Phil Wood Hubs: Anyone had a Pawl go? I got front &amp; rear Phil Wood hubs for a touring setup back in Oct of 2011.  I'd been using them for commuting to work -- averaging 20 KM a day.  Except I'd been off the bike for the month of January, started again in Feb.

A week ago, things felt weird.  Discussed with a fellow cyclist at work, who said it sounded like the hub was going.  The following day, there was a loud crunch from the rear and the chain felt like it was slipping.  I took the wheel into the LBS who built the wheel for me.  They told me one of the four palls had an issue, and a spring was bent, so they corrected.  I picked up the wheel today, and got 10 KM before things started again - crunching noise from the rear, and a slip.  So I dropped the wheel with the LBS, who said they'll look for a rebuilt kit.

What is a pawl?  Is it part of the freehub?  Is a rebuilt kit enough, or should I be pressing for the LBS to RMA the hub?

Edit: In case anyone's interested, Phil Wood said they're aware of quality problems and wouldn't expect a rebuild kit to do much.  RMA time...
Phil Wood Hubs rarely have issues. If it is the pawls that are the problem, a rebuild kit will be enough. They are replaceable parts. They are the "teeth" that the freehub use to drive the hub shell (and the rest of your wheel) forward.

Let them try a rebuild. You won't lose anything by it, and it will be faster than an RMA. But if you continue to have issues after, then warranty the hub.