Mechanic rant

[ahkahn]

So I'm in the process of buying a new [to me] Lance. Some of you may have seen my posts here and elsewhere about this plane. Plane looked good to me, asking price was reasonable, many fantastic upgrades in the plane, and the engine was overhauled by a fantastic shop to factory specs 500 hours ago.

Entered a contract on the plane back in Mid-October, immediately called a local shop that has a fantastic reputation and does very good and thorough work. They took it in after a 2 week wait, tore into it quickly, and within 3 days found a 5 page squawk list including some decent belly corrosion. The list was legit... basically the old mechanic was either pencil-whipping annuals, very lax, or just didn't care. There were even AD's that had been signed off on that had obviously not been done. After some shock by the seller (I believe it to be legit), he OK'd all of the work... total cost coming in around $17k including annual. We were given a 3 week lead time for completion. After a couple of weeks, they slowed down significantly. In fact, they got in 4 or 5 other planes that turned all turned into projects like this one. So now, the shop is trying to spread their time between 5 or 6 planes that are all major projects and don't have the manpower to handle it.

After 3 weeks, I heard "another week"... this "another week" business has been going on for the last 4 weeks now with only a little work being done each day. It was supposed to be done last Monday... then Tuesday afternoon... then Wednesday morning... of course Christmas was Thursday... but Friday morning it was going to be done first thing... then Friday afternoon after the plane was all closed back up and "finished", I was told Saturday morning because it had to be ran up and tested. I get there today to watch the run up and the bill is done (reluctantly by the mechanic), but now I find out the brakes have to be bled! I actually forced the mechanic to bleed the brakes with me helping this afternoon... which we did not finish because he had to leave. The seller is overly frustrated... as am I.

Now we're really pressed for time because my bank approval is about the expire and the seller is going out of town Monday for the next week and a half. The mechanic claims he will come in tomorrow (Sunday), but I somehow don't expect to hear from him.

He runs a fantastic shop and has a stellar reputation, but it appears he really got in over his head with too much work... and that he likes to tell people what they want to hear.

Any other comments or thoughts or is this typical? The seller seems to indicate that it's typical in aviation... he's owned 4 or 5 planes and is not surprised at this, even though he is surprised at the fact that we cannot even get a completion estimate even on the same day that it should be completed!

[Rant over]

 

[OkieAviator]

The mechanic I use takes his own sweet time on things but his hourly rate is more than reasonable. I dropped a set of control rod boots and linkage bushing kit close to a month ago and he hasn't installed it yet. It's not a crucial set of items so I'm not overly concerned with it. The only time I've had it in the shop was for exterior paint and avionics upgrades. Both those places finished their work within a week of when they said they would.

5 pages of squawks seems like a lot and might be some lag with him getting parts, or getting items complete. I just had an annual done last month and there were maybe 10 items or so that had to be fixed. Most was a result of the plane actually flying again after sitting around for 2 years getting things like STOL kits, new engines, windscreens, control panel ect. Even with those items the Annual was only $1,000.

 

[murphey]

Contact the bank immediately, explain the situation. Get the seller to corroborate, if the bank needs more details. The seller really wants to close the deal, so he'll probably be happy to get involved.

When money is involved, most things are negotiable.

 

[Alexb2000]

I think it sucks that professionals in any industry have to be managed by the customers. This seems pretty common with aircraft mechanics. I would go down there, review the list, see what was accomplished, verify what parts are in, what parts have been ordered, start building a timeline to finish it up. If you agree on that with your mechanic then start managing him/her to that timeline. This will take a lot of followup on your part. Just the way it is.

 

[SmashTime]

One thing I cannot stand is a professional who is performing work for me and taking my money is for him to quote me a completion date and grossly miss the deadline. I am a professional and understand things happen but I am paying for a service and if you tell me it will be ready Tuesday, please make it so. Otherwise tell me that it's "possible but not likely".

 

[Tom-D]

So, make the deal, you know the discrepancies, you know the price, it's just a time thing.

