BeechBaby wrote:
Enjoy your aeroplane when you get it back
I’ve had it back for weeks. They don’t hold the plane hostage. They bill later (sometimes MUCH later).
dutch_flyer wrote:
The large number of hours included a list of work in addition to the annual which added up to more than I realized.
Not wishing to appear cynical, but that old chestnut. 
So the final amount remains the same, it is now your fault for not reading the labour total correctly. Also you accept that all the work needed done, so why not an accurate no surprise quote in the first place. The good ole Kansas Shuffle.
A lesson again learnt, and you have paid it. I admire your faith in…….
dutch_flyer wrote:
also requested to explicitly approve any future work that deviates from the quote by more than 10%.
I hope it all works out for you. Enjoy your aeroplane when you get it back
So I finally got a response, and it appears that I misread the line item for labour charge. The large number of hours included a list of work in addition to the annual which added up to more than I realized. That doesn’t account for the wrongly quoted overhaul charges (apparently higher because of the dual mag), but I decided to pay the invoice anyway. The truth is all the work needed to be done, and it’s the communication that broke down. I set some ground rules about making sure to quote me on each work item, rather than just taking my complaint as carte blanche to investigate and repair as necessary. I asked that any such complaint/request be treated as a one-hour investigation authorization to determine the scope. I also requested to explicitly approve any future work that deviates from the quote by more than 10%.
dutch_flyer wrote:
After reaching out to them as I described, I heard nothing for a week. Then I called the owner, who said he would try to get back to me within a week, which didn’t happen. This past Thursday was three weeks, and I also received a notice from the finance department (which is historically out of the loop) reminding me to pay the invoice. I sent a mail on Thursday saying how important it was to me to pay people on time (which is 100% true—I pay invoices immediately), so I would proactively pay what I believed was a reasonable amount. I paid for 3 hrs of labor on the mags, 1000 for the overhaul, and basically the rest of the amounts as invoiced. I included detailed reasoning for my amounts.No answer yet.
So perhaps it is a crock maintenance shop after all… Let´s hope not, but by the sound of the comms, it sure smells like one. Feel free to post name and if not, please do send me a personal mail so I can avoid this shop – many thanks. Dutch Flyer.
I have summarised the US AOPA D3000 EI mag article into the D3000 EI thread. It’s been sitting on my desk for a few days 
No, outta experience it ain’t.
OTOH it is quite easy not to flood an engine… but we had another thread about the pros and cons of EI, which I’m too lazy right now to go and search for you
There’s a long ‘article’ (Promo really) in the current AOPA (US) mag about an electronic replacement for these dual mags. One of the more interesting claims is that it’s impossible to flood the engine on hot starts etc. because of the really strong spark. Is this plausible?
If someone won’t give me a quote then I won’t use them. I’m often happy with an estimate for time if I know them. Sorry I don’t know how to post specifically referring to a comment.
I could not agree more. I have not brought an aircraft in for maintenance, but after watching a few dozen Mike Busch webinars, I would most certainly be very clear to the shop how long their leash is.
After reaching out to them as I described, I heard nothing for a week. Then I called the owner, who said he would try to get back to me within a week, which didn’t happen. This past Thursday was three weeks, and I also received a notice from the finance department (which is historically out of the loop) reminding me to pay the invoice. I sent a mail on Thursday saying how important it was to me to pay people on time (which is 100% true—I pay invoices immediately), so I would proactively pay what I believed was a reasonable amount. I paid for 3 hrs of labor on the mags, 1000 for the overhaul, and basically the rest of the amounts as invoiced. I included detailed reasoning for my amounts.
No answer yet.
Is there any update on the final outcome of this?
