Hi,
DJI, lucky for you most of your customers do not go on forums or inspect their drones before each flight.
DJI has hidden the fact that the bottom shells crack by the screw holes.   
You should contact all your customers and recall the Phantoms and replace them with the upgraded bottom shell.
Do the right thing.
For me my $1,500.00 investment is going on ebay.
I will be researching other Drone Companies for a quality product.
Very disappointed after being so happy.
William E. Burrows Jr.

Lots of people dont have cracks. Myself for one.

Good luck finding an  equivalent quad for the price.
Post your ebay link.

Rigworker Posted at 2015-11-4 02:29
Lots of people dont have cracks. Myself for one.

Good luck finding an  equivalent quad for the pric ...

Same here i wonder if some of these stress cracks reported by some are caused by minor impacts that are being over looked as the culprit because of there insugnificants i.e hard landings minor collisions

You already have the best drone around, good luck finding one better.

In all fairness to the OP, reports of cracks in Phantom 3 shells is not actually a rare occurance.
The number of reports of such cracks is overwhelming.   Read the forums.

At the very least, DJI should address the concern (and evidence) and change the mold slightly to reinforce the suspect areas.
why not make a very good thing even better?

Cessna172 Posted at 2015-11-4 11:37
In all fairness to the OP, reports of cracks in Phantom 3 shells is not actually a rare occurance.
T ...

DJI has done just that and will supposedly replace your damaged shell:
http://forum.dji.com/forum.php?m ... 4&fromuid=44480

terrylewis Posted at 2015-11-4 11:46
DJI has done just that and will supposedly replace your damaged shell:
http://forum.dji.com/forum. ...

An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.

While "A solution", it still involves far too much inconvenience for the consumer who has in all fairness spent a good sum of money.The far better solution is to change the shell.  If they don't, I can only surmise it is because they know that a major change is ahead....such as retiring the current shell design altogether.

Plast-aid to the rescue.....

Cessna172 Posted at 2015-11-4 12:31
An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.

While "A solution", it still involves far too muc ...

Too inconvenience... Wow... Are you one of those who want everything handed to you? This is a hobby... Not a necessity...

Also if 1500 bucks is a "good sum of money" for you, maybe it is better you don't spend the money on this. This is cutting edge technology and there are going to be bugs. If not there would be many many others too choose from.  

Two things come to mind, products recalls are usually done because of serious safety issues, like exploding air bags in cars, not consumer toys. And yeah, it could break fall out of the sky into a pre-school centres killing dozens of kids and all that... but unlikely. A product recall to change the shell on all the existing P3s out there would potentially be fatal for DJI if you take the time to consider the logistics involved. They are not GM (thank goodness).

And that conveniently raises the second issue. I asked in this forum some time ago how many owners who noticed cracks, had them go on to result in complete failure. And no-one answered, so I am not convinced that a few cracks will make an arm fall off or anything more sinister.

Well after five months of being a non crack person I joined the club when  I started to notice the classic hair line cracks near the motor mounts.More disturbingly was the sound of something like a screw inside the shell itself that no matter which way i turned it would not come out.All was revealed when I took the top off sure enough I discovered broken  screw mounts and broken tabs plus the cracks.My last few videos I was getting a vibration shake in the resultant videos and knew it was time to ground her till I replaced the shell.Anwyho It was the older type shell and has lasted many months of solid flying.I could of had it replaced under warranty but I'd rather do it myself and give it the care and attention she deserves.God I don't even speak about my wife that way lol.

Cessna172 Posted at 2015-11-3 20:37
In all fairness to the OP, reports of cracks in Phantom 3 shells is not actually a rare occurance.
T ...

Compared to the tens of thousands of units sold, the complaints on the forum are minimal.

I do feel for those with issues though.

Spankybear Posted at 2015-11-3 23:43
Too inconvenience... Wow... Are you one of those who want everything handed to you? This is a hobb ...

Spankybear, loose the attitude.

Phantom P3 quads have had issues with cracking around the four motor mount screws and the furthest two shell screws cracking out since almost day one.

To some people looking to get into flying quads as a recreational event, spending $1500 is a good bit of money.  If you happen to already own a tablet, that's less you have to spent. Slice it any way you like, but the average purchaser isn't rolling in the dough.

