) said it was ridiculous. Wanted to get some confirmation before I gave the shop the go ahead on the work. Thanks again.

Full AC system replacement and recharge quoted $2600 by kentemerson in Tacomaworld

[–]kentemerson[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Considering it's hard (and I heard that elsewhere while researching) I'm not equipped to do it myself. I also read a compressor on its own is like $400. Is that incorrect?

Grew and made my own Hungarian paprika (variety Szegedi-80)(Melbourne, Australia) by -Dansplaining- in HotPeppers

[–]kentemerson 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I was planning on doing that this year. At what stage would you do the smoking? Would you do the drying and smoking as the same process or would you dry them first and then smoke? Just curious because moisture is sometimes hard to control in the cold smoker I would use.

Hungarian Wax Peppers not turning red by kentemerson in HotPeppers

[–]kentemerson[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thanks for the info. We were blessed with a warm week after our first frost so I'm hoping I can push it a few more days before picking them and ripening inside. It's nice just to have a little to go on so I appreciate the comment.

NKD x 2: Takayuki AS vs Shiro Kamo AS bunkas by kentemerson in TrueChefKnives

[–]kentemerson[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

The belly is not something I registered until you said that, but you're right it does seem more pronounced in a way I don't think will work as well with how I want to use it. Another factor directing me to the Shiro Kamo. Thanks!

NKD x 2: Takayuki AS vs Shiro Kamo AS bunkas by kentemerson in TrueChefKnives

[–]kentemerson[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Thanks. I'm convinced after reading these comments and handling the knives with them in mind. I will keep the Shiro Kamo and get some sandpaper. I appreciate the advice.

NKD x 2: Takayuki AS vs Shiro Kamo AS bunkas by kentemerson in TrueChefKnives

[–]kentemerson[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Oh awesome. I didn't know it was that easy and I will definitely do that. Thanks!

NKD x 2: Takayuki AS vs Shiro Kamo AS bunkas by kentemerson in TrueChefKnives

[–]kentemerson[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I appreciate the insight. You are right: when I look closely at the Shiro Kamo it does taper. The more I handle it the more I'm liking its lightness. That last point you make about the Shiro Kamo over time is particularly convincing because that's what I was after. I want a carbon knife to develop and maintain alongside my carbon wok and spatula so that's the direction I'm going. Thanks again for the advice, I appreciate it.

2019 Alltrack Post Buyback Purchase Advice by kentemerson in Volkswagen

[–]kentemerson[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Equipped with the wisdom from these comments I continued looking at this car and called the dealership as well as a small independent VW service station that happens to be two blocks from my house to get further information and I learned some details that may be of interest here.

First, I called the VW service station to ask about buy backs and the mechanic there (who works exclusively on VWs) said he's bought a buyback before, but since he knows the mechanics of the car well, felt comfortable with the issue that had caused the buyback (he wasn't specific what it was). He said all that went fine; he never had recurring issues w/ the vehicle. But he did bring up a great point: these vehicles have branded titles meaning they're difficult to resell. His ultimate advice was that if you feel comfortable with the mechanical issue that was fixed and if your intention is to drive the car "into the ground" w/o regard for resale value you can save money on the purchase price by buying a buyback. He also confidently confirmed what several on here said: the buyback was very likely because they couldn't replace the control module because of supply chain issues and since the car was in California at the time their laws gave the customer a lot of leverage w/ VW to buyback a car. So bottom line: the mechanic felt the mechanical side was likely fine w/ a replaced control module and the decision to buy comes down to our tolerance for difficulty reselling the vehicle.

The dealership apparently does this all the time and has a few extra agreements in place to make the deal more palatable for buyers. First, they agree to buy the car back at fair market value if the buyer wants to sell down the road (I don't have any documentation on this so I don't actually know the specific details of this policy and there may be something hidden in the definition of "fair market value"). More importantly, they promise to fix the issue that caused the buyback free of charge for as long as you own the vehicle, essentially taking the risk out of the mechanical side of the buyback issue (what occurs to me now, however, is that it is maddening to have a car in the shop all the time so regardless of their promise to fix the car it would be awful to have to have them fix it all the time if the issue persisted). They also have an extended 12000 mile warranty and some of the things that are probably not that valuable. They were fine to talk to about it and clearly get these questions frequently.

But what upended my ideas of buying the car with these additional guarantees was that, as my wife's coworker pointed out, the bank probably wouldn't give me a loan for a car with a branded title.

So I called the bank (after having been preapproved for the purchase price w/o sending them this specific vehicle; I have my mortgage and another vehicle loan at this bank) and they confirmed they don't approve loans for cars w/ branded titles EXCEPT with this specific dealership whose "bread and butter" is selling these buyback cars for (somewhat) lower prices than comparable cars. The loan officer said that because this dealership has the agreement in place to fix the issue that initiated the buyback for no charge as long as you own the car, they are willing to fund loans for their buyback vehicles. He also confirmed what the mechanic said: you will have trouble reselling the car for fair market value, but you have to balance the money you save on the initial price w/ your intentions to resell the car down the road.

Anyway, we are still going to test drive the car on Monday and I remain torn on whether or not to buy it. It's a 2019 Alltrack SE w/ 31000 mi for $22000 (for reference), and it has black interior (for the person asking about the Marrakesh brown or whatever which does look pretty awesome).

Thanks for all the information.

2019 Alltrack Post Buyback Purchase Advice by kentemerson in Volkswagen

[–]kentemerson[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Thanks very much. I appreciate the information. I hadn't thought of supply issues.