KX-155 Repair+Replace Options - 2026 Edition

ArrowFlyer86

ArrowFlyer86

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I am fortunate to have 2 KX-155s in the airplane. Rock solid NAV/COMMS that have given me pretty much no trouble despite their advanced age.
That was, no trouble until recently when portions of some of the numbers came in a little faded, or not at all -- particularly when I start up the airplane and turn on avionics. After the first 1-2 mins, they display fine, with only 1 segment on 1 NAV missing. So... Hoping I'm still in the early innings of their fade-out (I think), but IDK if that's a 1 year process or a 1 week process. So I'm starting to plan for replacement right away.

From my research, here's discussions I've found on the topic. This thread is just my 2026 version to see if anything's changed lol:
2019: https://www.pilotsofamerica.com/community/threads/kx155-repair.123419/
2025: https://www.pilotsofamerica.com/community/threads/king-kx155-display-issues.152571/

From what I gather, here's the options:
1. Contact Ed Soldan at Kx-155 and hope he's still in business fixing these radios;
2. Go to this site and and risk it, and buy a DIY OLED screen (listed ~$780). The business 'marketing' is a little unconventional, but maybe it's fantastic work;
3. Buy a 14V KX 200 NAV/COMM for $5,200, which is a slide-in replacement for the KX-155 (anyone have reviews on these radios? I actually didn't know they existed)?
4. Get a Garmin GNC215 NAV/COMM which has an MSRP at $5600 (barf);
5. Go buy a used KX-155 with an unknown history and probably end up with the same issue soon;
6. Send it to another repair shop like this one.

Does that about cover my options?
 
ArrowFlyer86 said:
Does that about cover my options?
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Last I heard Ed Soldan is retired. But forget item 2. Item 6 would be a good route or possibly purchase a used more modern nav/com from a reputable vender that will work with your current system.
 
Bell206 said:
Last I heard Ed Soldan is retired. But forget item 2. Item 6 would be a good route or possibly purchase a used more modern nav/com from a reputable vender that will work with your current system.
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Oh no! Guess I shouldn't expect a message back then from kx-155.com lol.

I didn't look at the regs, is item #2 a no go as a DIY solution? (or if I found a local tech who would install it?). Seems like the screen itself is an easy job... A full radio overhaul I'm guessing is not. It seemed there were a few people who had good luck w/this one, but IDK what their situation was.

Re #6: Only thing that's sucky is it seems the repair costs from a shop are like halfway or more to the price of a brand new NAV/COMM. So still could be money-ahead if they do a decent job at fixing it and I keep my reliable radios, but if their work is at all questionable... Then getting that new KX 200 is, while vomit inducing, a more appealing option. The Ed Soldan option looked pretty appealing because he only did KX-155s with good reviews, so very high confidence. IDK about the other shops.
 
ArrowFlyer86 said:
I didn't look at the regs, is item #2 a no go as a DIY solution?
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#2 is doable but not from those guys. Heard a lot of issues from that site. However, to go this route you'll need a "friendly" shop who is willing to do it. Regardless, network everywhere to look for a shop. All they can say is no.
 
ArrowFlyer86 said:
I am fortunate to have 2 KX-155s in the airplane.
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I'm sorry to hear that.
ArrowFlyer86 said:
4. Get a Garmin GNC215 NAV/COMM which has an MSRP at $5600 (barf);
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The Trig TX56A is feeling lonely.
ArrowFlyer86 said:
3. Buy a 14V KX 200 NAV/COMM for $5,200, which is a slide-in replacement for the KX-155 (anyone have reviews on these radios? I actually didn't know they existed)?
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It's been a while since I looked, but my recollection is that there's really little/no new functionality compared to the TX56A and GNC215. You're merely paying a whole lot of money for a box that's still in production and, with a little bit of work, slides into your existing tray.
ArrowFlyer86 said:
Does that about cover my options?
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Downgrade to a single NAV radio by installing a COM-only unit? That could be a whole lot cheaper in the long run if you dismiss #1 and #2 as @Bell206 recommends.
 
Option 5 doesn't have to be a gamble. Are both units glideslope receiver version? Cuz if not, you can save some money. Bennett avionics has a good reputation. As you know, that blasted captured labor cost is the achilles heel on the fac built side. Heck you're already getting the pharisees coming at you about the chapter and verse of the minor/major/blahblah/status quo peddling. As such, I will never pass up the opportunity to slide-in replace. Best you can do til you can move to EAB, if hangar fairies aren't your preferred religion... ;)

They also offer an LED replacement, although if spruce is matching the price, might as well go KX-200, if they're not backordered. That said, my preference would be of course to just swap it out with a used unit from bennett, get the 1 year warranty if it helps you sleep at night, and keep on trucking.

If both units are glidesloped, downgrade to one without. Under 3k out the door for the latter version, and bob's your uncle. I'd also do one at a time, provided the other unit is readable. Dollar cost average type thing. Dual nav/comm isn't a panacea anyways. The crap people think they need on a panel to get from A to B without ending up a hole on the ground in this hobby is wild. But it's a hobby, whatever you're comfortable with is ultimately the right answer. Cheers.
 
Is this an option?

AI Overview


Yes, Mid-Continent Instruments and Avionics performs complete overhauls and upgrades for the BendixKing KX 155, which includes installing a solid-state LED display upgrade.

