I, as an A&P see first hand at what Jim is getting at.
It is a slippery slope trying to decipher what is required to be changed and what is not. I want my customers coming back because they got the best service at the best price. However, and most importantly, this is my livelihood. I don't have a farm or another source of income to fall back on in case something happens.
If I miss something, and God forbid something happens, I will be found NEGLIGENT !!! And I just don't look good in government stripes.
Here is the bottom line guys:
Get your work done by a reparable mechanic that won't spend all week doing what guys like Roger and I can do in a day or two. We can R&R an engine and get a superior job done a lot faster than some mechanics who have only done one or two. We can R&R an engine and do a 5 yr rubber replacement faster than if we leave the engine on. Seriously, 6 bolts and the wire harness along with the carb cables, fuel line to the gascolator and the cabin heat tube and that baby is swinging on the hoist. I don't even have to remove the prop or drain the oil or coolant.
Finally in closing I will use my super intelligent grammar and leave you with these wise words a farmer told me when I was growing up in rural farm country of southern Illinois....
" WHY POKE A SKUNK BOY "
Point taken