A new website, OverhaulBids.com, has launched to help aircraft owners save time — and money — when it’s time for an overhaul.
Likened to an Angie’s List of engine shops — but with prices included — owners can search the site for information on engine shops, pricing and reviews for engine overhauls and inspections. And it’s free to use.
The idea for the website came to founder, Alan Depauw, when he noticed the shortcomings of getting overhaul quotes and verifying a shop’s reputation by the traditional way of searching and calling shops.
“I can’t think of another example of risking $15,000 or more on a service from a virtually unrated supplier,” he says. “Now aircraft owners can have a third party source of reviews and don’t have to waste hours searching and talking on the phone to get quotes.”
Here’s how it works: Aircraft owners spend two minutes to post their engine project. Once posted, an email goes out to every shop in the Overhaul Bids network. Shops sign in and post competitive bids on the project. The owner then calls shops of interest, and decides who to use.
Overhaul Bids is searchable by keyword, capability, and location. You can even map your results to gauge proximity.
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0xW6a6cPBm4&w=560&h=315]
It also has a learning center to help you learn about piston engine overhaul so you can get unbiased information about topics like understanding quotes, options, warranty, alternatives, and more. It’s loaded with external content for those who want more in-depth research on topics like what cylinders are most reliable.
Overhaul Bids isn’t just for aircraft owners, Depauw noted. It’s also there to help shops expand their reach in a risk-free way. Shops pay a small fee when they complete a job won through the website.
Overhaul bids supports projects for all engine manufacturers and specializes in piston engines. Examples are engine overhaul, prop strikes, hot section inspections, and anything else that you would use an engine shop for.
It’s a racket. I had my O-320E2D rebuilt by a very well-reputed shop. I was quoted a price based on my instructions regarding cylinders, then sat back and received call after call about this and that additional part that should be replaced but was not covered by the quote. As the cost inched up toward the price of a brand new Lyclone, I finally asked “what in the f**k was the (approx $18K) for? Labor?”
For purposes of comparison, I had my 1984 Porsche Carerra rebuilt a couple of years later. The price for the engine work, which included 6 brand new Maule cylinder kits (including pistons, rings, gaskets etc.), was about $11,000 including engine removal and re-installation. This, by one of the top Porsche mechanics in Seattle. I have since put over 30,000 miles on that engine and it does not burn a drop of oil between annual oil changes.
FAA hocus pocus aside, you can’t tell me that a O-320 Lyc is more complicated than a 3.2 liter Porsche engine.
Not a good idea. There are WAY too many variables involved. You never know the cost until the engine is torn down. The best they can do is give a labor cost.
Guido, thank you for your response. I’m Alan Depauw, the website founder.
You’re right that there are a lot of variables that can affect the Final Cost of the overhaul. So pricing on Overhaul Bids is the same as you would get on the phone with a shop – an estimate. It’s all anyone can do in the beginning.
The main difference is here you spend 2 minutes and get 3 or more quotes from the best shops in the country instead of spending hours trying to find/screen shops on your own and waiting for them to return your call.
It’s also worth pointing out that I do not expect anyone to make a decision alone from quotes. But once they come in, it helps the aircraft owner decide who they are interested in spending time on the phone with. At that point, the owner can discuss with the shop the variables that can impact Final Cost. Some shops have more variables than others.
I also created the comprehensive learning center to help people understand the process and all the variables and considerations involved.