I've bought my Phantom 3 Standard from B&H Photos and got it in the mail Thursday (the 11th). According to the DJI Go app, I have flown it for a total of 1 hour and 10 minutes. After flying it this morning I noticed a tiny crack near one of the motors stemming from the screw at the very edge of the arm. I have heard about people getting stress cracks before on this forum and actually checked for any when I first got my drone (it didn't have any at first). I examined the whole thing and discovered another similar crack on another arm, and another stress crack stemmping from one the four middle screws on a different arm. Three stress cracks, each on different arms. I have handled this drone with care and have not crashed it. Now I'm wondering on what to do. Is this covered by warranty? Does DJI provide a shipping label? How long will repairs take (I live in California)? Really bummed out that a problem occured under a week of owning it.

Please contact dji.com/support select your region and method of contact.  They will be able to assist you further.  You also have the option of contacting B&H.

Tahoe_Ed Posted at 2016-8-15 05:23
Please contact dji.com/support select your region and method of contact.  They will be able to assis ...

DJI Support and B&H are closed right now. I was wondering if anyone here knows what the process is like before I contact them (shipping cost and turn around time). Can someone also confirm if these are actually stress cracks?

  Your in luck , because the USA factory DJI repair shop is in your state, Carson Ca. . I would see if you can get a return & or replacement from where you purchased it from first . Your choice .

Salty Jester Posted at 2016-8-14 14:26
DJI Support and B&H are closed right now. I was wondering if anyone here knows what the process is ...

Those look like the screws were overtightened which caused the cracks.  I am not sure that I would count them as your standard stress cracks that could be caused by vibrations etc.

Dont mess around sending it in for repair. B&H has a 30 day return policy.

Salty Jester Posted at 2016-8-14 17:26
DJI Support and B&H are closed right now. I was wondering if anyone here knows what the process is ...

I just got my repaired P3P back a week ago.
Like it was mentioned, the repair facility is in Cali.
DJI will pay for all shipping costs and the repair only takes one day.

Tahoe_Ed Posted at 2016-8-14 18:32
Those look like the screws were overtightened which caused the cracks.  I am not sure that I would ...

Ok I'll bite, what the difference from DJI's point of view?

I've heard it mentioned the stress cracking issue was solved. Judging from the number of people with shell cracks it would appear there is still an issue.
Is ther in fact a new she'll design to beef up the areas that are cracking?

TIA

mochorm Posted at 2016-8-16 01:31
Ok I'll bite, what the difference from DJI's point of view?

I've heard it mentioned the stress c ...

After some looking around, I heard the shell cracks might be caused by over torqued screws. The motor vibrations act as the final straw to the amount of stress caused by the torque. There are some Phantom flyers who loosen all the screws and tighten them back up, only finger tight this time (some posted videos on YouTube). Not sure if that really helps, but its certainly worth a try. There's also and after market mod called "Strong Arm" that supposedly strengthens the structure. In the end, I think it's mostly luck of the draw. Some fly their drones for hours on end, and don't develop any problems. Then you got people like me, who gets cracks within an hour of flying. B&H said they'll replace my drone with an estimated turn around time of 1 week. Can't wait for my new new drone.

Capt. Wild Bill Posted at 2016-8-15 09:21
I just got my repaired P3P back a week ago.
Like it was mentioned, the repair facility is in Cali ...

Hey Wild Bill, I offered $160 for the two P3P batteries but Ken took the post down and said we're not allowed to sell anything on this forum.
Email me at dennis.poer@gmail.com if you're interested...

I had 3 stress cracks before I even took my first flight. Like a kid, I have to open everything to see whats inside. I epoxied around the mounts, you can see it in my compass woes post. I wasn't very enthused with a 5 hundo piece of equipment already breaking down in shipment....

I got my p3s 12 days ago and already have a couple of hairline cracks starting from the front motor attachment screws. I backed out the screws before its first flight based on my research on this forum on this issue.  I have not crashed and all flights have been uploaded to DJI.  I wish I read these forums before plunking down cash for this.  I currently shoot video for the local college and city events in town for exposure till i get my 107 certification, but based on turn around time I would miss 4 different events waiting for a replacement. This situation has made starting my own business that much more difficult.  Why can't DJI just admit the issue and swap for better designed Phantoms, so the consumer isn't out of his/her drone for an extended period?  It's not the consumers' fault in most cases I've followed, yet the consumer bears the brunt of the inconvenience.  I smell BBB intervention here.  That can't be good for DJI's reputation, which I'm now finding out isn't as good as I percieved.  It's as if DJI does it to discourage warranty claims by being more difficult than they have to be.   

DJI will repair or replace your aircraft for any stress related problem. I got mine replaced, the whole process took less then three weeks (5 days in shipping each way to Ohio).
Great support.