As a first time DJI drone owner I was offcourse digging threw all documentation I could find about my new drone.
And then I found this bit of information on the props in the DJI Go App FAQ, which I could not find in the owners manual.



Which makes me curious as a newbee drone owner, how often do you change out your props? I'm also wandering if, and if so, what type of preventive maintenance you perform to keep your drone in tip-top condition

Recommend to change every 3 months, this is what dji are now recommending for MavAir,

100 Flights for the me

I prefer every 200 flights - why change them if you haven’t used them in 3 months. Though number 10 is sadly me but determined to hold on to the MPP for a while now LOL

The most recent version of the Mavic Pro manual recommends changing props every 200 sorties, with that said I have never changed mine.

When you think they need replacing not just for the sake of it.

Steeevo Posted at 2018-2-7 05:33
When you think they need replacing not just for the sake of it.

How do you know when to replace them? What are the signs?

Steeevo Posted at 2018-2-7 05:33
When you think they need replacing not just for the sake of it.

thats what i think too..

If there is any damage? bent, chips, scratches, don't fit on the motors nice and snug, loose

I do a pre-flight check prior to every flight. I make sure there's no cracks, chips, warping, etc. and that they feel tight on the motors. If I see anything wrong, I change them. I always change all of them when I do it.

Tviscomi Posted at 2018-2-7 05:21
The most recent version of the Mavic Pro manual recommends changing props every 200 sorties, with that said I have never changed mine.

Interesting, hadn't seen that. I wish DJI would provide a change list in their documentation updates.

Tviscomi Posted at 2018-2-7 05:21
The most recent version of the Mavic Pro manual recommends changing props every 200 sorties, with that said I have never changed mine.

Where did you see that? I can't find it in v2.0 of the manual.

Dji recomendation to change every 3 months does not really make sense unless glass fibre reinforced polymide is biodegradable or has a known short shelf life - if the recommendation was to change after a certain amount of flights or a certain amount of flight distance covered, that would make sense. therefore it comes across to me as poorly thought out advise and so i wonder about the actual validity of it. after more than 200 sorties and more than 1000km my props seem to be a-ok, not even the white strip has faded at all. lasty i have not once come across prop failure being the cause of any discussions on this forum so as long as mine look good and feel good i will keep on using them.

Bekaru Tree Posted at 2018-2-7 12:28
Dji recomendation to change every 3 months does not really make sense unless glass fibre reinforced polymide is biodegradable or has a known short shelf life - if the recommendation was to change after a certain amount of flights or a certain amount of flight distance covered, that would make sense. therefore it comes across to me as poorly thought out advise and so i wonder about the actual validity of it. after more than 200 sorties and more than 1000km my props seem to be a-ok, not even the white strip has faded at all. lasty i have not once come across prop failure being the cause of any discussions on this forum so as long as mine look good and feel good i will keep on using them.

I've seen at least a couple instances of prop failure discussed on the forum. Considering the price of props vs. a new AC, the fact that props get a tremendous amount of stress during use and micro cracks might not be noticeable, seems the prudent thing to do is to periodically replace them.

I'm assuming DJI has figured out some average number of flights over 3 months of typical usage, but, yeah, a flight number, for those of us that keep track of such things, would be nice to have.

Ex Machina Posted at 2018-2-7 13:18
I've seen at least a couple instances of prop failure discussed on the forum. Considering the price of props vs. a new AC, the fact that props get a tremendous amount of stress during use and micro cracks might not be noticeable, seems the prudent thing to do is to periodically replace them.

I'm assuming DJI has figured out some average number of flights over 3 months of typical usage, but, yeah, a flight number, for those of us that keep track of such things, would be nice to have.

you are right on the possible micro crack thing - i only noticed an issue on my gimbl ribbon when i zoomed in on a photo i took - it is invisible to the naked eye.

Ex Machina Posted at 2018-2-7 09:22
Where did you see that? I can't find it in v2.0 of the manual.

I apologize it wan't the manual...it was pasted her by a DJI forum Moderator.  I'll try to find the thread.

Ex Machina Posted at 2018-2-7 09:22
Where did you see that? I can't find it in v2.0 of the manual.

See post #7:

https://forum.dji.com/thread-127541-1-1.html

Hi there. We do recommend users to change the propellers immediately once the propellers are broken/scratched/out of shape. And according to the test, we advise users to replace propellers at least every three months. It's for the safety in future.
Thanks for your understanding and support.

DJI Paladin Posted at 2018-2-8 02:46
Hi there. We do recommend users to change the propellers immediately once the propellers are broken/scratched/out of shape. And according to the test, we advise users to replace propellers at least every three months. It's for the safety in future.
Thanks for your understanding and support.

hi dji paladin - please give your feed back on this point: dji recommends users replace props after 3 months. Surely this does not make sense. Think about the fact that some users might only use their drones a few times in 3 months and others may use it almost every day - the flight distance will vary massively between users over a 3 month period.
Surely it is more logical to use a better guide for example to say props should be placed after a certain amount of flight miles or after a certain amount of flights

Welp, I change mine on a regular basis and after they've been damaged; was 100 flights but now it'll be 200 flights.

