to everyone who has answered. Quite an education I must say. It was
quite a disappointment to find the plane I bought 15 months ago, has
such a severe problem.

Intergranular corrosion is something that should be carefully checked
for at every annual -- and should absolutely have been caught in any
pre-buy inspection.

You may have recourse against the shop that did your pre-buy, Chris.
You're looking at spending thousands of dollars here, and any competent
mechanic certainly should have seen this stuff just 15 months ago --
especially if it's as bad as you say it is.

Honestly, I simply don't understand some of the goofy stuff that A&Ps
miss. Cherokees are simple aircraft, and are darned near bulletproof
-- but they do have a few known problems that every competent mechanic
should know to check.

Intergranular corrosion, while not rampant in the fleet, IS a known
(and very serious) problem in older Cherokee wing spars, and should be
checked carefully. It's a definite deal-stopper if found.

Here are a few other less-critical Cherokee issues to look for, while
we're at it:

1. Doors that are "sprung" and don't fit quite right. (Seen most often
in trainers.)
2. Corroded heater control flapper valves.
3. Leaky fresh air vents.
4. Bouncy/inaccurate ammeters.
5. Sticky elevator trim, both electric and manual.
6. Cracked bow-tie yokes (found on older Cherokees only).

All of these are well known to any good Cherokee mechanic, are commonly
looked for at annual, and can be easily addressed.

Good luck.
--
Jay Honeck
Iowa City, IA
Pathfinder N56993
www.AlexisParkInn.com
"Your Aviation Destination"