What engine shop overhauled the Areostar engines ??

OUCH! I wanted to argue with you Russ on MEL list requiring MFD for DAY VFR flight. Double checked first and you are correct

I had my PFD out for about a month 8 years ago when updating AVIDYNE to WAAS and made many flights VFR. I guess ignorance is bliss.

Can't believe i survived when all I had to rely on was eyeballs, whiskey compass, electric back up AI, airspeed indicator, altimeter and TWO G430W

This, and you might consider a 'progressive' annual. This involves getting things done over time and keeping the bird flying. For instance, a compression check should take a day, then back to flying. Wheels and brakes, another day, then back to flying. Avionics updates/batteries, etc. Maybe you do the preliminary work for these items in your hangar (removing engine cowls, jacking the plane, sending off the avionics, etc). It's a great way to get to know your plane, and aircraft maintenance in general. Some enjoy this kind of work. If you don't want to do it, find a local mechanic to do a progressive and give him access to your plane.

That's a bummer. I've heard Avidyne can be slow to turn around repairs and even simple things like the (required by their own life-limit) replacement of the internal battery.

Worse, Avidyne is the only source of repairs on those too. I don't know if it is any better if you signup for their service plan, but it will certainly contain the cost of repairs.

Garmin, albeit expensive, seems to be quite on top of G1000 component repair turn-around times.

This, and you might consider a 'progressive' annual. This involves getting things done over time and keeping the bird flying. For instance, a compression check should take a day, then back to flying. Wheels and brakes, another day, then back to flying. Avionics updates/batteries, etc. Maybe you do the preliminary work for these items in your hangar (removing engine cowls, jacking the plane, sending off the avionics, etc). It's a great way to get to know your plane, and aircraft maintenance in general. Some enjoy this kind of work. If you don't want to do it, find a local mechanic to do a progressive and give him access to your plane.

OK - so even that I might say.. well.. it's a project...

But this is a 10 year old "production" airplane..

I wonder how this could work in practice Scott. It sounds like a progressive in lieu of an annual under 91.409(d), which requires FSDO approval after meeting some daunting requirements. If that's not what you meant, I would think that once the typical 91.409(a) annual inspection starts, the plane is grounded until the inspection is signed off. Don't see how else an IA could sign off an annual knowing it's been flown since he last looked at the engine or tires 30 or 90 days ago or more (for example).

I got my Avidyne PFD back in less than a week. I had a warranty plan, so it was a quick swap. My local shop even had a loaner PFD I could have used and flown the same day, but I wasn't planning on going anywhere in the next few days so I passed. Got a software update for free as well. Avidyne was indeed the only place to send it for repairs, but that was true for Garmin when my Garmin 430W com transmitter failed too, as well as having to send my XM to HeadsUp when it died and my STec55X back to the factory when it stopped intercepting the glide path. That seems to be the way it is for modern avionics. Years ago my local shop fixed the screen on my KX155 in my prior steam-gauge plane, and replaced my vacuum pump when my gyros all died one day in the soup, but they don't have a clue how to fix anything I've got in my plane today it seems. Of these repairs, it took Garmin the longest to get me back my 430W. Fortunately, I could legally fly the plane without it since I had two of them.

That you never see anywhere.

You really gotta stick with the "fundamentals" nowadays. Bonanza, SR22, King Air, Pilatus etc. If your local shop doesn't stock parts and work on that brand all the time..... don't buy it.

I wonder how this could work in practice Scott. It sounds like a progressive in lieu of an annual under 91.409(d), which requires FSDO approval after meeting some daunting requirements. If that's not what you meant, I would think that once the typical 91.409(a) annual inspection starts, the plane is grounded until the inspection is signed off. Don't see how else an IA could sign off an annual knowing it's been flown since he last looked at the engine or tires 30 or 90 days ago or more (for example).

Progressive inspections programs come from aircraft manufacturers, typically for turbine aircraft.

You can design your own progressive maintenance program and submit it to your FSDO for approval. 91.409(d) says:

(d) Progressive inspection. Each registered owner or operator of an aircraft desiring to use a progressive inspection program must submit a written request to the FAA Flight Standards district office having jurisdiction over the area in which the applicant is located, and shall provide—

(1) A certificated mechanic holding an inspection authorization, a certificated airframe repair station, or the manufacturer of the aircraft to supervise or conduct the progressive inspection;

(2) A current inspection procedures manual available and readily understandable to pilot and maintenance personnel containing, in detail—

(i) An explanation of the progressive inspection, including the continuity of inspection responsibility, the making of reports, and the keeping of records and technical reference material;

(ii) An inspection schedule, specifying the intervals in hours or days when routine and detailed inspections will be performed and including instructions for exceeding an inspection interval by not more than 10 hours while en route and for changing an inspection interval because of service experience;

(iii) Sample routine and detailed inspection forms and instructions for their use; and

(iv) Sample reports and records and instructions for their use;

(3) Enough housing and equipment for necessary disassembly and proper inspection of the aircraft; and

(4) Appropriate current technical information for the aircraft.

The frequency and detail of the progressive inspection shall provide for the complete inspection of the aircraft within each 12 calendar months and be consistent with the manufacturer's recommendations, field service experience, and the kind of operation in which the aircraft is engaged. The progressive inspection schedule must ensure that the aircraft, at all times, will be airworthy and will conform to all applicable FAA aircraft specifications, type certificate data sheets, airworthiness directives, and other approved data. If the progressive inspection is discontinued, the owner or operator shall immediately notify the local FAA Flight Standards district office, in writing, of the discontinuance. After the discontinuance, the first annual inspection under §91.409(a)(1) is due within 12 calendar months after the last complete inspection of the aircraft under the progressive inspection. The 100-hour inspection under §91.409(b) is due within 100 hours after that complete inspection. A complete inspection of the aircraft, for the purpose of determining when the annual and 100-hour inspections are due, requires a detailed inspection of the aircraft and all its components in accordance with the progressive inspection. A routine inspection of the aircraft and a detailed inspection of several components is not considered to be a complete inspection.

Instead of a progressive annual, you might do some repairs and alterations during the year when a few days of down time won't hurt. If we know the brakes will need new linings this year and we're out of town on business later this month, get the brakes done then rather than waiting for the annual. It's amazing how a pile of "little things" can add up to days or weeks of work when combined with an annual.

What was the cause?

Piston Cooling Nozzles. Yeah, they're kinda important.