 

[Silvaire]

Five pages of squawks and a seventeen thousand dollar annual is a bit absurd. Whether that is pencil whipping on the part of the previous mechanic or anal nitpicking on the part of your new shop or a combination of the two is unknown based on the info you have provided but I'll say one thing - there is no way that much pencil whipping could have taken place without the current owner/seller sharing some culpability.

 

[MBDiagMan]

Yes, that is completely absurd. Things happen sometimes, but this one is ridiculous. As mentioned, you are going to have to get everything laid out project management timeline style, and meet with them daily to keep them to the timeline. I don't understand how they are such a fantastic shop if they mismanage their work so badly.

Do you have time in a T tail? There are some characteristics that are very important that you understand. A CFI friend of mine sold one a few years ago and the buyer insisted that he had a pilot competent in the type. My friend tried to get the pilot to fly with him and stressed what he needed to know, but he put it in the trees anyway. You probably are already competent, but if not, I just didn't want to let this go by.

 

[coloradobluesky]

So who is going to pay for the work if the deal falls through? If the answer is no one, maybe that will hurry up the mechanic.

 

[ahkahn]

Yes, that is completely absurd. Things happen sometimes, but this one is ridiculous. As mentioned, you are going to have to get everything laid out project management timeline style, and meet with them daily to keep them to the timeline. I don't understand how they are such a fantastic shop if they mismanage their work so badly.

Do you have time in a T tail? There are some characteristics that are very important that you understand. A CFI friend of mine sold one a few years ago and the buyer insisted that he had a pilot competent in the type. My friend tried to get the pilot to fly with him and stressed what he needed to know, but he put it in the trees anyway. You probably are already competent, but if not, I just didn't want to let this go by.

Thank you everyone for your feedback! Here are some more details to clarify the situation:

- Yes, $17,000 is ridiculous. The mechanic has not been paid a dime and said he did not want a deposit. Before any work was authorized, I exercised the option to walk from the plane, but the seller agreed to pay for all of the items necessary to bring it up to speed. It has a strong engine (79/80 across the board), great avionics package (Aspen, 430W, GPSS, 330), and all available speed mods. So at the heart, it's a very solid aircraft... just needed a lot of TLC. I'll post the squawk list in the next post. The seller agreed to pay for nearly all of the work (I'm paying for the inspection and some of the "extra" work). I still think it was the old mechanic (who in person I would tell you who it was) is culpable... when AD's are signed off on and clearly not done, and 20 hours prior the seller was charged for new brakes (and in the logs), but yet the the discs were way below minimums, that is clearly the mechanic.

- It is a straight tail, not a T-tail.

- All of the work is done, cowl back on, and it's ready to run up. They were putting the cowl back on Friday afternoon and the mechanic told me (and the seller) to come by Saturday morning to pick it up. Seller smelled the BS in the water and told me to call him if it was truly ready... When I got there, I was told the brakes still had to be bled (to which I forced him to do it with me) and it still had to be run up (but he said it couldn't be because of the brakes and the weather... I think it's because he was there alone and there were 2 other planes in front of mine in the hangar and he didn't want to play musical planes).

- Seller is going out of town Monday AM for a week and half, so neither one of us are sure how the mechanic will get paid if seller is unavailable... Which is what is holding up this deal completion (paying the mechanic).

- Mechanic is supposed to come in today (Sunday) to bleed brakes, but I'm not holding my breath. He NEVER works Sundays... so I detect he was just telling me what I wanted to hear yesterday so that he could leave yesterday.

- He does have a stellar reputation... After all, he did insist on a thorough annual (rather than a quick pre-buy) and effective caught the laundry list of items on this plane. He saved my hide to the tune of 17k. This is why I am now a huge proponent of performing an annual rather than a pre-buy on a plane. When we took in the plane, they had 2 other planes in there. He now has 6, all of which have turned into major projects and he is grossly behind. Basically bit off more than he can chew. They are a 4 mechanic shop.

Squawk list to follow...

Thanks for feeding my rant!