The replacement period could be greatly extended if the props were manufactured from carbon fibre rather than glass fibre reinforced polyamide.

They would be stiffer too. For maximum strength the core would be continuous glass fibre strands overlaid with carbon fibre bonded with a high temperature epoxy laminating resin.

(I have moulded my own props for model aircraft competition flying)

* hex *

I have changed my Mavic Pro's props every million feet flown. Just an arbitrary round number that I don't need to think about to remember.

Yes, regularly, we suggest replacing the propellers every 3 months. And please don't continue flying if the propellers are broken or in bad condition. Thank you.

Thanks for all the replies, great to see how people have different opinions on the matter.

I haven't flown mine at all in 3 months because of Winter and Work. They were new 3 months ago. Should I change props?

Definitely change it once you start experiencing lots of vibrations or when the props start to feel rough or when there's lots of scratches/scuffs on the underside of the props..

I learn something new after reading this post

I would change them after a crash or certainly when you experience any vibration.
You can't risk your drone for a pair of propellers.

Like how your car tyres keep your car on the road, props have the same level of importance. That said, 3 months is a strange measurement - as others have pointed out, surely flight time or distance would be a better measure. For the cost of a set of props, I think I’ll err on the side of caution and replace regularly.

Would be good to get some clarification of the 3 month recommendation tho, even something still fairly vague like “3 months, based on X flights per week” would be better. How long will the battery in my phone last before it needs charging? Depends how much I use it!

how often do/should i replace motors??????????????????????

fans83524f36 Posted at 2018-3-7 17:12
how often do/should i replace motors??????????????????????

junk all i can say .. dji censor every word lol

^ what you talking about Willis?

For the cost of new props $9.00 vs $800 machine its worth changing them out as DJI recommends.
You are putting a lot of strain on the props every time you take off they are flexing
so at least check for stress marks at the hub if seen toss them.
If you remove your props for transportation check the lock tabs nothing worse then a prop coming off in mid flight.
Just my 2 cents.

fans83524f36 Posted at 2018-3-7 17:12
how often do/should i replace motors??????????????????????

Every 100,000Km flown....cheaper to just send the drone to me and buy a new one.  ;-)

hallmark007 Posted at 2018-2-7 05:08
Recommend to change every 3 months, this is what dji are now recommending for MavAir,

Does every 3 months apply to the Mavic Air or all DJI drones?

davidmartingraf Posted at 2018-5-16 15:50
Does every 3 months apply to the Mavic Air or all DJI drones?

I think it is across the board, but I think it should be taken with a pinch of salt, I have props on a P4Pro over a year now and they are perfect, I have changed spark after 6 months more because I had plenty of them and the stripes wearing off but they were without any other damage, I replaced Mavic Pro with new low noise props after 14 months, I think if you look after them check before and after flight for any blemishes or any sign of perishing, I have yet to wear any set of props out yet.

So i'm going to purchase a few sets of props, just to keep.  Just like i keep extra guitar strings on hand.  I mean, for $10 bucks, what's it going to hurt??  I've already replaced one prop because of a crack.  I'll make sure i have at least 2 full sets available for replacement.  I think 200 flights sounds like a good number.  The time is coming soon.

hallmark007 Posted at 2018-5-16 16:33
I think it is across the board, but I think it should be taken with a pinch of salt, I have props on a P4Pro over a year now and they are perfect, I have changed spark after 6 months more because I had plenty of them and the stripes wearing off but they were without any other damage, I replaced Mavic Pro with new low noise props after 14 months, I think if you look after them check before and after flight for any blemishes or any sign of perishing, I have yet to wear any set of props out yet.

I've owned my Spark longer than my Mavic Pro, and have over 200 flights on it than compared to less than 35 flights of the Mavic Pro. I feel the Spark props feel like they do when brand new right out of the box. The Mavic Pro propellers were not as tight brand new and coupled with the folding arms loosening, the Mavic Pro has a less forgiven wear and tear propellers and body than compared to the Spark, which hasn't worn a notch.

I think it make more sense to change the prop by flying hours not just 3 months. Unless the prop will degenerate if not flying.

I think DJI is sick of being asked this question and played it safe by saying 3 months for the hell of it.

Anyways..
I think you should replace ALL props after a crash and inspect every 2 months.
Reason you should replace all props in a crash is that the prop mount-clips to hold onto the motor is the weak spot. Sometimes you cannot see the micro fracture and this may lead into prop failure. In the mavics case, you also need to factor in the rivets that could also fail from a crash.