PSA: That FAA repair station in Phoenix messed up my whole workflow

I used to think following the manual to the letter was the only way to go. But after a job at a repair station in Phoenix last spring, I changed my mind. They insisted on replacing an entire wiring harness on a Cessna 172 per the book, even though a simple splice would have saved 6 hours of labor. The customer was billed $3,200 for the harness and 8 hours of work. I told the lead tech it felt wasteful, but he just shrugged and said 'that's what the FAA wants.' Now I push back more on those calls when safety isn't at risk. Has anyone else pushed back on a shop that was too strict about replacing vs repairing?

2 comments

2 Comments

the_terry1d ago

My buddy up in Oregon had the same fight with a shop about a 1997 Piper Archer. They refused to repair a cracked engine mount bracket, said the FAA wanted a whole new mount assembly at 1,200 bucks. He ended up calling the local FSDO himself and talked to an inspector who flat out told him that repair was perfectly fine if done per AC 43.13-1B. The shop still wouldn't budge, said their insurance wouldn't allow it. He took the plane somewhere else and saved about 900 dollars. Made me realize how many shops hide behind the FAA when really it's about avoiding their own liability.

roberts.diana1d ago

Call the shop out on it and watch backpedal city. Same @the_terry move your buddy pulled, I see it everywhere. It's not just planes, it's contractors, mechanics, whoever. They blame rules to cover their own ass.