 

[bnt83]

Thank you everyone for your feedback! Here are some more details to clarify the situation:

- Yes, $17,000 is ridiculous. The mechanic has not been paid a dime and said he did not want a deposit. Before any work was authorized, I exercised the option to walk from the plane, but the seller agreed to pay for all of the items necessary to bring it up to speed. It has a strong engine (79/80 across the board), great avionics package (Aspen, 430W, GPSS, 330), and all available speed mods. So at the heart, it's a very solid aircraft... just needed a lot of TLC. I'll post the squawk list in the next post. The seller agreed to pay for nearly all of the work (I'm paying for the inspection and some of the "extra" work). I still think it was the old mechanic (who in person I would tell you who it was) is culpable... when AD's are signed off on and clearly not done, and 20 hours prior the seller was charged for new brakes (and in the logs), but yet the the discs were way below minimums, that is clearly the mechanic.

- It is a straight tail, not a T-tail.

- All of the work is done, cowl back on, and it's ready to run up. They were putting the cowl back on Friday afternoon and the mechanic told me (and the seller) to come by Saturday morning to pick it up. Seller smelled the BS in the water and told me to call him if it was truly ready... When I got there, I was told the brakes still had to be bled (to which I forced him to do it with me) and it still had to be run up (but he said it couldn't be because of the brakes and the weather... I think it's because he was there alone and there were 2 other planes in front of mine in the hangar and he didn't want to play musical planes).

- Seller is going out of town Monday AM for a week and half, so neither one of us are sure how the mechanic will get paid if seller is unavailable... Which is what is holding up this deal completion (paying the mechanic).

- Mechanic is supposed to come in today (Sunday) to bleed brakes, but I'm not holding my breath. He NEVER works Sundays... so I detect he was just telling me what I wanted to hear yesterday so that he could leave yesterday.

- He does have a stellar reputation... After all, he did insist on a thorough annual (rather than a quick pre-buy) and effective caught the laundry list of items on this plane. He saved my hide to the tune of 17k. This is why I am now a huge proponent of performing an annual rather than a pre-buy on a plane. When we took in the plane, they had 2 other planes in there. He now has 6, all of which have turned into major projects and he is grossly behind. Basically bit off more than he can chew. They are a 4 mechanic shop.

Squawk list to follow...

Thanks for feeding my rant!

Welcome to aviation?

I know of $10m airplanes that sit for week because NEW OEM parts DON'T EXIST. We aren't talking about complex parts either. I mean crapper parts like the dump tube for a toilet holding up $10m jets for weeks...

everyone does their best to predict how long it will take but its very variable. $17k worth of squawks sound like a three month project to me.

 

[ahkahn]

Another bit of information, the plane was in annual which had been performed 6 months prior by seller's mechanic and about 20 hours prior.

Work/Squawk List:

- Engine extremely filthy
- Muffler shroud missing rivets and cracked
- RH and LH Aileron pulleys worn out
- 1 defective spark plug
- LH main gear actuator leaking
- Nose gear actuator leaking
- Battery box vent tube broken at bottom of box
- Co-pilot master cylinder leaking
- Brakes soft
- Control rigging/Turnbuckle AD
- Fuel tank vent partially blocked
- Both flap push-pull rod ends hitting flap well
- RH aileron aft rod end loose
- Nose wheel tire gouged and both main inner tubes deteriorated
- Brake discs and brake linings well below minimums
- 500 hour dual magneto impulse coupler inspection AD (and subsequent impulse coupler replacement)
- Sub-floor extremely dirty
- Master switch defective
- Cabin door inside handle hangs up on trim screw and washer
- RH nose gear door forward rod end worn out and loose
- Two rivets leaking fuel
- Fuel selector valve support and cover badly corroded
- Fuel strainer leaking
- Fuel pressure needle fluctuating/bouncing
- Both wing bolt covers cracked beyond repair
- Wheel wells filthy
- Stinger flange broken and cracked
- Baggage door hold open slide arm attach loose
- Oil pressure switch under panel leaking
- Vacuum filter and regulator 1300 hours overdue for replacement.. and was installed incorrectly to begin with.
- Bolts for brake reservoir loose
- Battery box dirty
- Stab trim cable tension and rudder cable tension way out of spec.
- Cowl exhaust flange cracked
- Baffles behind cylinders 2, 5 and 6 cracked/broken
- Landing light retainer ring cracked and pin broken
- Fiberglas bracket for landing light cracked/broken
- Cowl flap bracket loose/broken
- Cowl flap cable broken at swivel
- Inlet aeroduct for heat exchanger deteriorated
- Tanis heater pad on oil pan falling off
- Belly Corrosion (had to replace a full hat rail assembly, new rear skin, and patch a hole in the midsection).

