Being new at this I of course clipped a tree top and watched my Mini fall from the sky about 40 feet. It has suffered a very small crack on the right front arm near the base and a cracked blade. The blade was easy to replace per owner's manual. The crack in the arm is on one side of the U shaped arm. I feel a robust glue would remedy the issue.

My question is:
IF I were to experience a more significant accident/damage to this mini would this minor repair have an impact on a future claim? I really would hate to have to wait for over a month during PRIME FLYING Weather here in Seattle, WA to have the arm replaced.

Thanks!!

Good question for a moderator.

Whether a future warranty claim would be upheld is at the initial discretion of DJI. However, as a general rule, the warranty only covers manufacturer defects on the understanding that the product has not been tampered with by you or a third party. If DJI could prove that the repair job you do now was a cause of the later crash that will typically void any warranty claim. If you have care refresh (which covers accidental damage) then I suggest you claim on that now to be safe.

https://www.dji.com/uk/service/policy?site=brandsite&from=nav

A J Posted at 6-29 10:00
Whether a future warranty claim would be upheld is at the initial discretion of DJI. However, as a general rule, the warranty only covers manufacturer defects on the understanding that the product has not been tampered with by you or a third party. If DJI could prove that the repair job you do now was a cause of the later crash that will typically void any warranty claim. If you have care refresh (which covers accidental damage) then I suggest you claim on that now to be safe.

https://www.dji.com/uk/service/policy?site=brandsite&from=nav

I get all that. I even show my pilot error in the video.

All said... What's the point of refresh if nothing is covered? Eh?

iDroneOn Posted at 6-29 10:26
I get all that. I even show my pilot error in the video.

All said... What's the point of refresh if nothing is covered? Eh?

Everything is covered on care refresh except total loss claims i.e. you not being able to physically return the drone to be checked over such as losing it in the sea. Think of refresh as a twelve-month accidental insurance policy but you ordinarily must have taken out the cover within the first 48 hours of activating the drone. You can't, for example, back date the cover after a crash in exactly the same way as you can't with any insurance policy.  

Warranty is different. This is made available on the drone, RC and batteries for free as covers only manufacturer defects i.e. the drone malfunctions through no fault of the pilot and crashes or is bust out of the box but has not been tampered with from it's original specifications. Obviously this does not over damage caused by the pilot if there was nothing wrong with the drone in the first place.

A J Posted at 6-29 10:37
Everything is covered on care refresh except total loss claims i.e. you not being able to physically return the drone to be checked over such as losing it in the sea. Think of refresh as a twelve-month accidental insurance policy but you ordinarily must have taken out the cover within the first 48 hours of activating the drone. You can't, for example, back date the cover after a crash in exactly the same way as you can't with any insurance policy.  

Warranty is different. This is made available on the drone, RC and batteries for free as covers only manufacturer defects i.e. the drone malfunctions through no fault of the pilot and crashes or is bust out of the box but has not been tampered with from it's original specifications. Obviously this does not over damage caused by the pilot if there was nothing wrong with the drone in the first place.

I figgered as much... Finding the info is kinda tough... I bought refresh... I just hate losing flight time.

iDroneOn Posted at 6-29 10:42
I figgered as much... Finding the info is kinda tough... I bought refresh... I just hate losing flight time.

You'll have to pay a small excess toward the claim but at least you'll get one back that is in perfect condition and working order (though it may be a refurb). If you glue the one you have now then crash it I am not sure that will be covered by care refresh - it definitely won't be under the normal warranty.

Be prepared for a turn around of weeks and not days too. People have experienced different time sales. I bought a brand new Phantom 4 Pro in Nov 2016 from their online store and the IMU was bust before I even flew it - it took me 4 weeks to get it replaced under warranty whilst others have had drones returned in days and some sadly months...

iDroneOn Posted at 6-29 10:42
I figgered as much... Finding the info is kinda tough... I bought refresh... I just hate losing flight time.

You'll have to pay a small excess toward the claim but at least you'll get one back that is in perfect condition and working order (though it may be a refurb). If you glue the one you have now then crash it I am not sure that will be covered by care refresh - it definitely won't be under the normal warranty.

