Lycoming engine overhaul after 12 yrs?

[Radioflyer]

You may or may not know that Lycoming specifies engine overhaul after 12 yrs, whether it has been used or not. I've personally seen several canards for sale with low time engines, but last overhauled over 12 years ago. The engines seem to be running fine, but does anyone really overhaul an engine just because it is over 12 yrs old? It would seem to me that with good compressions, minor if any oil leaks, and routine oil analysis, why not have confidence in the engine? Any experiences out there with this issue?

[walter]

One has to wonder if the attorneys wrote that one!

[Radioflyer]

I've been researching this question just a bit. You may be right that the 12 yr recommendation is at least partly due to legal containment. Apparently, it is not infrequent that engines much older than 12 yrs old are brought in for their 2000 hr overhaul, so they've lasted at least that long. I would guess that how they are used is more important than how old they are. Ah...but to figure out how they've been used...that could be a mystery.