Thielert 2.0 reliability vs. 1.7 in the DA42

As a 600 hr pilot who has owned an Archer for approx 11 yrs I have
analysed my mission and concluded that the Diamond DA42 on paper is
the most suitable. I live in Norway and my mission includes flying
over the ocean as well as a lot of icing. The ambition is to approach
airline dispatch reliability on a budget

My A&P who has serviced two rental DA40 TDIs does however recommend
that I avoid Thielert at any cost. This is based on experience of two
DA40s that have been rental aircraft, but has been grounded countless
times due to all sorts of software and engine trouble during approx
2000 flight hours

I have read some comments that the 2.0 engine should improve matters
over the 1.7 but reliable information based on real experience is hard
to find. I would appreciate any information that would assist in an
informed decision

-- John Hestenes, April 29, 2008

Answers

I would rather have a single-engine pressurized turbine airplane for this mission. The best way to deal with ice is to climb out of it, not to rely on TKS. Your mechanic's advice on Thielert should probably be heeded. Companies don't change quickly. I wouldn't expect the ownership experience with a 2.0 engine to be very different from that with the 1.7 engine (and who knows if the company or product will survive at all?).

How about a partnership in an older TBM-700?

-- Philip Greenspun, May 4, 2008

You might want to wait until Thielert gets out of insolvency . . .

http://www.avweb.com/avwebflash/news/ThielertAircraftEnginesFilesForInsolvency_197735-1.html

-- Mike Zaharis, April 30, 2008

One more article - Diamond says they'll do whatever they can to minimize the impact (what else would they say?).

http://www.aero-news.net/index.cfm?ContentBlockID=f8919697-2469-4e33-8f1a-c19d352d50e1&

Has anyone "taken the temperature" of DA42 and DA40TDI owners? Do they think support and development will be OK? Do any of them think they'll eventually get retrofitted with the 160 or so horsepower diesel engine that Diamond themselves are developing? Any chance that the Lycoming-powered DA42 will be resurrected?

-- Mike Zaharis, May 4, 2008

One flight school, Millen Aviation in Kent, England, has initiated a legal action against the Diamond leasing subsidiary and Diamond Aircraft Industrie GmbH for breach of warranty of fitness to rescind leases on two DA40TDIs. Other European operators are still on the fence but are clearly unhappy with the performance of this engine. If during the trial of the Millen suit it turns out that there have been chronic engineering problems and chronic warranty claims with the Centurion engines and this is the reason that Thielert failed, and if it can be shown that Diamond knew or had reason to know that the product was defective, expect class action claims by 150+ US DA 42 owners against Diamond.

-- nicholas budd, May 6, 2008

What did you decide on ?

With Thielerts bankruptcy and impending liquidation, I hope you didn't put any money down for a DA42 at this point.

-- Florian Weilke, May 28, 2008

Did you consider getting the AVGAS-version? I think the Thielert engine is flawed by design and under present circumstances there is no way that the company will survive without continuing to milk its captive customer base the way it is doing it now. I would stay away from Thielert and also avoid the Austro-Engine for at least two years - given the way they had to rush it to market, I am very nervous about its maturity. I think Philip's advice on a used turboprop plane is a wise one. Two thielert engeines will be far more failure-prone than a single turboprop and never forget these engines MUST have electrical power to run. Under certain circumstances you might lose both engines simultaneously. I know of two such cases.

Kind regards

Antoine

-- Antoine Edde, April 23, 2009

Thanks for your response to my request a while back. I really wished that Diamond would succeed, I guess. I July this year i bought a 2002 Seneca V FIKI with approx 1300 hrs. I felt the price was good, due to the recession, I paid 368 kUSD. The cost of 100 LL in Norway is about 8 USD/gal, so the cost of fuel is an issue. But the suitability for my typical mission is spot-on. In the future I will want higher cruise speeds and longer range, up to 1300 NM from Norway to the south of Spain. My dream upgrade would be a TBM 850. Don't hold your breath.

-- John Hestenes, December 22, 2009