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We have had our 2016 DA62 for a year now and just went in for annual with the 600 hr. $51,000 total Kind of a shell shock

hdyerla wrote: ↑Wed Nov 17, 2021 11:51 pm We have had our 2016 DA62 for a year now and just went in for annual with the 600 hr. $51,000 total Kind of a shell shock

At 600 hours you would have had both high-pressure fuel pumps and both flywheels replaced. So what else happened that caused such a large bill?

hdyerla wrote: ↑Wed Nov 17, 2021 11:51 pm We have had our 2016 DA62 for a year now and just went in for annual with the 600 hr. $51,000 total Kind of a shell shock

We're in the same boat. Just got a 2016 DA62. $62k annual.

$23k for prop OHs
10k nose strut because they're not serviceable
7k for three cabin windows separating from the fuselage to be rebonded

Well, N256AE is in for its first full annual since I got her last August. It’s in for the 400 hr down at Premier Aircraft Service in FTW and found BOTH gearboxes making metal. UGH.

I wasn’t sure with all the experience and brain trust on the forums here, has anyone ever gotten a dual potential gearbox overhaul situation on the 62?

Will Diamond even allow them to put new filters in and do 20-25 hours and recheck? This annual will be pushing close to 50K

The Austro Engine maintenance manual has photos showing acceptable vs. unacceptable metal found on a gearbox magnetic drain plug after the oil has been drained (e.g., during 100 hour servicing). In general, if all you see are tiny "iron filings" you're still good to fly. But if you see large metal flakes (like a 3/4 inch long chunk of metal found on one of my plane's DA62 gearbox magnetic drain plugs -- fortunately caught when my plane was still under warranty) then you'll need to replace the gearbox.

Thanks Dave. Here are the chips that they found. Frankly quit shocked and disappointed on the gearboxes failing like this. Really makes me question the craftsmanship and quality of Diamond or the previous owner. Hard to imagine all this has happened within 100 hrs and we operate her all within the limitations and no student training or high landing circuits.

Diamond Canada only has 1 new, no overhauled. Waiting to hear back from Diamond Austria, but they’re not rockstars with timely communication.

I know Premier will take great care of me, just at a disbeliefs. But that’s aircraft ownership sometimes.

It's craftsmanship/engineering. Maybe lack of proper operating instruction. The Austro gearbox and TVDs aren't robust in my experience.

I wonder if we should treat our gearboxes like geared Continentals and Lycomings. Those engine fare well when following a few guidelines: minimizing low rpm lumpy idle bouncing between the lash in the gearbox (we don't seem to have that issue), making gentle throttle inputs, and not allowing the prop to drive the engine as much as possible. Slack in the prop is frequently checked with an easy tape measurement to see if the gears are happy or not.

PT6s have a chip detect sensor in their gearbox and they rarely go off. If we had such a light, I would had 3 instances seeing them already.

She made it back home yesterday after a very thorough annual. 4.0 Block back to BFF and no squawks. David Seastead at Premier (FTW) did a fantastic job.

Jroseund wrote: ↑Sat Jul 09, 2022 4:50 pm She made it back home yesterday after a very thorough annual. 4.0 Block back to BFF and no squawks. David Seastead at Premier (FTW) did a fantastic job.

Did you have to replace gearboxes?

nworthin wrote: ↑Sat Jul 09, 2022 8:30 pm

Jroseund wrote: ↑Sat Jul 09, 2022 4:50 pm She made it back home yesterday after a very thorough annual. 4.0 Block back to BFF and no squawks. David Seastead at Premier (FTW) did a fantastic job.

Did you have to replace gearboxes?

Yes I did. Both of them. To be honest, I was surprised on how quickly Premier was able to get them from Diamond Austria. Only 4 weeks.

I think I’ll be taking her to Premier from now on. It made all the difference taking her to a shop that was very knowledgeable and HAS the proper tools.