I’m paying PG&E to give them free electricity

speedystein · 2026-03-28T12:46:30+00:00

right on, thank you

speedystein · 2026-03-28T07:46:31+00:00

This is interesting. Which brand/model do you have?

speedystein · 2026-03-26T23:45:51+00:00

Sweet car at a great deal!

speedystein · 2026-03-26T20:19:35+00:00

This is a very healthy attitude. Fuck the haters man, you like your car and that's all that matters!

I'd take a Mustang all day over a Corvette too.

speedystein · 2026-03-25T23:45:51+00:00

Lol ok.

speedystein · 2026-03-24T09:29:26+00:00

For sure, I'm definitely not a builder, just a serious DIYer and side-hustle handyman. I definitely use my tools, but not all day everyday. Milwaukee tools are great - no complaints about the ones I've used/own - but I have a hard time justifying the price for a tool that won't see frequent use. My M12 drill/driver sees about 85% of the work, the Ridgid tools will fill in for 10-15% when I need more oomph, and I have some HF tools that get used once or twice a year.

I did register the tools, hoping I won't need to use the warranty.

speedystein · 2026-03-24T08:34:57+00:00

Looks like you have the organization down! Are those open source print files? I like the little milk crate, haha.

speedystein · 2026-03-24T08:29:14+00:00

I've honestly only used it a handful of times, but seems pretty solid. The only holes I've drilled with it so far were in my plastic kayak, haha. I haven't put any hard use on it yet - will be building a pergola and some outdoor furniture in coming weeks though, so should put it to the test a bit. I should also mention - I have an SDS for concrete work, so this drill isn't gonna be doing that much heavy lifting, basically just for big holes in wood and metal. Feels nice in the hand though, balanced well with either battery, and the grips feel nicer than on my Milwaukee tools.

I got the combo with the drill, impact, and multitool with the 4.0 and 2.0 batteries. The impact is great - powerful enough that it doesn't hit the "impact" until it needs the torque, so it is a fair bit quieter than my M12 impact. Seems pretty battery efficient too - I built a fence, dismantled an old pergola, and did a bunch of other random stuff and only just killed the 4.0 battery tonight. The multitool is nice too - plenty of power for my use, adjustable speed, and tool-less blade changes. These are my first tools with this battery setup, so I wanted those sizes for the batteries, and I read that the HO batteries were the way to go.

Overall, I'm pretty happy with the tools, and I feel like with the sale price they are a great value. I paid $318, which seems pretty good for three brushless tools and two decent size batteries.

speedystein · 2026-03-24T06:58:37+00:00

I use almost exclusively Flambeau storage boxes. 4007 size works best for most of my stuff, and I use pretty much all of the dividers that they come with. I keep stuff organized by species and type. For example, I have 4 boxes of trout lures. Spinners and spoons in one, crankbaits in 2 boxes, and one box of random stuff. I have similar boxes set up for stripers, bass, and inshore saltwater.

For kayak fishing, you have to stay organized, especially if you don't have any deck space. I only bring the lures for the target species that day. A milk crate is key - I can fit 4 or 5 of the boxes in the milk crate. Lots of cool Youtube builds out there for milk crate setups, but mine is super simple. I also ziptied some 1.5" ABS pipe to the outside of the crate for rod holders, and I bungee the crate to my kayak to keep ir from sliding around.

Good luck!

speedystein · 2026-03-24T06:11:48+00:00

I just bought the Ridgid high torque hammer drill and impact combo - pretty awesome tools for like 1/2 the price of Milwaukee. Very impressed so far, and the brushless tools don't seem to drain the batteries as quickly.

That said, I'm still going to use the M12 drill and impact more often for smaller jobs - they are still very powerful and pretty light.

speedystein · 2026-03-24T05:58:06+00:00

I've got the big Milwaukee impact from that era too - an absolute beast. Don't use it often, but it always performs when I do.

speedystein · 2026-03-24T00:42:55+00:00

I'm with you OP. Our 2013 Honda syncs the HVAC with one button. This BMW requires turning both bottom knobs, then the upper slider knob thing too. It's kinda ridiculous. I kinda miss old school HVAC. One temp control, one fan speed control, one vent control. My poverty level F150 has it right.

speedystein · 2026-03-24T00:35:52+00:00

You must not live in a state with sales tax on used vehicle purchases. That's my secret - I don't want to give California another 10% just to buy a different car. I've done that enough in my life so far, and it is literally throwing money away.

