Sorry to hear it. My 3 pair of Twenty 3Gs have been bulletproof.

For how long now?

Hmm. I think the freebie came at OSH '03. One I purchased at OSH '04,
and one a won at the Cherokee Pilots Association fly-in in '04.

So, not a terribly long time, but they show no signs of trouble.
(Which is radically different than my experience with the early
models...)
--
Jay Honeck
Iowa City, IA
Pathfinder N56993
www.AlexisParkInn.com
"Your Aviation Destination"