Stress cracks in South America, need advice

[nonflyingbrick]

I've flown about 150 times and very recently I had a crack in one of the arms. I have the old motors and the old shell.
I live in Uruguay, and shipping the bird from and back to the country for warranty is out of the question (customs is a pain). I'm travelling NYC soon, so I could take it, send it to DJI once I'm there, when it's repaired (hopefully for free, since I bought it last August) have it sent back to a friend's in the US, and in some unknown future trip to the US, pick it back up. As you can see, quite a pain.

Anywhere in NYC where I can have it repaired in less than a week, for a fee? That way I can come back with the bird ready.
Is the new shell better than the old for avoiding cracks? Is it a sure thing that DJI will replace it with the new shell?
If I glue it myself, what are the odds of it weathering hundreds more flights?
How reliable is a DIY fix vs having DJI replace the shell?

Crack, picture 1

• nonflyingbrick
• Feb 14, 2016

Crack, picture 2

• nonflyingbrick
• Feb 14, 2016

 

[fordruid]

United States
STC NYC ELECTRONICS
300 WEST 49TH STREET, New York, NY 10019

Call them for ideas 1-212 333-3150
stcnyc.com

Don't know anything about them, but google showed them, good luck

 

[Sinisalo]

I've flown about 150 times and very recently I had a crack in one of the arms. I have the old motors and the old shell.
I live in Uruguay, and shipping the bird from and back to the country for warranty is out of the question (customs is a pain). I'm travelling NYC soon, so I could take it, send it to DJI once I'm there, when it's repaired (hopefully for free, since I bought it last August) have it sent back to a friend's in the US, and in some unknown future trip to the US, pick it back up. As you can see, quite a pain.

Anywhere in NYC where I can have it repaired in less than a week, for a fee? That way I can come back with the bird ready.
Is the new shell better than the old for avoiding cracks? Is it a sure thing that DJI will replace it with the new shell?
If I glue it myself, what are the odds of it weathering hundreds more flights?
How reliable is a DIY fix vs having DJI replace the shell?

Crack, picture 1

• nonflyingbrick
• Feb 14, 2016

Crack, picture 2

• nonflyingbrick
• Feb 14, 2016

You could use some plast-aid. Plast aid is simply amazing, I was driving on the highway yesterday and a semi truck lost the re-tread on one of it's tires right in front of me. I had no time to do anything except slow down and hit the dang thing. Well my bumper cover was cracked up and part was hanging off by the passenger side fender, I fixed it in no time with plast-aid and I know the bond in never going to break.

 

[nonflyingbrick]

Thanks to both of you.
Anyone else want to add?

 

[John Locke]

I think only DJI can do warranty work for free. However if you want to pay to have it fixed there are a handful of shops that are authorized to work on your craft without voiding the warranty. If it was me I'd call DJI and see what they will do for you. I think they'll cover it for free, but you'll have to ship to them and wait a few weeks. You can try Aces Deals in NY, I think they're on Long Island. It says most repairs take 2hrs. Maybe drop it off, have lunch, then go pick it up. It would probably run $100-$150 to have the shell replaced. The shell by itself costs $60. That may be worth it if your customs duty is high in Uruguay.

 

[nonflyingbrick]

Yes, sending it to DJI is not an option since I'll probably be gone from the US by the time it's ready.
STC NYC said they put in the new shell for $200 + tax, including parts and labor. Sounds reasonable for NYC. They say the new shell is reinforced and so shouldn't crack from stress, so that's a plus compared to repairing my old shell myself. There are reports of new shells that have cracked, though. Hopefully they're less likely than the old.

When I know where I'll be staying I'll give Aces Deals a call and find where I get the most convenient repair location and price.

Thanks