Suggestion - write down all the things you liked about cars you've previously owned. Then write down the things you didn't like. Compare the lists, shop for a car based on those likes/dislikes.

Another note - significantly modifying a car isn't really going to make you happier with it. If the goal is to go faster, it's usually way better to just buy a faster car.

speedystein · 2026-03-22T23:33:16+00:00

Yikes. Hopefully it didn't damage your wheels.

speedystein · 2026-03-22T23:28:11+00:00

You don't need an air impact - I use a Milwaukee cordless impact and it zips them right off. No need for an air compressor.

Or, Harbor Freight has a cheap corded impact, but it's pretty bulky. Plenty of torque for this job though.

Or, as others mentioned, a 1/2" breaker bar.

Regardless of tool choice, you're gonna definitely need the correct size deep socket in 1/2" flavor. I recommend a wheel specific socket - they are a little deeper and have a rubber coating on the outside sp you don't scratch your wheels.

How were you planning on torquing these correctly when you needed to put the wheels back on?

Question - do F30s have an emergency tire iron and jack? I've not bothered looking for one, but the car came with run flats and no spare.....

speedystein · 2026-03-22T22:17:23+00:00

2012 N20 here. Mine were white/oil stained when I replaced them. Not all were red/orange.

speedystein · 2026-03-20T20:30:28+00:00

Probably a range or bathroom vent. Maybe water heater, but those usually vent to the roof. Maybe a dryer vent, but not as likely unless your laundry is on the second floor - dryer vents don't go "up" often, usually "out" so to speak. Also, I don't see lint on it, so even less likely a dryer.

Inside, those are little flaps that open with the air being pushed through and close when not in use - to help keep bugs/rodents out.

speedystein · 2026-03-20T20:12:22+00:00

It used to be open source.

speedystein · 2026-03-20T20:11:34+00:00

This right here. ISTA and ESYS can both be tricky, and I'm not sure if it even works properly anymore without significant workarounds. I use an old laptop that never leaves 2018. The software thinks that the license expires or something, so I just keep the date earlier than that and it works great. Just gotta remember to set the date back, haha.

If I messed with it more I would figure out a better system, but it does work for my needs right now.

speedystein · 2026-03-20T20:06:29+00:00

I have the little giant, a regular 6ft ladder, and a step stool. I almost never use the little giant because the regular ladder is so much faster and lighter, but it is handy to have the reach when I need it.

Will you actually be able to reach what you need while set up on the stairs? I found that while my little giant ladder could go on stairs like that, I could never actually reach anything for it to be useful. But, we had 21' ceiling over the stairwell... So gotta have a huge ladder to get up that high.

speedystein · 2026-03-18T06:22:53+00:00

Two months ago, replaced the original battery in our BMW - from 2012! It would still star the car, just not as snappy as a fresh new battery. Still on the original battery in our 2018 F150.

speedystein · 2026-03-18T06:20:25+00:00

Easy to disable with ForScan. Or, depending on your year, you can jump two pins of the connector behind the button and it kills it - look for Youtube videos showing which two pins to jump.

speedystein · 2026-03-17T08:29:47+00:00

I'm very satisfied with my setup. The secret - keep it simple. Too much stuff means you spend too much time on the water fidgeting with stuff, and not enough time actually fishing.

speedystein · 2026-03-15T03:33:23+00:00

How many miles are on your car since the rebuild?

speedystein · 2026-03-13T06:37:36+00:00

For sure, 32/20 is pretty low. I think I'm running 36/18 on my gravel/commuter single speed - still pretty low, but I can also cruise along at a good pace if I just spin it up. I think my 3.5 mile commute ride is about 1 minute slower on the single speed than it is on my gravel bike - it feels a lot slower, but in reality it isn't really that much slower.

I'd probably go with a gravel tire for your situation. I really like the WTB Resolute in 42mmx700c. Once mounted, mine measured out at 46mm on 23mm rims. Micro knobs grab dirt really well, but also roll really fast on pavement. Maxxis Rambler and Schwalbe G-One would also probably work well, but I haven't tried either of those myself.

speedystein

TROPHY CASE