Be prepared for a turn around of weeks and not days too. People have experienced different time sales. I bought a brand new Phantom 4 Pro in Nov 2016 from their online store and the IMU was bust before I even flew it - it took me 4 weeks to get it replaced under warranty whilst others have had drones returned in days and some sadly months...

iDroneOn Posted at 6-29 10:42
I figgered as much... Finding the info is kinda tough... I bought refresh... I just hate losing flight time.

You'll have to pay a small excess toward the claim but at least you'll get one back that is in perfect condition and working order (though it may be a refurb). If you glue the one you have now then crash it I am not sure that will be covered by care refresh - it definitely won't be under the normal warranty.

Be prepared for a turn around of weeks and not days too. People have experienced different time sales. I bought a brand new Phantom 4 Pro in Nov 2016 from their online store and the IMU was bust before I even flew it - it took me 4 weeks to get it replaced under warranty whilst others have had drones returned in days and some sadly months...

A J Posted at 6-29 10:49
You'll have to pay a small excess toward the claim but at least you'll get one back that is in perfect condition and working order (though it may be a refurb). If you glue the one you have now then crash it I am not sure that will be covered by care refresh - it definitely won't be under the normal warranty.

Be prepared for a turn around of weeks and not days too. People have experienced different time sales. I bought a brand new Phantom 4 Pro in Nov 2016 from their online store and the IMU was bust before I even flew it - it took me 4 weeks to get it replaced under warranty whilst others have had drones returned in days and some sadly months...

Three posts for charm? HAHA

iDroneOn Posted at 6-29 10:59
Three posts for charm? HAHA

Looks like a glitch - been happening a lot lately. Anyway, good luck getting it sorted out.

A J Posted at 6-29 11:01
Looks like a glitch - been happening a lot lately. Anyway, good luck getting it sorted out.

I know... Just teasing... And hey... Thank you for your input!

iDroneOn Posted at 6-29 11:05
I know... Just teasing... And hey... Thank you for your input!

You're welcome

A J Posted at 6-29 11:11
You're welcome

...........

Hi iDroneOn, it is recommended to send back the drone to DJI for a thorough evaluation for the future safety concern as it has been crashed. If you keep flying it and it is crashed again, we will analyze the flight record when the first time it was crashed even though the second crash may be caused by a non-pilot error. Besides, if our repair center evaluates the drone was self-repaired, the warranty could be voided.

Warranty and care refresh aside, gluing plastic is problematic. Of course you could post a photo of the break but in all likely hood sending it in for repair is the best option.
Having watched the video, why did you not back away from the tree rather than change height?

DJI Mindy Posted at 6-30 06:13
Hi iDroneOn, it is recommended to send back the drone to DJI for a thorough evaluation for the future safety concern as it has been crashed. If you keep flying it and it is crashed again, we will analyze the flight record when the first time it was crashed even though the second crash may be caused by a non-pilot error. Besides, if our repair center evaluates the drone was self-repaired, the warranty could be voided.

Yes I will be sending it back since I do have refresh coverage. As of right now I only fly indoors to practice controls. After July Four Holiday I will be shipping it to California.

Thank you for the reply Mindy.

~Jim

Sean-newbie Posted at 6-30 08:05
Warranty and care refresh aside, gluing plastic is problematic. Of course you could post a photo of the break but in all likely hood sending it in for repair is the best option.
Having watched the video, why did you not back away from the tree rather than change height?

I had pulled both sticks back. I think the leaves stopped it from backing and then it fell onto the second branch. That ended the flight.

Ahhh, the throttle stick back might cause a descent but see below. But why the backwards command didn't work is puzzling.
It's vision sensors may have seen the leaves beneath it but I would have expected that to temporarily stop any descent unless they were flapping enough to confuse issues.
That said I wonder if holding the throttle closed in combination with the proximity of the leaves below it tricked it into landing mode.
It might be worth having a read of  https://mavicpilots.com/threads/ ... alysis-guide.78627/ and learning how to access and process the logs on the phone and then posting a link to the logs, some people (not me) are VERY good at reading those logs

iDroneOn Posted at 6-30 08:17
Yes I will be sending it back since I do have refresh coverage. As of right now I only fly indoors to practice controls. After July Four Holiday I will be shipping it to California.

Thank you for the reply Mindy.

You are welcome, please keep me updated if there is anything else we can do for you, enjoy your holiday.