As for the inconvenience, yes, losing the use of the quad for 6-8 weeks of prime flying time is inconvenient.   DJI has gotten better with turn around times, but until recently, 6-8 weeks was the average.

Getting back to the cracked shells again. Most people don't inspect their Phantoms to the extent required to find the beginning stages of a crack until it becomes large. I installed the mounting plates from a set of removable prop guards before flight one and am still crack free. I torqued my motor screws to 7.5 inch pounds and used nail polish on the screws. Not everyone has an inch pound torque wrench. Not everyone purchasing the Phantom come to the forums and not everyone that crashes their Phantom associate the cracks found after a crash with a defect in the structure.

DJI has come out to state they will replace the shell on any Phantom that has a cracked shell provided the unit isn't crashed. Well, guess what? Very few units get flown without an upset.

Mine is going to be spiffed up in the weeks before Christmas and sold on eBay as a kit of Phantom, back pack, and 5 batteries. If I can't or don't want to fly over the winter, Why not sell it when it still has some value and decide if the next newest quad has more to offer?

gregg1r Posted at 2015-11-4 13:37
Spankybear, loose the attitude.

Phantom P3 quads have had issues with cracking around the four mot ...

I think you are spot on, I was advised that a new reinforced shell is available from DJI for $59.00, it comes with landing gear and screws.    I know not shipping my Phantom back to them will void my warranty but it's OK.   But they refused to ship the updated shell to me at no charge, knowing the original production line was defective.
I gave them one last chance to do the right thing.  So am cutting my losses and selling everything on eBay.
Best Regards,
William E. Burrows Jr.

I'm about to put my P3P on ebay too, I had the shell cracks...paid Drone's Plus (authorized DJI service center) $220 for the new shell (not the reinforced one by the way) and the labor.  Now I have the "no video connection" issue after updating my remote.  I can't believe I PAID $1400 for this kind of service.  So many people on here and PhantomPilots are having this video loss issue, yet no one from DJI has posted ANYTHING on fixing it.  It's OBVIOUS it's caused by the RC firmware update...if this is the kind of service I can expect, I'll wait for GoPro to come out with their drone and buy that one...

Spankybear Posted at 2015-11-3 20:43
Too inconvenience... Wow... Are you one of those who want everything handed to you? This is a hobb ...

Don't know what kind of job you have but 1500$ IS a lot of money!

But I love this hobby so I saved and spent it on a p3.  And so far no cracks for me!

Ok, so someone is selling their unit on eBay.....about 500K Phantom 3 models have been produced (most have been sold) and I am sure people are selling a lot of them...

Do your research. Let us know what reliable quadcopter you come up with.
(hint - most of us have spent years in the hobby and there are none)......

If you are a photog or futurist or technologist you'll likely LOVE these things. But if it's purchased as just another gadget - you'd probably be better off with something other than a complex aircraft. Aircraft are not consumer products of the sort that earth-based devices are.

I have about 80 flights and no cracks. If they crack I will likely do nothing. Maybe in a number of months I'll replace the shell. It costs a certain amount of money and time to keep an aircraft aloft. I'd never advise anyone to spend their last $$ on a Phantom and then not budget for spending much more. In fact, one experienced pilot claimed he figured on spending the entire price (again) of his machine within a year - on batteries, repairs, options, etc. - of course, there is also a good chance of crashing and/or losing any flying machine.

Yeah - this hobby is either up your alley or not.....it's much better than it was a couple years ago but still not like buying a laptop or kindle.

droneflyers.com Posted at 2015-11-7 12:05
Ok, so someone is selling their unit on eBay.....about 500K Phantom 3 models have been produced (mos ...

Well said, thank you.

William Burrows Posted at 2015-11-4 14:33
I think you are spot on, I was advised that a new reinforced shell is available from DJI for $59.00 ...

Hi,
After I calmed down I decided not to sell my Phantom 3, I enjoy it to much.
After thinking about it I decided to take matters in my own hands.
My local hobby store has a very good repair department.  
The labor cost to replace the shell is a flat fee of $60.00. The turn around is 1 or 2 days.
The  cost of the shells that includes legs and screws sells for $59.00.
The store tells me the shells are on back order.
So much for calming down.
Best Regards,
William E. Burrows Jr.

