Thinking of purchasing an older 1964 Cessna 182G in the OC/LA California area, and looking for a stand up shop that does quality work and pre buy inspections. I've reached out to the Google finds, and it sounds like the cost is running around 1.3K to 1.4K -- a little higher than I expected. Any suggestions on A&P/IA's you'd recommend in the area who have time to do a pre buy? Thanks for any and all help.
To tell you my first impression, using terms like "stand up shop", "quality work", "reputable" and the like I'd say you are one of the folks that keep me and my colleagues from doing pre-buys. Those terms imply that if the inspection doesn't see a well-hidden problem that the next question would be a search for a lawyer who is proficient in suing for malpractice. You never win a lawsuit; even if you prevail, the cost of defending has driven more than one honest mechanic/shop into bankruptcy. Jim
I apologize if my wording caused offense, Jim? I simply meant someone who has had a good experience with an A&P/IA/Shop in the area. I'll be the first to admit I'm no expert in aircraft maintenance and was simply asking for recommendations. I absolutely understand that a Pre Buy is a "best guess"... It sounds like you've had some poor experiences in the past, but I hope the initial post didn't come across that way. EDIT: I've altered the title to remove "reputable", as I only meant to ask for recommendations.
More better. No, I haven't had any bad experiences because I'm right up front and have a signed copy of a document that explains that to do a COMPLETE pre-buy I'd have to remove the wings, derivet a couple of surfaces, split the case on the engine and a lot of other stuff that would approximate half the purchase price of the airplane. I go on to say that a prebuy at noon does NOT preclude an expensive part breaking at 12:01, all it can do is reduce the odds of that happening. With all these caveats, if they would like me to do the inspection the way I would do it if I was buying the airplane myself, then I'll be happy to do it. No offense taken. Just wanted you to understand the limitations of reasonable inspections. Jim
Mike Passwater at Aircraft Ground Support at El Monte, (626) 401-9727. He has done a few annuals on our 182, and knows the type well. As has been said, it is up to *you* to determine how extensive you want it done.
@weirdjim - Completely agree with your approach. I appreciate your feedback and completely understand the limitations that come with the inspection. It's a helpful tool at the end of the day, and not something that's "guaranteed". In the future, I'll be more cognizant in asking for recommendations. @Jeff Oslick - Appreciate the recommendation; exactly what I was looking for. Will give Mike a call now and see what he thinks.
