Not I bought it second hand from an older gentleman have never flown a real drone till a few days ago I didn’t notice the cracks before hand or I would not have... I haven’t even been able to take it to my hunting lease to take pics I will be posting those pic when I get out it is some nice country

Even if you send it in to DJI, they will not guarantee it won't happen again. I have seen some that were really badly cracked and still flying just fine. But, I would try to keep the odds in your favor by mending them up. The problem has always been the material and I don't think there is any way to tell the difference between any of them. I think DJI did maybe use some better materials at one time, but again I don't know if anybody can tell you how to identify which is which. And still I think any of them could have the cracks show up. I know there are those who have been lucky enough to have many flights on their Phantoms and never had an issue, but I for one have had my share and seen friends that also have them. Buy some 3-D printed motor re-enforcements and glue them onto the lower shell when you put them on. This has worked for me very well. You don't have to glue them, but to me it just adds some extra bonding to that area. If you don't want to they will still make a difference. Maybe no 100%, but these shells are just so flimsy they twist and move and the plastic just eventually gives up and cracks. Don't make more out of it than there is. Yeah you hate to see them happen, but I have never seen any Phantom that the motors actually broke loose from the shell causing a crash.

Chris_A Posted at 2018-7-24 06:38
[view_image]

I was looking at this for an epoxy (any thoughts?)

I would think that would work just fine. Looks very similar to what I have used in the past. Best of luck to you. Don't worry, you Phantom will be fine!

RicardoGray Posted at 2018-7-26 05:16
I would think that would work just fine. Looks very similar to what I have used in the past. Best of luck to you. Don't worry, you Phantom will be fine!

Thanks Ricardo, I'll post an update here. The silver plates have arrived, so I should be able install them this weekend.

Thank you for posting such a great article! I found your website perfect for my needs
framaroot apk download

Chris_A Posted at 2018-7-26 23:16
Thanks Ricardo, I'll post an update here. The silver plates have arrived, so I should be able install them this weekend.

I had a crack appear on mine after a few months ownership not as bad as yours though, I bought some plates and they are working great, good luck.

It shouldn't matter whether their warranty covers the frame..   They built something that is defective... just like a recall on a car, they should be accountable regardless of warranty.. and JUST LIKE A CAR A DRONE CAN HURT SOMEONE when it goes out of control and falls from the sky.. Even when following the rules and not flying over anyone.. its unlikely it will just fall straight down when the engines start coming loose..

DJI SHOULD TAKE responsibility and fix this for free or offer something for our trouble.

JJMik Posted at 2018-7-27 06:36
It shouldn't matter whether their warranty covers the frame..   They built something that is defective... just like a recall on a car, they should be accountable regardless of warranty.. and JUST LIKE A CAR A DRONE CAN HURT SOMEONE when it goes out of control and falls from the sky.. Even when following the rules and not flying over anyone.. its unlikely it will just fall straight down when the engines start coming loose..

DJI SHOULD TAKE responsibility and fix this for free or offer something for our trouble.

Totally agree....

Not ideal, but it looks okay (placed a little plastic epoxy under each motor mount), just need to decide whether to Loctite the bolts in or just use the same epoxy??  I'm going to flight test at low altitude for a while, just to be sure all is correct.

Looks like you're all set! That looks good to me. Happy flying again.

RicardoGray Posted at 2018-8-3 08:58
Looks like you're all set! That looks good to me. Happy flying again.

Am new on this forum, and bumped into this thread.
Inspected mine and indeed I found on 2 motormounts similar cracks, so need to do somthing about this.
Can anyine tell me if these reinforcements are dji parts, available from them, or a dealer? otherwise, where could I get them; I am based in Holland, but importing should not be a problem.

Did I see there are plastic ones as well as aluminium?

Thanks
Cor

VetteV8 Posted at 2018-8-6 08:11
Am new on this forum, and bumped into this thread.
Inspected mine and indeed I found on 2 motormounts similar cracks, so need to do somthing about this.
Can anyine tell me if these reinforcements are dji parts, available from them, or a dealer? otherwise, where could I get them; I am based in Holland, but importing should not be a problem.

They are all over the place. Not DJI specific by any means. Search on Ebay and maybe you could find something close to you. I know a couple suppliers here in the states do make them as well.

UAV bits
These guys are in Texas here in the US, and are really cheap. Good luck.

Many thanks for your link, just what's needed.
The items are indeed inexpensive @ $7,95, but the shipping for a total of 12 grams:

"The Strong Arm Reinforcement Plates weigh only 12g."

is killing @ $25!!
I'll look elsewhere.
Anyhow thanks for your help

VetteV8 Posted at 2018-8-6 08:11
Am new on this forum, and bumped into this thread.
Inspected mine and indeed I found on 2 motormounts similar cracks, so need to do somthing about this.
Can anyine tell me if these reinforcements are dji parts, available from them, or a dealer? otherwise, where could I get them; I am based in Holland, but importing should not be a problem.

Hey Cor, I fitted the aluminum mounts (as shown), using a little plastic friendly epoxy (to fix the cracking) and Loctite 243 for the screw threads. I also placed a dab of epoxy under each of the mounts. I was a little dubious, as I'm not a hobbyist, but I have to say, these fit perfectly and the drone performs equally as well. I purchased these from Ebay (just search for DJI Phantom 3 mounting plates). I hope this helps.

I also, lowered the braking of the drone to 80%, as advised.

You know how annoying it is when you get those fine hairline cracks around the motor mount as Photo 1.  Easy to miss. Photo 1.jpg


Well I found even more exasperating, was that it tilts the motor, and the props hit the fuselage making a hole as Photo 2
Photo 2.jpg


After a while the blade gets stuck in the  fuselage and you get an on screen warning "Motor Obstructed" as in Photo 3
Photo 3.jpg


Then the aircraft starts spining around and falling as in Video frame grab Photo 4. This sort of thing can ruin your whole day.
Photo 4.jpg



But this a DJI Phantom and is a survivor. After a few turns it got the blade free and restarted. Then it righted itself and came home.  Hooray!
Photo 5.jpg


I will have to see if DJI will repair this under warranty. Shoddy workmanship.

I guess I am fortunate to not have this problem - but i have only flow 210 flights and i do not know how often you fly.  I do fly in some moderate winds (~15 mph) because trees are more interesting when they wave at you and fly low to see the wheat heads bump the camera.  Your comments make me check for cracks before every flight.  I am fortunate to not have had any.  Will sure keep looking!  

I guess I have to say to 3P3-john...………………..how is it those huge cracks are hard to see on your phantom? You must not look very often or very close in my opinion. Most phantom owners will take a quick look at their aircraft before every flight session. At least I do. And how could you not hear that prop digging into the shell? This didn't happen all of the sudden. Sorry, don't mean to be harsh here, but there is no way DJI will warranty this in my opinion. The aircraft for sure needs a shell replacement.

I experienced stress cracks on my Phantom 3 Pro due to a design flaw. DJI repair cost $75. Consider Mavic drones to avoid this issue