Cost and Details
    • LED Conversion/Upgrade Cost: The LED display conversion alone typically ranges from $1,750upwards depending on additional required repairs or cosmetic updates to the faceplate/bezel.
    • Total Overhaul/Repair Cost: Comprehensive overhauls involving the display update, replacing worn components like capacitors, and bench alignment generally run between $1,750 and $2,150+ per unit.
 
28V no go for Arrow II. But that's the price for the 14V no glide at bennett, with 90day warranty, couple hundo more for the 1 year. Cheapest way to get the display back in the shortest amount of time. It's a money time continuum.
 
Yeah both units have GS, but doesn't have to stay that way. And probably wont for cost reasons. And b/c I'm VFR -- 2 GS is probably, ya know, overkill.
Bennett is $3800 for a 14V used KX155 with a 1y warranty. A ~1500$ savings compared to a new KX200. I'll have to think on that.
Keeping the second nav/comm in as-is, not a bad idea. It only has 1 "burn out" un-illuminated character segment, so I can't tell a 6 from an 8 without clicking between channels to check the sequence. Not a deal breaker for me, but I like things to be in perfect working order when I can manage it. But for a 54 year old plane, that's not always a possibility lol.

Got some things to think about. Thanks for all the suggestions.
 
ArrowFlyer86 said:
Does that about cover my options?
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The only two realistic options I see (since it's not my plane or money)... Full glass upgrade. It's 2026 bruh.

Sell the plane (to me). It's 54 years old. And a piper. Once an LED starts falling out it's only a matter of time before the wings fall off.
 
Racerx said:
The only two realistic options I see (since it's not my plane or money)... Full glass upgrade. It's 2026 bruh.

Sell the plane (to me). It's 54 years old. And a piper. Once an LED starts falling out it's only a matter of time before the wings fall off.
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Ya know, even money as no object, I'm not sure I would want full glass. Night flying with the incandescent looking glow of the KX155s and other lights -- very pleasant. Doesn't look the same with 3 big honking Garmin screens!

I get enough screen time during the day.

Screenshot_20260901-232954.png
 
I know I’ll never win ‘best of show’, I’m ok with that. I have a mix of old & new on the panel, G-5’s, modern transponder, IFR GPS. My main radio is a kx-155. I had some screen issues 8-10 years ago, was able to find a late SN radio to slide in. I made a little back selling my unit with a few known issues.

Yes the 155 is old. My next move, if required, would be a new comm. A handful of years back there was the waiting list, then cost to have the technician rewire things. As time goes on likely harder to find a minty kt-155, though it is an easy swap, could be one from a hangar queen. One could also do a swap & end up soon in the same predicament.

I’m just about always tooling around VFR in some fashion. I have the 2 radios, not really a biggie if one had issues.
 
I haven't flown the latest Garmin gear, but, dozens of different airplanes and types, radio-after-radio, I always found the KX-155 to be more capable in long-range weak communication situations than any of the Garmin boxes.
 
jesse said:
I haven't flown the latest Garmin gear, but, dozens of different airplanes and types, radio-after-radio, I always found the KX-155 to be more capable in long-range weak communication situations than any of the Garmin boxes.
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Same, KX-155 vs Avidyne.
 
Bevan might be another option for replacement/repair. Worth a call.

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Isn’t a KX155 with GS like 6lbs not including the indicator and a COM-only radio around 2.5lbs?
 
As mentioned above by some others, replace it with a new COM only radio. 1) You're VFR, so a second NAV isn't going to be that useful, 2) as few and far between working VOR's and even ILS's are these days, the one remaining NAV radio probably isn't going to get used that much anyway LOL.

There are always opportunities to spend more money. How does your audio panel look? If old and near end of life, you could get a PS Engineering audio panel with built in COM radio. What kind of GPS system do you have? Even if VFR only flying, you could get a lot of use out of a navigator, thus you could look at something like the Garmin GNC 355 which combines a GPS Navigator with a COM radio.
 
Don’t forget to factor in the scheduling, time, and labor for any non-slide-in options. Sometimes that comes with “while we’re in there” and/or “oops, that broke” or “wiring looks iffy”…$$$
 
Before I had GPS on my iPad, I navigated from NOLA to Western Washington with two Nav/Coms. With two you can tune to different VORs and triangulate your position.

That said, I've had a Nav head labeled IN-OP for a few years. Still have one working, and use it on every flight just to keep up the skills.
 
Domenick said:
Before I had GPS on my iPad, I navigated from NOLA to Western Washington with two Nav/Coms. With two you can tune to different VORs and triangulate your position.

That said, I've had a Nav head labeled IN-OP for a few years. Still have one working, and use it on every flight just to keep up the skills.
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That was actually quite a bit of fun to do, crossing that "virtual" waypoint.
 
If you really want to keep the KX-155s, don't just replace the screen - Get it recapped too. It's full of electrolytic capacitors that, at this point, are certainly overdue to be leaking all their acid out and etching the boards. Once that happens, the radio is garbage... Even if you just installed a fancy new display yesterday.

So, be sure you budget for (and do) having a component-level avionics repair tech pull out all of the electrolytic capacitors and replace them. Those guys are hard to find. I had mine done about a decade ago by Jim Karpowitz at Skycom Avionics, he's been at it for a LONG time. You might be able to find him on BeechTalk, not sure if he's still active over there because I'm not myself.

FWIW, last I checked, putting the new certified LED display on the KX155 cost nearly as much as a new radio, so I'm expecting that I'll just go ahead and get the new radio next time I pull the panel apart.
 
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