How to check your Phantom 3 for stress cracks *VIDEO*

So those aren't just speed holes that make the quad go faster?

They are indeed, but you just need to open them up a little further for maximum air flow!!!

Helps keep the motors cool too.....
 
I disagree. Just because they have no warranty on the shell, does not mean that they should sell it as defective (assuming this is proven to be a defect by DJI).
If you bought an iPad, and the screen arrived cracked (assume there is zero warranty on it), would you not say this is the companies fault? This is very different to buying it and breaking it, which you directly compare to. That is poor business practice, no matter how you put it. When we buy new things, we expect them to be in new condition, not defective or damaged, regardless of there being a warranty.

I could not care less about having a warranty, as long as the company sells me the product in new condition when I purchase it. Buying new products with defects is not the same as buying a product and breaking it yourself.

The truth is that this is not ethical for a company to do, no matter how you put it, regardless of the fact that they can legally do this all day.

Funny you mentioned ipad... Just got my ipad2 air on Monday... Now to use your example of an ipad arriving cracked... Would that be Apple's fault? A design fault? Or something outside of Apple's control. With this scenario I would say the shipping company would be a fault. This isn't a warranty issue (with or without a warranty) But that's... um... apple to oranges. Not a good point to use for your argument.

How do we know you didn't cause the crack? What is the root cause for the crack? did you tighten the props wrong? Is it a design issue or something else? It cracked for a reason. Also is this crack making the craft unusable? Is it cosmetic? Do you think something cosmetic should be warrantied?

I am not going to argue if this is a good business practice or not. Time will only tell if DJI loses money or not.

Was your P3 not new when you got it?

Now on the the ethics of this. How is this unethical? It's not illegal, they did not hide the fact they do not warranty the shell or did they force you to buy your P3. Did you or did you not read and understand the warranty before you bought your P3?
 
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I called the store I bought my P3P from because mine has those cracks on 3/4 arms. The store said they cant do anything and to call DJI. I called DJI and the rep said he talked to 3 other people today with this same problem. He said no one wants to send them in because they just got them. I told him it seems like a legit issue at least looking at forums and he said he was going to check it out.

He send me a shipping label to send it to DJI. I cant decide what to do. He said it would be 6 weeks from when they receive it and they would have to determine whether or not I have to pay for it myself after they inspect it. Has anyone had to send their P3 in for repairs? Is it really 6 weeks?
 
I called the store I bought my P3P from because mine has those cracks on 3/4 arms. The store said they cant do anything and to call DJI. I called DJI and the rep said he talked to 3 other people today with this same problem. He said no one wants to send them in because they just got them. I told him it seems like a legit issue at least looking at forums and he said he was going to check it out.

He send me a shipping label to send it to DJI. I cant decide what to do. He said it would be 6 weeks from when they receive it and they would have to determine whether or not I have to pay for it myself after they inspect it. Has anyone had to send their P3 in for repairs? Is it really 6 weeks?

I heard its over 8 weeks right now. One guy on here got his replacement and it cracked again after a few flights.
 
Funny you mentioned ipad... Just got my ipad2 air on Monday... Now to use your example of an ipad arriving cracked... Would that be Apple's fault? A design fault? Or something outside of Apple's control. With this scenario I would say the shipping company would be a fault. This isn't a warranty issue (with or without a warranty) But that's... um... apple to oranges. Not a good point to use for your argument.

How do we know you didn't cause the crack? What is the root cause for the crack? did you tighten the props wrong? Is it a design issue or something else? It cracked for a reason. Also is this crack making the craft unusable? Is it cosmetic? Do you think something cosmetic should be warrantied?

I am not going to argue if this is a good business practice or not. Time will only tell if DJI loses money or not.

Was your P3 not new when you got it?

Now on the the ethics of this. How is this unethical? It's not illegal, they did not hide the fact they do not warranty the shell or did they force you to buy your P3. Did you or did you not read and understand the warranty before you bought your P3?

First of all, I was clear about saying that everything I said is under the assumption that DJI takes full responsibility and admits that it is a manufacturing defect, not a shipping issue, customer fault, or anything else. Damage during shipping or any of the circumstances is clearly not warranty or DJI issue.
The issue is not understanding the warranty, I read the warranty, and fully understood the fact that the shell is not covered. I specifically said warranty or no warranty. As far as covering cosmetic stuff, I don't see why they should take care of that, but if it turns out to be vital for proper performance, that's another ball game. That does not mean that it is ok for them to sell me a damaged product from the start ( if this was absolutely proven by DJI, not assumed by customers)

Now, staying under my the assumption that it is DJI defect and nothing else, It is unethical to sell a product that is defective, knowing that it is defective. How is it ethical? Being legal does not make something ethical. It is legal, I didnt say otherwise. The fact remains that I understand that there is very few ways to prove this is actually at fault of DJI manufacturing, and not one of the other 100 ways the product can be damaged. But if it was proved to be DJI fault, and they still did not cover it, this is the situation I am referring to. This is a bad business practice whether or not they make a ton of money, there are endless bad business practices that make you rich, and making money does not make you a good business, only a successful one.

The core of the issue is that it is wrong to sell a product that is known to have a defect, whether or not it is covered by warranty, and there is no arguing that. Rationalization is something else entirely.
 
