A CRJ200 CAPT WITH A 'DISPLAY COOL' CAUTION MESSAGE RPTS POOR MAINT PROCS AND REQUESTS TO OPERATE THE AIRPLANE IN A WAY TO FACILITATE DISPATCH.

Narrative

I WAS ASSIGNED ACFT X. I HAD OPERATED THIS ACFT THE PREVIOUS NIGHT. DURING THAT FLT; AT FL350; WE HAD TO REVERT TO THE STANDBY DISPLAY FAN DUE TO A DISPLAY COOL CAUTION MESSAGE. I REVIEWED THE LOGS IN THE ACFT AND NOTED 2 PREVIOUS WRITE-UPS FOR THE SAME PROB. UPON ARR I CALLED MAINT CTL AND THEY TOOK THE WRITE-UP INFO AND ASSURED ME THAT THEY WOULD GET A MECH OUT THERE DURING THE NIGHT. UPON ARR IN THE MORNING; IT APPEARED THAT THE ACFT HAD NOT BEEN TOUCHED. IN SUBSEQUENT PHONE CALLS TO DISPATCH AND MAINT CTL IT BECAME OBVIOUS THAT THE BALL HAD BEEN DROPPED DURING THE EVENING. WHILE TRYING TO RESOLVE THE ISSUE; THE MAINT PERSON I WAS PATCHED TO BY DISPATCH SUGGESTED THAT I RUN THE GND CHK AND SIGN OFF THE LOG AS 'ENTERED IN ERROR.' I REFUSED TO DO THIS AS IT WAS NOT ENTERED IN ERROR. THEN THE MAINT CTLR INDICATED THAT IT WAS IMPOSSIBLE TO TEST THE ACFT AT FL350 AND IF HE WAS THERE HE WOULD OPS CHK ON THE GND AND SIGN OFF THE ACFT AS GOOD TO GO. HE ALSO SUGGESTED THAT WE COULD OPERATE AT A LOWER ALT WHICH WOULD ESSENTIALLY MASK THE PROB. WHEN A MECH DID ARRIVE HE CLEANED THE FILTER WITH COMPRESSED AIR. I TOOK A 'BEFORE' PHOTO; IT WAS CLOGGED WITH LINT. I ALSO INITIATED A CALL TO THE DUTY CHIEF PLT. I EVENTUALLY SPOKE WITH ZZZ1 CHIEF PLT. DURING OUR DISCUSSION; I RELATED THAT OUR ACFT ARE CERTIFIED TO FL410 AND THAT THE MECH HAD; AMONGST OTHER THINGS; SUGGESTED OPERATING AT A LOWER ALT SO AS TO GET THE ACFT TO ZZZ2; WHERE MAINT WAS LOCATED. I CAME AWAY FROM THAT CONVERSATION WITH THE IMPRESSION THAT THE CHK PLT SUPPORTED THE LOWER ALT METHODOLOGY. CONCERNS: 1) THE BLINDER APCH TO MAINT THAT SEEMS TO EXIST AT MY COMPANY; IT APPEARS SOME MECHS ARE BLIND TO THE BIG PICTURE. THEY WANT TO DO SOMETHING TO SIGN THE ACFT OFF WITHOUT REALLY LOOKING AT WHAT IS GOING ON. 2) I SUSPECT OUR ACFT DISPLAY FAN FILTERS ARE NOT BEING CHANGED OR INSPECTED ON ANY SCHEDULE. I SUSPECT THAT ONLY WHEN A CLOGGED FILTER CAUSES A PROB AND A MECH TAKES THE TIME TO REALLY LOOK INTO THE PROB IS THE FILTER EXAMINED. IT SEEMS TO ME THAT IF WE WANT DISPATCH RELIABILITY FOR HIGH ALT OPS THEN WE NEED TO ADDRESS THIS MAINT ISSUE. 3) THAT A MECH WOULD TRY TO GET A PLT TO MAKE AN ENTRY THAT I CONSIDER TO BE FRAUDULENT TO FACILITATE DISPATCH. 4) THAT A CHK PLT WOULD SUPPORT THE CONCEPT OF OPERATING AN ACFT IN A WAY MORE RESTRICTIVE THAN THE DESIGN ALLOWS SO AS TO FACILITATE DISPATCH. IF WE HAD AN MEL ITEM TO RESTRICT OP TO COMPENSATE FOR A CLOGGED FILTER WOULD BE A DIFFERENT MATTER; BUT WE DO NOT AND I DOUBT WE EVER WILL.