u/Excellent_Meat_6490

So I finally got my device ripped out today after having it for two years. It was definitely a pain having the thing but it was still better than not driving. I was lucky and had virtually no issues with my device except one time over 18 months ago where the device wouldn't sync and I had to disconnect a battery terminal for a few seconds. Other than that I never had any real issues. I never had any lockouts either. That's probably thanks to this subreddit because I read shitloads of stuff on here before I even got my device so I already knew what to watch out for. I had an almost brand new battery in my car when I got the device. I'm in Massachusetts so it gets below zero in the winter so I bought a battery tender so I could hook it up on really cold nights to prevent battery drain. I made sure to use power save every time I was done driving. The one really stressful event I had was last summer when the starter on my car (15 Civic) died and I had to bring it in. I called Intoxalock and put it in for service and I wound up having zero issues with that. The fact I live in Mass I was told removal would be a shit show but it really wasn't. I didn't need to do a final download or calibration or anything. Just once my 2 years were up I had to go on the rmv website and request my removal eligibility. The website told me I'd be called by a hearings officer within the next 3-5 business days. I got called the very next day and was told that I had nothing on records that would extend me. Was off the phone in less than 5 minutes. After the call all I had to do was go on the rmv site again and request a replacement license which would be an unrestricted license. That took less than 5 minutes. After that I had to call Intoxalock and got my removal scheduled for today. All three of those things took about a half hour combined. The removal today took like a half hour also (my car being a Civic makes it easy to work on). Overall yes it was a pain in the ass having the device but it was nowhere near as bad as it could have been because I did research beforehand and knew what to do for the most part. I've read too many stories of people not realizing that they couldn't leave their vehicle in subzero temperatures for 10 days unattended while they went to Cabo. Or just 10 days unattended period. The biggest thing that probably helped me though was not drinking. I definitely had a serious problem before and have been sober for about 5 years now, well Cali sober anyway. One of the best things you can do to avoid lockouts is to just not drink while you have the thing but I also understand that's too much to ask for a lot of people. So if you are going to drink while having the device I have two tips. 1. Only drink on nights when you dont have to drive the next day just so that way if the drinks happen to go down like water that night (trust me I know how that goes) you'll have a whole day to sober up. 2. If you are gonna drink and drive the next day just get yourself a personal breathalyzer to use so you can be sure you're going to blow triple zero before you get in the vehicle. I've read too many stories of people being like I thought I could drink a six pack of imperial double ipas really late at night and be good to go to work at 6 or 7 am the next day. I know it sucks having the device but as long as you stay on top of things and stay aware of your actions you'll get through it. Good luck everyone, there is an end to this.