You guys send it in...I'm almost 100% sure DJI will not cover the cost. Why because it's not under warranty. For those of you who think it's gonna take 8 weeks you're kidding yourself.

I'm just as pissed off as the rest, but one has to be realistic, sending it in will give you a piece of mind until 3 months from now, you get an email stating the cost.

I suppose if there is anything positive about this F up experience is that it's out there and it's not just a hand full of units. There's an issue! How will it get solved is beyond me.

I have small hair line stress cracks no holes. I'll glue what I could. Backed out screws and reset.

I'm not gonna open my bird up. I got the guerrilla glue tap I will do what another member did...can't remember who...and go from there

Happy flying!

To be continued
 
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Funny you mentioned ipad... Just got my ipad2 air on Monday... Now to use your example of an ipad arriving cracked... Would that be Apple's fault? A design fault? Or something outside of Apple's control. With this scenario I would say the shipping company would be a fault. This isn't a warranty issue (with or without a warranty) But that's... um... apple to oranges. Not a good point to use for your argument.

How do we know you didn't cause the crack? What is the root cause for the crack? did you tighten the props wrong? Is it a design issue or something else? It cracked for a reason. Also is this crack making the craft unusable? Is it cosmetic? Do you think something cosmetic should be warrantied?

I am not going to argue if this is a good business practice or not. Time will only tell if DJI loses money or not.

Was your P3 not new when you got it?

Now on the the ethics of this. How is this unethical? It's not illegal, they did not hide the fact they do not warranty the shell or did they force you to buy your P3. Did you or did you not read and understand the warranty before you bought your P3?
Spanky, how many hours are on your P3? When you get 11 hours, come back to this thread.
 
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UPDATE:
Got a call from DJI tonight. The lady on the phone said she reviewed my video and pictures I sent and said she would be sending me a new unit on Monday. She wants me to send mine back once I get mine.

Light at the end of the tunnel? I hope so.
 
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UPDATE:
Got a call from DJI tonight. The lady on the phone said she reviewed my video and pictures I sent and said she would be sending me a new unit on Monday. She wants me to send mine back once I get mine.

Light at the end of the tunnel? I hope so.
You're lucky...not gluing the seem ;)
 
So now it's decision time. To glue or not to glue. Glue it and you may not get a replacement from DJI if they decide to do right by you. I suspect it's going to take a large hole to qualify for a replacement. Just a hairline crack will probably not make the cut. But who knows. They might decide to do the right thing and replace all cracked units.
 
UPDATE:
Got a call from DJI tonight. The lady on the phone said she reviewed my video and pictures I sent and said she would be sending me a new unit on Monday. She wants me to send mine back once I get mine.

Light at the end of the tunnel? I hope so.

They told me I have to send mine in. I begged them to just let me return it but they wont let me. They said they have to inspect it before discussing that. I am trying to make a claim on Amazon to somehow get my money back. It is so obvious this is a defect I don't want to send it in and get another one that will break again. Anyone have experience with Amazons a to z guarantee or whatever its called?
 
So now it's decision time. To glue or not to glue. Glue it and you may not get a replacement from DJI if they decide to do right by you. I suspect it's going to take a large hole to qualify for a replacement. Just a hairline crack will probably not make the cut. But who knows. They might decide to do the right thing and replace all cracked units.

This is my dilemma as well. I have no idea what to do. Wish I could return it at this point. So frustrating.
 
This is my dilemma as well. I have no idea what to do. Wish I could return it at this point. So frustrating.
If it's a design issue, what's to say the replacement unit will be any better than the one you send in. I'm going to go the super glue route if it is just hairline cracks and move on. If something worse happens, I will contact DJI and see what they will do for me. A replacement shell at a discounted price would be all I would expect if I have over 10 hours or so on the unit. Anything better than that would be nice but not expected.
 
There's likely dozens of cavities producing the shells and possibly several vendors as well.
This could explain why some [shells] have issues and some don't.

That is a great possibility why some do and some don't
 
UPDATE:
Got a call from DJI tonight. The lady on the phone said she reviewed my video and pictures I sent and said she would be sending me a new unit on Monday. She wants me to send mine back once I get mine.

Light at the end of the tunnel? I hope so.

GREAT NEWS!
 
Hey guys,

I think this is a bigger issue than we realize. I could be wrong but I don't believe I am. Most people don't know what to look for so I made a quick video.

My P3 has 7 hours 52 minutes on the air frame for a total of 49 flights. I've been checking for cracks and found nothing until after my two 15 minute flights last night. No crashes.

Let me know if you guys find cracks like I did.


Kman thanks for posting. Good information to know!
 
Somewhere at DJI, there's an engineer saying, "see, I told you we should of made that area thicker!"

So, interesting. If DJI doesn't warranty the issue, why are they sending you a new unit? Makes a few comments here by some about the warranty look useless. Right sugar bear?;)
 
Here are my cracks. Im trying to get DJI to refund me. 7 hours 21 minutes of flight time. Should get more out of a $1200 product before it starts falling apart.

ImageUploadedByPhantomPilots1435926953.175829.jpg

ImageUploadedByPhantomPilots1435926970.559473.jpg
 

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