$429 Dimmer Switch

Oh no! Someone having the audacity to disagree with King Weir!
That'll make him spit out his morning latte! Stand by for the flames.

Good points John, and I agree wholeheartedly, but can you expect every
A&P to fully understand each and every detail? I don't care to pay
for an A&P's education, but it's almost like saying that you obtained
your 30 years in a few months.


Well, I'm truly not looking for a flame war, and I really meant that little
blurb about a "confirmed lingerer"....just couldn't help myself.

It seems that in a discussion group like this there are always very vocal folks
that are always willing to tell you that their way is the better way and that
would have you believe that all mechanics and IA's are crooks or incompetent.

I find it very dangerous that there are folks out there in internet land that
spend their time spouting ways to decieve the FAA and get around the regs,
rather than trying to help folks work within the regs.

Just to clarify a few things, I believe that a good mechanic armed with a
multi-meter and schematic of the Piper instrument light system could do the
same. It does seem, however that many of my brothers and sisters in the biz
just don't have a good grasp on electricity in general and transistors in
particular.

Additionally, in my shop, if I happen to assign a green mechanic to a job such
as this and it takes him/her 5 or 6 hours to trouble shoot and repair.....I
WILL NOT bill the customer this amount. I will bill what I believe is an
adequate and fair amount. The up-side to this is that my mechanic will now be
"trained" and next time around, I won't lose my shirt on the deal. I think
what I was trying to say was that the $429 dimmer was a bit out of line, then
Mr. Weir piped in with his "better way of doing things" which is a tremendous
idea for a home built, but has no place in a certificated ship.

I actually do this on a regular basis. I will assign a green mechanic to a job
like this and with a few well placed nudges and a watchful eye, encourage
him/her to get a copy of the schematic and go troubleshoot. When the job is
done, the customer gets a bill based on what I think it would have taken ME to
fix the problem.

Interestingly enough, there have been times that I've cut a labor bill by
better than 50 percent and still caught hell from a customer. Go figure. (all
you accountants out there must understand that cutting a labor bill by 50% puts
me in the hole, figuring salarys, overhead, etc. etc). I just find it
interesting that nobody complains about the auto dealerships that flat rate
maintenance labor. You know, the guys that fix cars at the local Ford (insert
favorite car type here) dealership take home more pay than my mechanics. They
get about the same hourly rate, but a fair auto mechanic can turn in 60 to 80
hours in a 40 hour work week.....is that fair? Those hours are paid for by
YOU....the consumer.

What makes me so mad about this is the fact that these guys have almost no
liability......I could lose my home, my car, my job and every other thing I own
if a court/jury even THOUGHT I was neglegent......and guess what, jurys don't
make decisions based on regulations. Been there, done that.

We don't flat rate and I think I'd get out of the biz if we did.

The bottom line is....if you feel you're being taken by your mechanic, take
your maintenance dollar somewhere else. Just remember however that a
mechanic/IA that dosen't do his/her job exactly with the regs, isn't doing an
adequate job for you.....You as the PIC (per the regs) have the final
responsibility for the airworthiness of the aircraft you fly. My job as your
mechanic/IA is to keep your aircraft airworthy mechanically as well as
paperwork wise....and I am OBLIGATED under the regs to do both.

I really do understand though, that there must be some give and take, because
if I can't generate a pool of satisified customers, my shop will cease to
exist.

Phew....thanks for this opportunity to vent.......back to lurk mode for me.