The belly corrosion and the magneto AD alone were close to 10k (of the 17k). So the actual annual would come in around 7k, which is still pretty high for this model. They're all "behind the scenes" issues, and the seller didn't believe it until he saw them himself.

 

[Alexb2000]

Another bit of information, the plane was in annual which had been performed 6 months prior by seller's mechanic and about 20 hours prior.

Work/Squawk List:

- Engine extremely filthy
- Muffler shroud missing rivets and cracked
- RH and LH Aileron pulleys worn out
- 1 defective spark plug
- LH main gear actuator leaking
- Nose gear actuator leaking
- Battery box vent tube broken at bottom of box
- Co-pilot master cylinder leaking
- Brakes soft
- Control rigging/Turnbuckle AD
- Fuel tank vent partially blocked
- Both flap push-pull rod ends hitting flap well
- RH aileron aft rod end loose
- Nose wheel tire gouged and both main inner tubes deteriorated
- Brake discs and brake linings well below minimums
- 500 hour dual magneto impulse coupler inspection AD (and subsequent impulse coupler replacement)
- Sub-floor extremely dirty
- Master switch defective
- Cabin door inside handle hangs up on trim screw and washer
- RH nose gear door forward rod end worn out and loose
- Two rivets leaking fuel
- Fuel selector valve support and cover badly corroded
- Fuel strainer leaking
- Fuel pressure needle fluctuating/bouncing
- Both wing bolt covers cracked beyond repair
- Wheel wells filthy
- Stinger flange broken and cracked
- Baggage door hold open slide arm attach loose
- Oil pressure switch under panel leaking
- Vacuum filter and regulator 1300 hours overdue for replacement.. and was installed incorrectly to begin with.
- Bolts for brake reservoir loose
- Battery box dirty
- Stab trim cable tension and rudder cable tension way out of spec.
- Cowl exhaust flange cracked
- Baffles behind cylinders 2, 5 and 6 cracked/broken
- Landing light retainer ring cracked and pin broken
- Fiberglas bracket for landing light cracked/broken
- Cowl flap bracket loose/broken
- Cowl flap cable broken at swivel
- Inlet aeroduct for heat exchanger deteriorated
- Tanis heater pad on oil pan falling off
- Belly Corrosion (had to replace a full hat rail assembly, new rear skin, and patch a hole in the midsection).

The belly corrosion and the magneto AD alone were close to 10k (of the 17k). So the actual annual would come in around 7k, which is still pretty high for this model. They're all "behind the scenes" issues, and the seller didn't believe it until he saw them himself.

Unless the seller never flew the plane or talked to anyone who did then this smells like BS. Some of those squawks would have to be noticed by the owner. Just like the pencil whipped annuals would HAVE to be noticed by the owner. You'll have to judge the situation, but sometimes a seller completely willing to spend $17K to sell an aircraft means they know of $35K in lurking problems. Be VERY careful is all I'm saying.

 

[MBDiagMan]

Whoops! My mistake. I thought the Lance was a T tail, but maybe I'm not remembering correctly what my friend told me.

 

[tlrussell]

I try to always get service from a mechanic that also services a club. I get the estimate and time ready. Then I ask a simple question "are you sure you can complete this by xx/xx/xxxx?" When they say "no problem..." I then get upto 1 hr per day of free rental time for NXXXXX in writing for each day after that. Of course while it is down I rent there plane and get the credit back if it is late. I explain the plane is business and angel flight needed. Never had a problem and it is quite the motivator.

 

[Kelvin]

Quite a list..

Seems like the plane was simply flown...

What kind of story do the log books tell?

 

[bnt83]

Something tells me everyone knew about the corrosion and no one wanted to repair it. Kinda reminds me of the Ercoup thread with the crunched tailcone skin that is still flying.

