1,800 Hr Inspection Costs

Discussions specific to Austro engines

Moderators: Rick, Lance Murray

User avatar
Davestation
4 Diamonds Member
4 Diamonds Member
Posts: 250
Joined: Tue Mar 12, 2019 7:49 pm
First Name: David
Aircraft Type: D-JET
Aircraft Registration: NDJET
Airports: KFTW
Has thanked: 103 times
Been thanked: 100 times

Re: 1,800 Hr Inspection Costs

Post by Davestation »

Austro
User avatar
Davestation
4 Diamonds Member
4 Diamonds Member
Posts: 250
Joined: Tue Mar 12, 2019 7:49 pm
First Name: David
Aircraft Type: D-JET
Aircraft Registration: NDJET
Airports: KFTW
Has thanked: 103 times
Been thanked: 100 times

Re: 1,800 Hr Inspection Costs

Post by Davestation »

Boatguy wrote: Mon Jan 18, 2021 4:24 am
Davestation wrote: Sat Jan 16, 2021 6:12 am The engines are replaced in entirety, LEPs and all, so the entire engine clock resets at 1800 - no additional flywheel inspections etc.
Are you referring to TDIs or Austro?
To elaborate, I'm answering the question about what comes with them when you replace the ones on your plane. You don't get a long block and have to swap over all your existing LEPs and continue with their intervals, the entire engine is replaced completely with an overhauled exchange assembly. So the price quotes you're getting for TBO include gearboxes, injectors, etc. The clock resets on all of your engine related inspections simultaneously, not TBO and... like some have suggested.
User avatar
neema
4 Diamonds Member
4 Diamonds Member
Posts: 285
Joined: Fri Dec 05, 2014 5:43 am
First Name: Neema
Aircraft Type: DA62
Aircraft Registration: N617DC
Airports: KFAT
Has thanked: 40 times
Been thanked: 97 times

Re: 1,800 Hr Inspection Costs

Post by neema »

That puts OHs on these planes back in "pretty reasonable" territory if the price is indeed ~30k/side

Now if I can figure out how to get TVDs and gearboxes to stop failing inspection
User avatar
Oshkosh99
2 Diamonds Member
2 Diamonds Member
Posts: 13
Joined: Mon May 04, 2020 4:14 pm
First Name: Joe
Aircraft Type: DA42NG
Aircraft Registration: N86RK
Airports: EDMA + NC26
Has thanked: 2 times

Re: 1,800 Hr Inspection Costs

Post by Oshkosh99 »

Hello,
seems like Diamond has secretly almost DOUBLED the price for the Austro engine "overhauls" at the end of 2021. From EUR 24.500,- per side to EUR 47.500,- per side. Official language is no more overhauls, engines are now exchanged. But even the overhauls had been almost 100% new.
It had been said that the new Chinese owners were changing the company to more of a customer orientation. Retrofit of WAAS units into DA42NGs was one sign of this. But this is now really bad news, especially if you are approaching TBO times. We now have to more than double our hourly costs to increase reserves in the remaining 250 hours.
Any opinions, confirmations etc. on this from the US side? What about Diamond Canada? I guess they too get the engines from Austria so same applies?

Other related question: any rumours about a possible TBO change? Its been sitting at 1800hrs for very long, I had hoped that casting the engines cases now themselves would have opened up that avenue...
User avatar
Davestation
4 Diamonds Member
4 Diamonds Member
Posts: 250
Joined: Tue Mar 12, 2019 7:49 pm
First Name: David
Aircraft Type: D-JET
Aircraft Registration: NDJET
Airports: KFTW
Has thanked: 103 times
Been thanked: 100 times

Re: 1,800 Hr Inspection Costs

Post by Davestation »

I’m not sure about secretly - the word is anyone who had an overhaul order in already would be notified they’re getting a new engine at the overhauled price but new orders will have to be new engines only for the time being. I believe they are offering a significant discount though because of that fact but don’t have the specifics.

Most of the major components are reworked at overhaul but logistically it’s just a lot more labor intensive to overhaul one than build one from scratch. With labor shortages continuing, and even worsening, this seems to be the only way to keep the fleet from being grounded with a huge backlog of engines in the shop waiting to be overhauled.

