I had my phantom 4 pro v2 since august 2018 - NEVER any issues... Since last firmware upgrade, i got multiple stress cracks! Despite me changing exp/gain i can totally see he brakes a lot more violently than before... Just a few weeks of flying and significant cracks on both rear arms! Can anything be done by DJI? I know it's out of warranty, but like I said, well over 2 years with no issue, and immediate cracks after the firmware changed flight envelope? I do not feel it's a safe drone at the moment!

Looking forward for any suggestions.

GT

Had my pro since august 2018, no issues at all... suddenly since the last firmware update (despite adjusting exp/gain) i developed significant stress cracks on rear arms. I can totally see the drone flies differently since the update... Has anyone noticed such issues? I also posted in "service/repairs" will see if DJI has anything to say...
GT

Hi, thank you for reaching out. Can you please clarify if you experience any hard landing causing the drone shell to be cracked? Also, the firmware update that we released for your DJI Phantom 4 Pro will not produce any cracks on your unit since this firmware software and the cracks are in the hardware of the drone. Thank you for your understanding and support!

Hello,
no i did not crash or have a hard landing (I always hand catch). I can see the drone stopping and correcting significantly more abruptly in the air, as opposed to way softer corrections before. Stress cracks are caused mainly by braking. I would expect them if I was constantly flying in sport mode, which i do not. Like i said, i can visually observe how the smoothness of the flight envelope has changed since the firmware. and yes, firmware and flight envelope DO affect stress on the body and can cause cracks, as can aggressive flying.
The fact that i had no single crack for over 2 years, and suddenly developed significant ones, makes me think is the flight characteristics, since the pilot is the same.
GT

Can you show close-up details of where the cracks are so people can check to see if they have cracks too?

Also, what is attached to your P4PV2.0?  That stuff is what probably cracked it, not the in-flight experience unless you have more things attached other than that when flying then, of course, you have possibly overloaded what your airframe can handle.

AntDX316 Posted at 2-9 20:34
Can you show close-up details of where the cracks are so people can check to see if they have cracks too?

Also, what is attached to your P4PV2.0?  That stuff is what probably cracked it, not the in-flight experience unless you have more things attached other than that when flying then, of course, you have possibly overloaded what your airframe can handle.

i will attach a few more pics. I am gluing it - brackets holding pressure on the arms.
Stress cracks used to be very common on p3 models, usually around motor screws though, so this really has me puzzled.

Phantomski Posted at 2-9 21:42
i will attach a few more pics. I am gluing it - brackets holding pressure on the arms.
Stress cracks used to be very common on p3 models, usually around motor screws though, so this really has me puzzled.

Show them in close-up detail then use mspaint to scale down the image and save to see the MB in the bottom left so it's under 2.0MB for upload to the DJI forum.  It could be you have tightened the motor screws too much.  I did the same when attaching the DJI Ocusync Air Unit camera mount to the frame of my DIY quad.

Phantomski Posted at 2-9 17:54
Hello,
no i did not crash or have a hard landing (I always hand catch). I can see the drone stopping and correcting significantly more abruptly in the air, as opposed to way softer corrections before. Stress cracks are caused mainly by braking. I would expect them if I was constantly flying in sport mode, which i do not. Like i said, i can visually observe how the smoothness of the flight envelope has changed since the firmware. and yes, firmware and flight envelope DO affect stress on the body and can cause cracks, as can aggressive flying.
The fact that i had no single crack for over 2 years, and suddenly developed significant ones, makes me think is the flight characteristics, since the pilot is the same.

The fact that i had no single crack for over 2 years, and suddenly developed significant ones, makes me think is the flight characteristics, since the pilot is the same.
Firmware would be way, way down the list of possible causes of cracking.

DJI has been plagued by poor plastic quality for several years.
It can be better in some batches and worse in others.

My number 1 P4 pro has needed two new shells in two years, despite no hard landings, crashes etc and that was all on old firmwware.
If DJI released a crack-inducing firmware, everyone would be complaining.
Your cracks showing after a firmware update are just a coincidence.
That yours had no cracks for two years, might just mean that it was that much closer to developing cracks.

Sorry for the delay -




So, with that said.. how do i find a cost of replacing the bottom part of the shell (or whole shell)? I do not care to do it myself, and honestly, i'd rather have DJI do it, or an authorized repair center - I am in Colorado. Any suggestions, ideas on rough cost?

thx - GT

FYI - as u can see, i got quite a few hours on him....

Man, I hope they help you out on this.  Phantom's biggest weakness has always been build quality.