A C172 LOGBOOK REVIEW ORDERED BY AN FAA SAFETY INSPECTOR REVEALED REPAIRS ACCOMPLISHED WITHOUT PROPER DOCUMENTATION. LOGBOOK AND REPAIRS CORRECTED AND UPDATED.

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FOLLOWING A RAMP INSPECTION FROM THE ZZZ FSDO; THE INSPECTOR HAD COMPILED A LIST OF ACTION ITEMS AND ASKED FOR A DETERMINATION OF THE RELATED ITEMS. I PERFORMED AN IN-DEPTH REVIEW OF THE ACFT RECORDS AND MAINT MANUALS FOR ACCURACY WHEN IT APPEARED THAT SOME REPAIRS MIGHT NOT HAVE BEEN CORRECTLY ACCOMPLISHED. THE MAINT MANUAL UTILIZED WERE UP TO DATE AND CURRENT BUT THEY DO NOT SPECIFICALLY ADDRESS THE EXACT REPAIR PROCESS TO BE USED. THE GUIDELINES PUT FORTH IN AC43-13-1B WERE ALSO UTILIZED FOR THE SAID REPAIRS SINCE IT IS THE ACCEPTED PRACTICE FOR ACFT MAINT. IN VIEW OF THE FACT THAT THE MAINT ACTIONS WERE COMPLETED IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE APPROPRIATE MAINT MANUAL AND AC43-13-1B; I HAD NOT CONTACTED THE MANUFACTURER FOR FURTHER GUIDANCE. HOWEVER; IN MY REVIEW; THE VAGUENESS OF SPECIFIC PROCS FOR CERTAIN MAINT ACTIONS WERE GROUNDS FOR ME TO CONTACT THE MANUFACTURER AND COMMUNICATE FURTHER WITH THE FAA IN ORDER TO COME UP WITH THE PROPER DATA AND THEN FINALLY RETURN THE ACFT BACK TO SVC PROPERLY. GOING BEYOND THE AREAS OF WORK THAT THE FAA INSPECTOR DOCUMENTED AS IMPROPER; I ALSO FOUND SEVERAL OTHER REPAIRS AND INSTALLATIONS THAT LACKED PROPER DOCUMENTATION; WHICH I HAVE NOW CORRECTED. I HAD PERFORMED THE LATEST 100 HR/ANNUAL INSPECTION AND BELIEVED THAT ALL INSTALLATIONS; REPAIRS AND DOCUMENTATION WERE PROPERLY IN ORDER; BUT HAVE SINCE CORRECTED MY OVERSIGHT IN SEVERAL TECHNICAL AREAS. DURING MY RECORDS REVIEW; I ALSO NOTED THAT PREVIOUS INSPECTIONS; REPAIRS AND INSTALLATIONS PERFORMED BY OTHER MAINT PERSONNEL WERE EITHER NOT COMPLETED CORRECTLY OR THE RECORD KEEPING WAS INCORRECT. AS A RESULT; I CORRECTED THOSE MAINT ACTIONS AND PERFORMED THE APPROPRIATE LOGBOOK ENTRIES. I HAVE LEARNED A TREMENDOUS AMOUNT IN THE PAST MONTH AS TO PROPER DOCUMENTATION AND THE ACCURACY OF PAST REPAIRS OF THE ACFT. EVEN IF PAST REPAIRS AND INSTALLATION WERE DOCUMENTED; THEY MAY NOT HAVE BEEN DONE EXACTLY IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE PROPER PROC. UNDER THE AUTH OF MY AIRFRAME; PWR PLANT AND IA CERTIFICATES; INSPECTION REQUIREMENTS AT EACH 100 HR/ANNUAL ARE TO ENSURE THE WORK COMPLETED; INCLUDING THE WORK DONE PREVIOUS TO ME; IS COMPLETED CORRECTLY AND DOCUMENTED PROPERLY. I HAVE BEEN IN THE GA FIELD FOR A LONG TIME AND FIND MYSELF FEELING LIKE THE MANUALS AND REGS ARE NOT CLR AND LEAVE TOO MUCH ROOM FOR INTERP. UNFORTUNATELY; AVIATION MAINT MECHS LIKE MYSELF ARE OFTEN RELUCTANT TO DRAW UPON FAA INSPECTORS AS A RESOURCE ABOUT ACFT MAINT FOR FEAR OF OPENING ONESELF TO A VIOLATION.