So... It has happened... I was an idiot and attempted to fly my drone inside AGAIN!  I admit I am impatient, can't wait for the crappy Ohio weather to break and paid the price... I broke one of the rear arms of my Spark.  I was able to find a replacement shell online for ~$25, so I ordered it.  Does anyone happen to have any experience replacing these?  I have found a few videos on youtube but, I feel that they don't explain the process thoroughly enough.  Thank you all in advance!!

Hi, EMTDad, so sorry to hear about the accident,  for the fly safe purpose, it is not recommended to repair the drone yourself, kindly please start a case number send it in for diagnosis: https://www.dji.com/support. Thanks!

So I was like you when I crashed my drone I wanted to just fix it myself, I am very handy and I know my way around electrical components and a soldering iron.  My wife convinced me to send it in to DJI and It is actually good that she did.  I would have bought the shell like you and taken the time to fix it only to learn that the motor was broke as well.  I don't know how long it took to get the shell after you ordered it but to me time is money and yeah the $65 an hour they charge is kinda steep in my opinion I knew that when I got the drone back it was in like new condition.  They also didn't charge me for the two blades they replaced, or shipping in either direction.  So my total repair was $90 that included the top cover, the base shell, a motor, an LED cover, and the labor.  not a bad deal when I was finding the shell for 25, then I found motors for 25 as well and the top cover was anywhere from 5-10 and the LED cover was like $3.  When I added all that up I was looking at the labor of $30ish and that is well worth the hassle of letting the professionals take care of it.  

DJI Diana Posted at 2018-3-19 22:13
Hi, EMTDad, so sorry to hear about the accident,  for the fly safe purpose, it is not recommended to repair the drone yourself, kindly please start a case number send it in for diagnosis: https://www.dji.com/support. Thanks!

I just created a case.  Based upon experience (I know you can not even remotely give specifics) but will it be even worth sending the drone in for service?  I mean, is a typical repair to a body piece cost prohibitive? The reason why I am asking is because I am wondering if it would be worth "rolling the dice" and repairing the drone myself considering how much I paid for it.  

Oh and while I was reading your post all I could hear was my wife saying should've put those prop guards on!  I don't ever take the time to and the last time I had them on in the house I got close to a wall and the drone flipped vertical rubbed on the wall for a second and then crashed.. but it didn't break itself so maybe she was right.... Shh don't tell her!!

The Bash's Posted at 2018-3-19 22:30
Oh and while I was reading your post all I could hear was my wife saying should've put those prop guards on!  I don't ever take the time to and the last time I had them on in the house I got close to a wall and the drone flipped vertical rubbed on the wall for a second and then crashed.. but it didn't break itself so maybe she was right.... Shh don't tell her!!

The ironic thing is: last time I flew the drone inside and crashed it I broke a prop on the front because the drone took off forward.  So, this time I put FRONT guards on and figured that would be sufficient.  Of course due to my rushing and impatience, the drone took off the other direction and nailed the rear props/arms.  Honestly, I wonder if there was some sort of malfunction.  Last time I was told that maybe the sensors may have gotten "confused" due to the lighting and floors/walls all looking the same.  This time I disabled all that I could through the app and it still took off on me.  

EMTDad Posted at 2018-3-19 22:34
The ironic thing is: last time I flew the drone inside and crashed it I broke a prop on the front because the drone took off forward.  So, this time I put FRONT guards on and figured that would be sufficient.  Of course due to my rushing and impatience, the drone took off the other direction and nailed the rear props/arms.  Honestly, I wonder if there was some sort of malfunction.  Last time I was told that maybe the sensors may have gotten "confused" due to the lighting and floors/walls all looking the same.  This time I disabled all that I could through the app and it still took off on me.

Mine sporadically takes off in random (to me) directions when I used to fly in the house.  I say used to because the wife has banned indoor flights.  It took off twice in her direction and she said it was out to get her.  I never tried flying with the sensors off, but that was probably because when I was flying in the house I didn't know that was an option.  I'm also in Ohio and I fly from the warmth of the front porch as it freezes outside.  

EMTDad Posted at 2018-3-19 22:30
I just created a case.  Based upon experience (I know you can not even remotely give specifics) but will it be even worth sending the drone in for service?  I mean, is a typical repair to a body piece cost prohibitive? The reason why I am asking is because I am wondering if it would be worth "rolling the dice" and repairing the drone myself considering how much I paid for it.

The repair cost is unknown before you send it back to the engineer for a diagnosis, you can refer the parts cost from the website: https://repair.dji.com/en/SelfRepair/PriceQuery
Thanks!