DJI wants you to call if you have shell cracks

I called DJI North America they had no clue what I was talking about, they insisted I turn in my bird... And I would be charged lol...no thanks!

so there it is...

Over and out
There's a 9 hour difference between China and US. I'm wondering of it hasn't been communicated. I did the online chat thing for phantom 24 hour support. They said the DJI North american techs would know what the fix was but the online chat couldn't tell me. This whole thing might be just a send it in for repair deal. and am asking, how's this different. Different to me would be a new shell. I can repair that. Or even a replacement, which is what most manufacturers would do. Not make you wait 6-8 weeks on a repair.

I'll give it a few days to see how this pans out and I'll just make the repairs on my own. Although not my fault, I'd rather just buy a new shell than to have to send it in for a free one and wait for 6-8 weeks. At least I'd know the screws were torqued correctly.

Just release the shells already and I'll make my own repairs. I'm on hold. I'm curios to see what the say to me on the phone.
 
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So I called Drone Nerds and Drones Plus, neither had heard of the problem. I am currently number 19 on hold with DJI. They are on Speaker so unless I decide go to lunch, I will continue to slave at the coal mine. lol
 
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Just got off the phone with support. They have no idea about what's going on. You have to send in your phantom if you have cracks. Surprised? No. Typical crap customer service. I asked if they received any new directives on how to handle this in the past 24 hours, and he said no. I asked about replacement shells. He said no. 6-8 weeks.
 
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Assume the root cause was determined, tooling modified, and new shells ready to ship.

Do you really expect DJI to send you a shell?

No way.

Most people do not have the skill, desire, or both, to make the swap.
 
Assume the root cause was determined, tooling modified, and new shells ready to ship.

Do you really expect DJI to send you a shell?

No way.

Most people do not have the skill, desire, or both, to make the swap.
You might be surprised. Many people flew helis prior to owning a drone. I did. And still do. And if you own a heli, you've crashed a heli. It's no different in skill level to remove the mainboard and put it in a new shell. Just reverse the process with the new shell right next to you. I've seen the inside of one. It won't be that difficult to do.
 
No way am I sending it in for 2 months. See how pretty my red zip ties are girls? I'm thinking I will go out and buy multicolored zip ties and maybe put 4 or 5 on each arm for fun.:)
 

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No way am I sending it in for 2 months. See how pretty my red zip ties are girls? I'm thinking I will go out and buy multicolored zip ties and maybe put 4 or 5 on each arm for fun.:)
Just inspect the holes between the motor mounts from time to time. My crack at the shell holes holding the two together spread to between the motor mounts and mine is CA glued at the cracks. I'm not sending mine in for two months either, which I assume is really good for DJI. They don't have to take any responsibility for the issue.
 
No way am I sending it in for 2 months. See how pretty my red zip ties are girls? I'm thinking I will go out and buy multicolored zip ties and maybe put 4 or 5 on each arm for fun.:)
So, what exactly will the zip ties do to prevent cracking?
 
So, what exactly will the zip ties do to prevent cracking?
Nothing but it will hopefully keep it from falling apart and killing someone if falls from the sky. I just don't want to bathe my phantom in glue or take a torch to it just yet lol. But I may go that route eventually.
 
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btw, by phantom arms are already fully cracked. I don't know if they are capable of cracking any more, but the cracks that are there are 360 degrees all around the screws. So the zip ties are just holding the arms together right now cuz they felt flimsy and loose after cracking.
 
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No way am I sending it in for 2 months. See how pretty my red zip ties are girls? I'm thinking I will go out and buy multicolored zip ties and maybe put 4 or 5 on each arm for fun.:)
LOL! Yep! My cream colored rubber bands, triple wound to almost bursting, are hardly seen on mine. Waiting on some better method of repair than glue or tape. If these rubber bands hold out, good for me lol!!
 
LOL! Yep! My cream colored rubber bands, triple wound to almost bursting, are hardly seen on mine. Waiting on some better method of repair than glue or tape. If these rubber bands hold out, good for me lol!!
Oooh, good idea. Maybe I'll add some rubber bands on top of the zip ties to add a decorative splash
 
I ordered some Bondic. Interesting product. When I get my shell off, I'm going to put it around all the mounts and screw holes to strengthen those areas, along with the already existent cracks. Then when the shell is back on, Maybe a drop around the seams on forward and aft areas on all arms to add a little more resistance to movement. It dries opaque, so maybe it will look ok.
 
Oooh, good idea. Maybe I'll add some rubber bands on top of the zip ties to add a decorative splash
This is depressing. So what I'm hearing is that there is (currently) no real preventative measure one can take - correct? Only to safeguard against Phantom-parts-raining syndrome?
 
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This is depressing. So what I'm hearing is that there is (currently) no real preventative measure one can take - correct? Only to safeguard against Phantom-parts-raining syndrome?
I am going to remove the screws and re-torque them. That's what you can do.
 
Found nothing thanks anyways...
I'll wait for others to report.
No way am I sending it in for 2 months. See how pretty my red zip ties are girls? I'm thinking I will go out and buy multicolored zip ties and maybe put 4 or 5 on each arm for fun.:)

Ooooh. do they help keep them stiffer longer???? ;)
 
What if the arm twisting is part of the design and by using tie wraps/tape/glue you alter the characteristics of the drone causing unstable flight :)

That is not the case. The arms should be a solid one piece unit. There is too much flex once the cracking starts. You will notice on descent once the cracks have started the P3 will wobble. Put some zip-ties on to keep the arms strong ans there is little to no wobble on descent.
 

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