Hi All! I joined this forum for some guidance and expertise. I am an owner of a two story medical office. My Otis elevator was put in at the time of construction 10 years ago. We did not use the elevator for initial 4 years and didn't have heavy use till summer of 2014. (The upstairs was never fully occupied until then). Since the increased use last year we have had repeated problems with the hydraulic oil leaking out into the pit. Re packed in 11/2014. The tech that did the repack warned us that he saw scarring and evidence that one of our pistons was ground down. He states this damage could have only happened at time of install since the piston is never really exposed. Is that true? Is it possible for me to damage the piston from light/ moderate use or is it a manufacture defect? He is recommending we tell Otis that they need to fix it because it is basically a manufacturer defect. The piston was not in good condition on installation and was bound to cause all these problems....then my packing completely blew this week and all the oil leaked out and of course the elevator is not in service. i have spoken to Otis over the phone and they of course are not admitting anything. They are recommending a sanding sleeve to fix the piston, which I will have to pay for. Is that a good solution? My tech says that a sleeve will not reach the entire piston....any insight into my situation would be greatly appreciated. Thank you so much!