Recently, I had the opportunity to look at the maintenance history of a friends aircraft. As I started trying to find out if all of the AD's were up to date, I noticed where someone had written the maximum time that he could wait until he had to comply with the AD. The AD stated that it must be complied with by 3000 hours or 10 years, whichever came first. However, it also stated that it must be complied within 90 days of the issuance of the AD, which was in November of 2003. Somehow, this was missed and here we are in 2010 and it's now reaching it's 10 year maturity, since the plane was completed in 2000. As a Lead representative for the FAASTeam, I felt it important to point this out to him and show him that he needed to take care of this before any further flight. Fortunately, he is smart and is taking care of it. We must use extreme caution when we read AD's. Concerning this same aircraft, an authorized service center told me that the eddy current portion of the AD had to be complied with, but he had 3000 hours or 10 years to do the mod portion of the AD. Sadly, even the repair station had misinterpreted the AD. If you are going to own an aircraft, it is your responsibility to ensure that all maintenance, to include AD's are performed properly and documented correctly. The FAA just recently fined American Airlines with the largest fine in aviation history for not performing AD's by the required time. Let's set the standard and avoid being the example. Don't be afraid to let someone know when they are running out of bounds, and show them what it will take to get them back on the straight and narrow. Stay safe and keep those around you safe by looking out for your customers and co-workers. You have worked hard for your certificate and should make every effort to insure you are not risking the loss of it. It's your career!