 

[James_Dean]

A 1976 Lance has cowl flaps?

 

[airdale]

One thing I cannot stand is a professional who is performing work for me and taking my money is for him to quote me a completion date and grossly miss the deadline. I am a professional and understand things happen but I am paying for a service and if you tell me it will be ready Tuesday, please make it so. Otherwise tell me that it's "possible but not likely".

I'm not defending this particular mechanic, but one thing I have learned about craftsmen and schedules is that the really top craftsmen are lousy at schedules. Their approach to work is absolute tunnel vision to get things right, which inevitably takes longer than they expect. Plus, they are in demand to the point of customers pleading, and there is a strong temptation to over commit.

I used to use one of the top engine builders in the country (for my class). Inevitably Charlie would promise that I'd have the engine at least three weeks before the first race weekend of the year. Most years, though, I'd end up going to the airport to get the engine on Wednesday of race week.

Another friend is one of the top pistolsmiths in the country. I was talking to him one time and he was marveling at the gun he'd found in the back of his safe -- one sent to him six months before that he'd completely forgotten about as he worked on other projects!

You pays your money and you takes your choice. Where possible, my money is on the best craftsmen I can find, with full understanding that schedules will probably be missed.

 

[RalphInCA]

It boils down to the old quality triangle:

Speed
Quality
Cost

Which two do you want?
If you are willing to give up control of cost, and throw money at the problem, you can get it faster, with high quality.

 

[Jay Honeck]

Been there, done that. You have my sympathy, because you are being held hostage by an unholy trinity of greed, incompetence, and the law.

Reason #321 that I jumped out of the certificated world, into an RV.

 

[Silvaire]

While admitting that I do not know any of the parties involved and that this is just a casual observation on my part I will say that there are certain maintenance shops and mechanics who try to impress you by criticizing previous maintenance work. These are usually shops or individuals who have a heightened view of themselves and believe no one else compares. They may in fact believe that you're nuts taking your aircraft to anyone else. So, when I see a long squawk list peppered with terms such as "way out of", "badly", "well beyond" and "filthy" I'm a bit suspicious. A list of discrepancies need not be emotional and I see in yours a number of items that normally would just be addressed in a matter of course and not even mentioned. Nitpicking is the term I would apply to many of them.

You said there were AD's signed off that clearly were not completed however I do not see them on your list.

Again, I don't know anyone involved here, just my observation.

 

[James331]

Sounds like you're buying a POS from a liar, or the shop is tryin to make a house payment.

I guess if the buyer is willing to pay for all the work...

Ether way first Id have someone else take a look, if its really a POS Id use the bank time limit as an excuse and just walk, plenty of lances out there.

 

[Alexb2000]

Just as an example are the brakes really spongy, both linings worn out, leaking master? If they are then somebody is operating an aircraft they know isn't right, those things didn't happen in the last couple of weeks. Easy to verify for yourself and helps you decide who is telling the truth.

 

[RotorAndWing]

(A) Aircraft owners are notoriously cheap, the bigger and faster the plane the cheaper they become.

(B ) There are a lot of IA's that sell their signatures.

When combining A+B you now see a lot of the planes on the market and the result.

 

[Norman]

(A) Aircraft owners are notoriously cheap, the bigger and faster the plane the cheaper they become.

(B ) There are a lot of IA's that sell their signatures.

When combining A+B you now see a lot of the planes on the market and the result.

You're too damned polite!

But, in fairness, I've had some "fix my airplane, send me the bill" types.

 

[ahkahn]

Whoops! My mistake. I thought the Lance was a T tail, but maybe I'm not remembering correctly what my friend told me.

The 76's and some 77's were straight tails, some 77's and all 78's were T-tails.

-Andrew

 

[ahkahn]

A 1976 Lance has cowl flaps?

It has a LoPresti cowl which includes a cowl flap.

 

[ahkahn]

You're too damned polite!

But, in fairness, I've had some "fix my airplane, send me the bill" types.