Mine is fine. No issues at all.

William Burrows Posted at 2015-11-8 08:46
Hi,
After I calmed down I decided not to sell my Phantom 3, I enjoy it to much.
After thinking abou ...

That a boy! You have the best, stick with it. A moment in haste, we all do it. Glad you posted the rate to exchange the Shell, that is not bad at all.

The minute I heard about shell cracks I removed and re-torqued all motor screws to 7 inch lbs, over 100 flights and nary a crack. I check the arms after every flight session. It really cracks me up (pun intended) to hear people complain about having to spend more money on maintenance and upkeep, not many hobbies where you don't have to keep putting money in to enjoy it. I used to own and fly a single engine airplane, man you think this hobby is expensive to maintain, try that. I have a lot of fun with my P3, and if I have to replace the shell at some point then so be it. As has been said this is a cutting edge hobby, if you can't afford it or the upkeep then wait a few years for them to perfect it. I have not had one issue with my P3, know why, I can read, and comprehend what I read, I don't rush in to everything before I fully understand it, and I do due diligence with pre-flight checks. Most of the problems I read about here are operator error, people that are in such a hurry to get it into the air they don't know how to use RTH, don't understand how the low/critical battery warnings work, don't understand how to update either the bird or the controller, etc.,etc. It's like the cashier at McDonald's that can't sell you a half dozen Nuggets because they only come in 6, 9, or 12 sizes.... Really!
Rant over.....

Just a thought.  Do you use prop guards?   I think that these are the big culprits myself.

Nothing to do with prop guards.  The cracks appear with general use.  It seems to me that some shells have flaws from the factory and others do not.  On shells that have not cracked yet it is plain to see mould marks that seemingly develop into cracks - at least on shells I have seen.  This has very little to do with crashing, torque, miss use etc   Some of these things are defective when they leave the factory.

gregg1r Posted at 2015-11-4 13:37
Spankybear, loose the attitude.

Phantom P3 quads have had issues with cracking around the four mot ...

Hi Gregg,
I need to know your brand and were to buy a inch pound torque wrench.
Please advise.
Best Regards,
William E. Burrows Jr.

William Burrows Posted at 2015-11-11 05:56
Hi Gregg,
I need to know your brand and were to buy a inch pound torque wrench.
Please advise.

William,

  The torque driver I'm using is made by Torque Control Inc. The model is TS-30. This wrench adjusts from 0-30 inch pounds, My second starts at 0 and goes to 100.

  I've had mine for years and purchased it thru one of the in-house tool suppliers we had for years.

  Here's one on eBay that will meet the needs for working on the Phantom. http://www.ebay.com/itm/TOHNICHI ... COLOR-/301054917841  price isn't bad either.

  Aircraft Spruce sells the same type torque driver I have. They're not cheap.

I'd suggest looking at eBay and search for torque driver, adjustable.

William Burrows Posted at 2015-11-8 05:46
Hi,
After I calmed down I decided not to sell my Phantom 3, I enjoy it to much.
After thinking abou ...

that is a great deal!

rodger Posted at 2015-11-8 10:46
Mine is fine. No issues at all.

Dear Roger,
You must be  one of the lucky people that have the new reenforce shell.  Please keep the forum posted how the new shell holds up.
I waiting to buy one, but my local hobby store has them on back order.
I have cracks and I'm temporally using a product called strong arms to kept me in the air.
Best Regards,
William E. Burrows Jr.

William, I think the more correct wording is you are one of the unlucky ones to have cracked shell, because most owners of old shell have no crack problem, only a minority suffers from crack.

Noodle Posted at 2015-11-14 18:53
William, I think the more correct wording is you are one of the unlucky ones to have cracked shell,  ...

Hi Mate,
I appreciate all feed back, everyone is entitled to their opinion.  If you feel that very few Phantom owners have cracks, why would DJI spend millions of dollars to redesign the shell molds.
No disrespect intended.
Best Regards,
William E. Burrows Jr.

Rocket_Aus Posted at 2015-11-4 06:07
Well after five months of being a non crack person I joined the club when  I started to notice the c ...

