When is New, New?

It's a Friday (of course) morning and I'm hoping it will be a normal 4 coffee cup day. One of our inspectors brings me parts and says that the documentation says it's new, but it does not appear to be new. I'm heard to mutter "hmmm", as I finish my regular coffee with milk (cafe con leche, thank you).

The parts are engine tie-rods which are basically tubes of metal about the size of pencils with threaded ends used to move the Variable Stator Vanes. The threads show evidence of installation, and there's residual anti-seize goop on the threads too. Sure enough, the supplier's docs state it's new. A cappuccino please!

AHA! I discover an 8130-3 that says its been inspected. How can accompanying paperwork state it's new? *Sip, Sip* 
Well, block 13 of the 8130-3 states the parts have been removed from a new, zero time engine that was parted out from engine S/N xxxxxx. *More sips*

ATA Spec 106 defines new as parts having "...no operating time or cycles," and we all know that test cell time does not count as 'operating time.' So, the engine and its parts can really, honestly be categorized as new. But here I am staring at these parts showing obvious evidence of installation, and they don't look quite new. Darned, that cappuccino was good! 

I call the airline customer and inform them of this quandary. Their QA guy says they'll take the parts as 'serviceable,' but certainly not as new! Another customer says 'of course we'll take the parts as new, this is routine, and acceptable.' I call a fellow QA geek at a well known engine distributor and he's quite emotional about the topic, insisting the parts are routinely sold as new. I'll take that double cappuccino with a shot of vanilla now please.

So I fall back on what I always do. On documentation always state the facts as they are, and let the customer decide based on their policies. By the way, don't get me started on the vague differences between factory new and new, or why our industry insists on using the term 'new surplus.' Pilots and mechanics will tell us plainly: "You weenies figure out that mumbo-jumbo. Is the part airworthy with supporting documentation? If yes that's all I care about." I like that logic. 

Why is my leg vibrating up and down sitting in this chair? Hmmmmm.