^^^^ -> That. This seller put close to 100k into this plane in the last 5 years. Definitely not a cheapskate. It has the full LoPresti package (Cowl, spats, etc), an Aspen 1000, 430W, 330, and 4 years ago had a factory-spec overhaul at 42k (I saw the invoice). His mechanic did not do the overhaul... but did do the engine install.

 

[ahkahn]

So, now for the rest of the story... Got a call from the mechanic this morning. He actually showed up today. I ran up to the airport and we bled the brake lines together to get this done. 3 hours of pumping brakes, and well, they're not perfect, but they're working decently. Evidently Piper brakes are a PITA. Seller came up and we took the plane for a test flight... all went well. Proceeding with the closing tomorrow.

For those that say there could be much more hiding... as thorough as my mechanic was with this plane, there isn't much he could have missed. The seller referred to it as a "restoration project" which it practically was. It had been neglected for so long that there wasn't much that didn't have to be touched.

Thanks to everyone for your feedback! Definitely helpful.

 

[Clark1961]

Evidently Piper brakes are a PITA.

Sounds like you & your mechanic did a good job on the pre-buy.

Piper brakes are a PITA only when the master cylinders need rebuilt. I fussed with the 'kota brakes for a couple years and finally had the cylinders rebuilt and all the hoses replaced. Haven't had a bit of trouble since...

 

[Mason]

Sounds like it is gonna be a deal. Congrats on your new bird.

Keep us posted as you go along getting up to speed owning it....

 

[ahkahn]

Sounds like you & your mechanic did a good job on the pre-buy.

Piper brakes are a PITA only when the master cylinders need rebuilt. I fussed with the 'kota brakes for a couple years and finally had the cylinders rebuilt and all the hoses replaced. Haven't had a bit of trouble since...

Yeah, they had to rebuild one of the cylinders and the other one was OK. PITA was saying it nicely. His crew would have done it if this wasn't such a rush job over the weekend! I like your idea about replacing the lines... maybe next time I'll have that done.

I'll keep everyone updated on how the new bird goes! Closing and checkout is tomorrow!

 

[Clark1961]

Yeah, they had to rebuild one of the cylinders and the other one was OK. PITA was saying it nicely. His crew would have done it if this wasn't such a rush job over the weekend! I like your idea about replacing the lines... maybe next time I'll have that done.

I'll keep everyone updated on how the new bird goes! Closing and checkout is tomorrow!

Yup, keep us posted - you get a little story telling entertainment value for your maintenance nightmare.

The brake hoses on the 'kota were as hard as rocks so replacement was pretty much a no brainer. The other hoses to look at are on fuel lines and oil lines. If they won't flex then replace is my approach. Other folks use 8 years unless they are "lifetime" hoses which some people are using these days.

On the Piper master cylinders, they can function and still draw air. If you find that you have soft brakes again in a few months then just have the rest of the master cylinders rebuilt. Don't skip the parking brake.

 

[ahkahn]

Yup, keep us posted - you get a little story telling entertainment value for your maintenance nightmare.

The brake hoses on the 'kota were as hard as rocks so replacement was pretty much a no brainer. The other hoses to look at are on fuel lines and oil lines. If they won't flex then replace is my approach. Other folks use 8 years unless they are "lifetime" hoses which some people are using these days.

On the Piper master cylinders, they can function and still draw air. If you find that you have soft brakes again in a few months then just have the rest of the master cylinders rebuilt. Don't skip the parking brake.

Great tip! Thank you!!

 

[Dr. O]

Actually $17K is not bad. You could drop more than that on a fresh interior and a paint job.
As far as airplane mechanics, the common thread with them that I have observed is that a full day of work consists of roughly 3 hours actually spinning wrenches and a lot of time on the phone, drinking coffee, shooting the bull with the 10 guys who drop by during the day, running to the bank, picking up the wife's dry cleaning, yadda, yadda. There is a reason they are self employed and it mostly involves an aversion to sustained effort. Skilled? Yes.
Dedicated? ummm, I'll let that one pass.

Now, having said that, I like my mechanic. I practically raised him. He started helping his dad work on my planes when he was 14. But he shows the same character traits I just listed.