Just love that Aussie outlook :-) and I'm sure you love her really (your Sheila not the phantom)

I have the original model (ordered before they were shipped in April) and have never had a problem with the shell.
I don't doubt that many people DID have a problem - even if it were 5% that would be 25,000 units....so it's not a rarity.

That said, I somewhat agree with the above poster about his "real" plane. Aircraft of any sort are going to need constant work.....it's really a matter of budgeting for what you are going to end up spending per month or per year (or per flight or hour of flight).

I use a rough figure of $30 an hour - meaning if I got 35-40 hours out of P3A before needing a lot of work (even replacement), I'd be happy. That's about 150+ flights so I could look at it as a bit over $7 per flight - which is certainly a bargain.

Aircraft, unfortunately, are not like our computers and phones...because they fly. They have more mechanical parts than a typical laptop or smart device - this makes them more likely to fail in one way or another.

The main thing is to "make some art" with these quads....when you get a couple great pics or videos it all seems worthwhile.

droneflyers.com Posted at 2015-11-15 17:01
I have the original model (ordered before they were shipped in April) and have never had a problem w ...

droneflyers,

  I don't consider $30 an hour a good rate for flying an electric aircraft. My nitro copter flew for less than $15 in fuel and glow plugs. Unless I did something stupid, my per week of preventive maintenance was less than an hour to disassemble, inspect, lube and re-assemble.

My 105 engine had over 300 hours before I tore it down for a full inspect and re-freshen.  The gearbox didn't require anything other than a new set of seals since I use synthetic lube and run a very tight backlash, It all depends how anal you want to be maintaining your toys.

The Phantom should be under $2 an hour in parts, meaning a new set of props at around 50 hours of operation due to the composite hub. I hit the motors with an IR thermometer after flight and compare temperatures. So far, I'm seeing less than 2 degrees in temperature difference between the motors.

Now if you include the amount of time required to charge 5 batteries, the electric and second charger the Phantom goes up a bit.

William Burrows Posted at 2015-11-16 01:58
Hi Mate,
I appreciate all feed back, everyone is entitled to their opinion.  If you feel that very  ...

Like someone put in a speculative figure of 5% has crack problem, so if you are the one of the 5% with crack, then you are considered unlucky. But if you are one of the 95% without crack, then you wouldn't consider yourself as lucky, you are just the norm.

William Burrows Posted at 2015-11-14 18:47
Dear Roger,
You must be  one of the lucky people that have the new reenforce shell.  Please keep t ...

Bill, I don't have the latest shell. Mine is not reinforced. Got me?

Dear Roger,
I don't know why my post angered you so much, I was not trying to be sarcastic.
I wish you well.
Best Regards,
William E. Burrows Jr.

There is surely a story behind every crack.  And maybe even a drop or a crash. SO MANY people are flying with the exact same shell and no crack. Even after 100+ flights.

I've never crashed, dropped, mishandled or done anything except baby my £900 aircraft.

I think nobody is crashing their phantoms and saying "I've never crashed it" shells still shouldn't be cracking really, should they ?

A little over 1 hour 30 minutes total flight time and I have a hairline crack on one of the rear right motor mount screws, across it and the outermost lower shell screw... Waiting on DJI support's reply as I type.

I think there are so many reasons why one persons shell may crack and another not.  Even if operated in the exact same way, there could be significant variation.

Just off the top of my head here are some reasons:

1) variation in shell manufacturing - such as a thin spot or sharp edge that can cause a stress riser
2) variation in vibration - this has been explored in other threads, but needless to say that a unit with high vibration is much more likely to crack
3) variation in how screws were installed in the factory


Chinese manufacturing is known for massive variation.  They have not embraced the modern quality tools, so you get what you get.   The typical Chinese company that gets caught with bad quality tries to give freebies to make up for it.   Its a mixed bag - cheap, but it is what it is.

I seem to recall in the early days of the aircraft industry they had wings come off planes due to stress cracks.   Pretty sure that wasnt due to a crash.

Dean

stephengreenwal Posted at 2016-1-17 07:29
There is surely a story behind every crack.  And maybe even a drop or a crash. SO MANY people are fl ...

No story here peckwood. Just flying normally like everyone else.