Totally, the heat thing is a myth but those shields are no joke. Saw one take a direct hit and barely had a scratch.

Oh man, I feel this in my spine right now. I dropped way too much on a "gaming" throne that promised to fix my slouch, and now I'm back on a dining room chair with a pillow. It's like the more they charge, the more likely it is to turn you into a human pretzel. My wallet and my back are both still in recovery.

Hugo50 is right about the interest, but that's only one side of it. If you take the money you save each month and actually invest it well, those returns could beat the extra interest you pay. A lot of people just spend the extra cash, but if you're strict with it, investing the difference is a solid plan. The math can work out in your favor if your investments grow faster than your loan's interest rate.

Ugh, those hidden burrs are the worst. Try a bright flashlight from the breech end, sometimes the shadow gives it away.

Actually, I'm kind of impressed you went for it and took everything apart! Most people just live with the squeaks forever. That wrong grease was a speed bump, not a roadblock. You figured out the fix and got it done, which is more than I can say for my closet door that's been singing for a year. Sometimes you gotta dive in headfirst to learn.