AOPA Pilot Magazine - September 2022 - 94

RUDDER & WRENCH
Savvy Maintenance coverage
sponsored by AIRCRAFT SPRUCE
SAVVY MA INTENANCE /OPINION
On a short leash
The best maintenance shops often
warrant the closest owner oversight
BY MIKE BUSCH
I'M FREQUENTLY ASKED by aircraft owners
to recommend good maintenance shops
in a particular area, and my company
maintains a large database of maintenance
resources to facilitate such
referrals. Our team of more than 20
A&P/IA account managers keep close
track of their experiences working with
hundreds of shops, and we do our best to
steer our clients to the ones with which
we've had the best outcomes and-perhaps
more important-away from those
that were not so good.
Often, I find myself telling a client,
" This is an outstanding shop that does
thorough inspections and excellent work,
but be prepared for a big bill unless you
keep them on a short leash. " I do not mean
this as a criticism of the shop. It simply
reflects the reality that the best shops
tend to do very thorough inspections and
uncompromisingly meticulous repairs,
and they tend to have a perfectionist
approach to maintenance. These are
exactly the attributes we want the shop to
have, but the result can be serious sticker
shock unless the owner actively throttles
the shop back by explicitly directing
them to perform only the work desired
and nothing more.
Case in point
Consider the annual inspection we managed
for the owner of a 2006 Cirrus
SR22. The shop involved was a Cirrus
Authorized Service Center we'd worked
with before and liked a lot. Per our normal
practice, we instructed the shop to do
the inspection but to perform no repairs
and to order no parts until it had written
up a detailed discrepancy list, repair recommendations,
and cost estimates and
provided it to us to review with the owner.
94
AOPA PILOT / September 2022
Item Discrepancy
1. MP sensor inop
2. NLG steering stiff
Discrepancy List and Repair Estimate for NxxxSR
Recommended Corrective Action
Replace MP sensor
3. Fuel nozzle cleaning due each 300
hours
4. NLG rebound bumper dry rotted
5. L & R VOR antenna grommets on
upper tail cracked
6. NLG left fairing bracket cracked
7. Battery #2 due for replacement each
2 years
8. Main & essential bus voltage
fluctuations
9. Flight director bars do not respond to
pitch movements
10. Prop and governor due for overhaul
due each 5 years
11. Mfr-recommended
overhaul/replacement items due
each 5 years
12. TKS filter replacement due each 2
years
13. Engine induction air filter annual
clean & service
14. Magnetometer calibration due each 2
years
15. Comply with TCM SID97-3 fuel system
setup
16. Ignition harness springs corroded and
deformed
17. SOAP Oil Sample
18. Sealant worn on bases of Stormscope
& COM antennas
19. NLG fairing cracked
20. Recommend replace all cylinder fuel
drain seals
21. L & R fuel tank decals worn and
delaminating
22. Sealant worn on all windows
23. Pilot-side floor carpet peeling
24. MFD loses traffic information
intermittently
25. Lower rudder rivets streaked
27. Top right elevator gap attachment
point corroded
28. Excessive play on flaps
29. L & R step mount screws corroded,
anti-skid stickers peeling
30. LH tailpipe springs and attach point
brackets worn
31. #1 & #6 exhaust rocker cover gaskets
leaking
32. Recommend corrosion treatment of
several spark plug leads, fuel
distributor bracket
Replace spindle cup, bearings, Belville
washers, and thrust washers
Clean fuel nozzles
Replace NLG rebound bumper
Replace antenna grommets
Replace bracket
Replace battery #2
Require 2.5 hours to troubleshoot
Recalibrate autopilot (requires flight test)
Overhaul prop and governor
Replace fuel vent flex lines, gascolator
seals, fuel drain valve seals, flex brake
lines, rudder-aileron interconnect shock
cord
Replace TKS filter
Clean & service filter
Calibrate magnetometer
Perform SID97-3 fuel system setup
Clean and adjust springs
Obtain oil sample
Apply sealant
Repair NLG fairing
Replace all cylinder fuel drain seals
Replace decals
Reseal windows
Secure and adjust
Repair RF bridge
Re-stake rivets
26. No-push and no-step placards worn Replace placards
Remove corrosion and paint
Replace torque tubes and bushing
Replace screws and anti-skid
Replace springs, brackets
Replace gaskets
Treat for corrosion
33 Recommend removalof corrosion on Remove corrosion
Est. Labor Est. Parts
$159.84
$436.48
$171.50
$514.50
$318.50
$73.50
$122.50
$73.50
$147.00
$220.50
$258.75
$1,069.50 $2,800.00
$2,205.00 $2,122.15
$10.62
$48.04
$4.62
$54.28
$100.30
$0.00
OW
APP
DEC
DE
AP
AP
A
D
D
$294.00
$98.00
$172.00
$220.50
$49.00
$14.70
$171.50
$220.50
$230.00
$245.00
$1,249.50
$73.50
$4,306.28
$171.50
$196.00
$73.50
$465.50
$171.50
$563.50
$122.50
$220.50
$1,347.50
$49.00
$218.00
$0.00
$0.00
$0.00
$0.00
$25.40
$6.50
$20.50
$24.84
$24.02
$74.32
$0.00
$0.0
$0.0
$2.8
$0.0
$306.
$6
$170
$1
$
AOPA Pilot Magazine - September 2022

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