This benefit is kind of a half-truth, but worth pointing out. If you do your overhaul with a shop close to where you’re based, they will most likely end up doing most of the warranty work themselves. They can be more flexible and cover more when they don’t have to pay another shop to do it. Shops cringe when they have to pay another mechanic or shop book rate for services they can do in house. They’d probably rather send a mechanic to your field to handle your issue if you’re a reasonable distance away.
But why is it a half truth? A couple of reasons:
- I’d take a quality shop over an average local shop because the point is not have warranty issues to begin with.
- Whether shops like it or not, they may be contractually obligated to pay another shop to do eligible warranty repairs.
- If your engine is having trouble, are you going to fly it to the local shop, or get it repaired where it sits? Sure, you might be able to get a ferry permit from the FSDO to take it to your local guy, but do you feel comfortable flying it? Is he going to drive to you if he’s busy?
To summarize, the local shop benefit might apply to the small percentage of eligible repairs that occur during the warranty period and can take advantage of proximity. So, the local warranty advantage is not larger than the advantage of getting a quality overhaul.
PS: Here’s some advice on making the most of your warranty. Always try to talk to your shop about any problems you’re having and get their guidance on how to handle it first. They are more likely to pay for something they advised to be done rather than find out after the fact from another mechanic when a bill is already on the table.
