Hi!
I agree with all of the posts above -- and I've also used some accounting info in the past that helped keep me out of hot water. I don't have it handy, so I'll set you to looking.
The IRS publishes a handbook for accountants to use in determining depreciation of fixed assets, and in that publication is a table that lists historical standards for maintenance and repair as a percentage of the installed cost or basis. It is apparently derived from a huge amount of data, so it's a good standard to cite as additional data to back up your estimates.
It's all crystal ball stuff anyway, but when the boss asks an engineer to predict a number and that number gets exceeded eight years later, it's good to have some solid statistics from a respectable source to help spread the blame. I'd give him a worst case scenario too, not just an average or "most probable" prediction. Maybe even draw the whole bell curve.
I don't remember exactly the different IRS figures for mechanical equipment but I think that PacificSteve is right there in the ballpark with his seven percent figure.
Good luck with your study, let us know how it turns out!
Old Dave