Whenever I maiden a plane for someone I always give the plane a thorough pre-flight until I am satisfied that everything I can see is satisfactory. Even then I make sure the owner understands that I take NO responsibility for damages caused due to faults in the plane that turn up in the maiden. If it's pilot error, that's another story. But if he hands you a piece of crap, he gets back a pile of crap. I have been fortunate so far, only one with minor damage because a wheel came off during landing. A couple of scarey ones though.