Hey Forktail, would have been a very funny 182T with gear going up and down - guess you mean an RG or R182. Those things do seem to have a lot of electrical problems. They really are an excellent aircraft but there aint half some poorly maintained high time dogs of that variety around - usually from owners who dont like maintenance bills so they put them on line somewhere - and then get real maintenance bills!
Does anyone think that aircraft in the US are maintained any better than here? That debate on the Bo wing bolts seems to be a case in point. You see some immaculate V tails over there - that have been maintained superbly - but rarely to manufacturers manual. (Many replacements 'on-condition' only for example.) Although you find aircraft with 'original' 1970's engines that have gone well beyond TBO and maunufacturers calendar time, they do seem to be in better order generally and maintained more consistently than here - or am I dreaming? Is there something about their maintenance system that CASA could learn? Or is it Aussie culture that you just dont dob and so it would not matter what CASA tried to mandate?