Significantly more expensive yes, but much faster. This is across the board - Lycoming prices have skyrocketed as well and overhaul lead times even for them is six months plus.
User avatar
Boatguy
5 Diamonds Member
5 Diamonds Member
Posts: 1827
Joined: Mon Jan 22, 2018 4:48 am
First Name: Russ
Aircraft Type: DA62
Aircraft Registration: N962M
Airports: KSTS
Has thanked: 1328 times
Been thanked: 1163 times

Re: 1,800 Hr Inspection Costs

Post by Boatguy »

1) Yes, the price of an "overhaul" has essentially doubled. Not quite a secret, but it certainly wasn't in a newsletter.

2) Austro is a supplier to Diamond as a whole and that includes Diamond Canada. Diamond Canada has no control over what happens at Austro.

3) 2021 was a disastrous year for Austro engine reliability so reliability has temporarily (I hope) declined since Austro began casting their own engines. I can't imagine how that could lead to an increase in TBO in the next 2-3yrs.
User avatar
Soareyes
4 Diamonds Member
4 Diamonds Member
Posts: 306
Joined: Fri Feb 28, 2020 12:47 pm
First Name: Dan
Aircraft Type: DA42-VI
Aircraft Registration: N518R
Airports: KINF
Has thanked: 231 times
Been thanked: 191 times

Re: 1,800 Hr Inspection Costs

Post by Soareyes »

Guessing that Austro/Diamond is worried about the possibility of having to replace a fair number of nearly new engines under warranty in the next few years. They may have felt the need to boost the price on those they can sell.
Current: DA42-V1

Previous: Hang gliders, Paraglider, DA40(x3), Cessna 150 Aerobat, SR22
User avatar
ememic99
5 Diamonds Member
5 Diamonds Member
Posts: 1078
Joined: Wed Apr 09, 2014 10:31 am
First Name: Emir
Aircraft Type: DA42
Aircraft Registration: SEMAD
Airports: LDZA LDVA
Has thanked: 203 times
Been thanked: 390 times

Re: 1,800 Hr Inspection Costs

Post by ememic99 »

Austro has never been about overhauling your engine. The process was like this: you order overhaul, you get someone else’s overhauled engine (according to latest specifications and as same as new ones) and you send back your old engine to Austro. So from owner’s perspective the aircraft was grounded just few days. From factory perspective they were pile-stocking engines and sorting out the problem on a pace dependent on parts, workforce and testing facilities availability. Labor-wise overhaul is more demanding than producing new engine. So factory decision was based on economics - simply the core of returned old engine is not worth enough to balance labor and parts costs compared to new engine. Aircraft downtime will remain the same, only the price will be higher.

Btw the price is very close to CD engines which are TBR from very beginning but at least they are rated 2100 hours. In that context, price per hour is the same.
User avatar
Oshkosh99
2 Diamonds Member
2 Diamonds Member
Posts: 13
Joined: Mon May 04, 2020 4:14 pm
First Name: Joe
Aircraft Type: DA42NG
Aircraft Registration: N86RK
Airports: EDMA + NC26
Has thanked: 2 times

Re: 1,800 Hr Inspection Costs

Post by Oshkosh99 »

Emir,
thanks for the explanaton, but not so sure about "pilestocking". Seems like at present the wait time for an engine (be it overhauled or replaced) is around 18 months or more ..
Any idea what is then done with the old engine? If we now have to buy new, do we have to send back the old engine, and if yes, what is done with it if it's not overhauled?
Or is there maybe a market for someone else to start overhauling these? Probably not for the average Lyco or Conti engine overhaul shop, but there are shops that overhaul state of the art automotive diesels (had my Audi A6 diesel engine overhauled after 345000km / 215.000mls /around 5-6.000hrs locally for EUR 6k...).

If the voices on this forum are right, who state that we do not HAVE to get the engine replaced at 1800hrs TBO (or now TBR) as long as we are not commercial, then we should be able to get it overhauled as well ?
User avatar
neema
4 Diamonds Member
4 Diamonds Member
Posts: 285
Joined: Fri Dec 05, 2014 5:43 am
First Name: Neema
Aircraft Type: DA62
Aircraft Registration: N617DC
Airports: KFAT
Has thanked: 40 times
Been thanked: 97 times

Re: 1,800 Hr Inspection Costs

Post by neema »

To Joe's point, I asked my shop about flying past 1800 hours and they said they'd blacklist the plane and would refuse to do work on it.

I'm being idealistic, but it's a shame there isn't an understanding between Austro, EASA, and Benz to follow the 4 cylinder diesel powerplant evolution. It'd be a ton of work and testing, but the benefit is that Austro could continue to specialize in aero-diesel conversions rather than production. The owner can hopefully enjoy mass-production parts costs and parts availability rather than being in the niche engine category
Post Reply