 

[Ken Ibold]

It has a LoPresti cowl which includes a cowl flap.

Oh Lord, what a PITA those are. My old one was so equipped. My mechanic HATED working on it because of the 417 screws that hold it together.

Watch the rigging on the little horizontal door in front of the nosegear strut and next to the cowl flap. Mine kept hanging in the breeze and creating extra drag.

 

[James_Dean]

Actually $17K is not bad. You could drop more than that on a fresh interior and a paint job.
As far as airplane mechanics, the common thread with them that I have observed is that a full day of work consists of roughly 3 hours actually spinning wrenches and a lot of time on the phone, drinking coffee, shooting the bull with the 10 guys who drop by during the day, running to the bank, picking up the wife's dry cleaning, yadda, yadda. There is a reason they are self employed and it mostly involves an aversion to sustained effort. Skilled? Yes.
Dedicated? ummm, I'll let that one pass.

Now, having said that, I like my mechanic. I practically raised him. He started helping his dad work on my planes when he was 14. But he shows the same character traits I just listed.

I decided to try Savvy when I purchased my aircraft and have been very happy with the process so far. On my last list of squawks they negotiated the list with both me and the mechanic I wanted to use, time estimates, and parts costs. Prevented this kind of thing entirely. Anything over the quoted time had to be requested and explained before the labor was expended. I would highly recommend them. Certainly not for everyone, but for some owners it is a very good resource.

SavvyMX.com

Eggman

 

[tlrussell]

Savvymx.com, I highly recommend for new owners.

 

[weirdjim]

Another bit of information, the plane was in annual which had been performed 6 months prior by seller's mechanic and about 20 hours prior.

Work/Squawk List:

- Engine extremely filthy
- Muffler shroud missing rivets and cracked
- RH and LH Aileron pulleys worn out
- 1 defective spark plug
- LH main gear actuator leaking
- Nose gear actuator leaking
- Battery box vent tube broken at bottom of box
- Co-pilot master cylinder leaking
- Brakes soft
- Control rigging/Turnbuckle AD
- Fuel tank vent partially blocked
- Both flap push-pull rod ends hitting flap well
- RH aileron aft rod end loose
- Nose wheel tire gouged and both main inner tubes deteriorated
- Brake discs and brake linings well below minimums
- 500 hour dual magneto impulse coupler inspection AD (and subsequent impulse coupler replacement)
- Sub-floor extremely dirty
- Master switch defective
- Cabin door inside handle hangs up on trim screw and washer
- RH nose gear door forward rod end worn out and loose
- Two rivets leaking fuel
- Fuel selector valve support and cover badly corroded
- Fuel strainer leaking
- Fuel pressure needle fluctuating/bouncing
- Both wing bolt covers cracked beyond repair
- Wheel wells filthy
- Stinger flange broken and cracked
- Baggage door hold open slide arm attach loose
- Oil pressure switch under panel leaking
- Vacuum filter and regulator 1300 hours overdue for replacement.. and was installed incorrectly to begin with.
- Bolts for brake reservoir loose
- Battery box dirty
- Stab trim cable tension and rudder cable tension way out of spec.
- Cowl exhaust flange cracked
- Baffles behind cylinders 2, 5 and 6 cracked/broken
- Landing light retainer ring cracked and pin broken
- Fiberglas bracket for landing light cracked/broken
- Cowl flap bracket loose/broken
- Cowl flap cable broken at swivel
- Inlet aeroduct for heat exchanger deteriorated
- Tanis heater pad on oil pan falling off
- Belly Corrosion (had to replace a full hat rail assembly, new rear skin, and patch a hole in the midsection).

OK, now play devil's advocate. How many of these items are UNAIRWORTHY and how many are good maintenance? And how many are poorly defined? For example, "Cowl flap bracket loose/broken". Which is it, loose or broken? cracked/broken? Which is it?

Master switch inop? Then how the hell did the airplane get started?

How many of these COULD conceivably happened in the last six months?

Agreed, some of them are probably a lousy job of inspection, but how many are not? The belly is filthy? So what? That's not an annual INSPECTION's fault.

Just tryin' to explain what an annual is and is not.

Jim