I just wanted to put this post up to let people know a little something about Hobbico's Hobby Service division. I bought an OS 55ax about 2-3 weeks ago and right from the get-go noticed that it had very little "pinch" when turning it over. I know that OS engines are not as tight as some other ringless designs so I went ahead and broke it in anyway to see how it would do. To make a long story short not very well. When it was hot it just lost compression, and with the glow plug out I could flip the prop hard and it would turn over for two or three revolutions, and the compression with a glowplug in was very weak as well. The engine was deadsticking nearly every flight once it got warm and this was with in a non cowled application for break-in.

I sent the engine in to Hobbico's Hobby Service to let them have a look after about 1/2-2/3 gallon through it with no improvement in running. They looked at the engine and determined that it had a bad piston/liner fit, but they did not have the parts to fix it so instead of waiting to get the parts they sent me back a BRAND NEW ENGINE.

A lot of people on this forum will kind of rag on OS from time to time saying that they are too expensive. While they may be a bit more expensive then some other brands, in 22 years of flying I have found them to be one of the most reliable brands out there and this kind of customer service is what keeps me coming back to them for my needs. I would not tell anyone to buy or not buy another brand as everyone has their own needs and price point that they want to meet, but I will tell people about how OS/Hobbico treats a customer. While here I would like to say thank you to Hobbico, and good job in keeping a long time customer happy. While not everyone will have the same experience as I have, this experience has reinforced my decision both now and in the future to keep supporting this particular brand. Just wanted to let everyone read about a positive experience as you normally do not read anything on here unless it is from someone complaining about a brand. Thanks. [8D]