I was recently flying my spark and the battery fell out followed by the drone tumbling to the ground where one of the arms then snapped off.
The drone is out with warranty so I am trying to work out if it is worth sending back to DJI and just paying for a repair.
Is anyone aware of roughly how much it could cost to repair or had a similar incident?

Hi there, we are so sorry to read on the crash accident and the drone has been out of the warranty. The drone will need to be evaluated first and then we can get how much the repair will cost, you can check the price of the main part for reference before sending in: https://repair.dji.com/repair/price-inquiry

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Origina ... Cover-/182727419238


Forget my ebay link, the DJI price ist just:

Middle Frame (Excluding ESC and Motor) 13.00


Or not? Do they send it for low costs?

Please invest in a battery clip!

Yes I invested in a battery clip, but it's scratching my spark when I put it on, so DJI should make a safe one and send it for free. After all, why do we have to pay to correct a manufacturing error?

Daniella3d Posted at 1-3 19:28
Yes I invested in a battery clip, but it's scratching my spark when I put it on, so DJI should make a safe one and send it for free. After all, why do we have to pay to correct a manufacturing error?

what battery do u have the old or new
Big latch or small ?

Daniella3d Posted at 1-3 19:28
Yes I invested in a battery clip, but it's scratching my spark when I put it on, so DJI should make a safe one and send it for free. After all, why do we have to pay to correct a manufacturing error?

It’s scratching? What part, the leg? Strange, mine doesn’t scratch anything.
But there are several designs of the clip available.

Flysafely
Alex

Daniella3d Posted at 1-3 19:28
Yes I invested in a battery clip, but it's scratching my spark when I put it on, so DJI should make a safe one and send it for free. After all, why do we have to pay to correct a manufacturing error?

Well do agree with that
btw what battery do you have the old one or the new one
here is the comparison between the old and the new battery

it happened to me as well some days ago.. fortunately was only on 15 meters high and spark looks like that has only two broken light covers..
Battery case crashed and deformed.. opened a case and waiting to hear from the support regarding the next steps..

fans73aec5a3 Posted at 1-4 05:48
it happened to me as well some days ago.. fortunately was only on 15 meters high and spark looks like that has only two broken light covers..
Battery case crashed and deformed.. opened a case and waiting to hear from the support regarding the next steps..

small latch or big?

Daniella3d Posted at 1-3 19:28
Yes I invested in a battery clip, but it's scratching my spark when I put it on, so DJI should make a safe one and send it for free. After all, why do we have to pay to correct a manufacturing error?

I completely agree with your comment, the battery is not secure the way DJI designed it.

ssylca44 Posted at 1-4 09:39
I completely agree with your comment, the battery is not secure the way DJI designed it.

the way the battery holds on is bad engineering in my opinion
spark 2 should have better method

SAADHERO Posted at 1-4 11:55
the way the battery holds on is bad engineering in my opinion
spark 2 should have better method

Never mind spark 2, they should fix spark 1 right now, because those latch are going to be used and worn off, and this type of accident is going to become more and more common. Except that most old battery and Spark are going to be out of warranty when it will happen, so they are trying to gain time.

I am glad I bought my Spark with Amex, because that gives me an extra one year warranty. Also, many Amex cards have the feature of 90 days accidental protection. Many credit cards have these options so if your card have it and your drone is pass its one year warranty, think about it.

Did you buy I t with a credit card? most credit card offer a one year extended warranty, so you might try that. I know American Express does and many others now offer this. Check that out.

Daniella3d Posted at 1-5 08:34
Did you buy I t with a credit card? most credit card offer a one year extended warranty, so you might try that. I know American Express does and many others now offer this. Check that out.

This is a very good suggestion!

Seeing all these post about battery falling I just bought a holder. Better safe than sorry.
Concerning the latch there doesn't' seem to be that much difference between the old and new battery and these things will definitely not last long when changing battery frequently (which of course almost everyone does).

And please double check the battery  placement before take off

SAADHERO Posted at 1-4 09:29
small latch or big?

Not sure, i believe its the new one

thats the thick latch and new battery
how did it fall huh
was it lose a bit do u pull a bit to see if its secure?

SAADHERO Posted at 1-11 01:42
thats the thick latch and new battery
how did it fall huh
was it lose a bit do u pull a bit to see if its secure?

Was inserted firmly, no visual evidence that was not locked, after all was installed in previous flights as well..
I didn't do any particular check before flight because i was not aware for this problem in the past..

Takis_P Posted at 1-11 06:46
Was inserted firmly, no visual evidence that was not locked, after all was installed in previous flights as well..
I didn't do any particular check before flight because i was not aware for this problem in the past..

did u by any chance touch the release slider before taking of making it insecure

Oh man that is not good!  On the positive side that ebay link for a new body actually seems pretty reasonable.  I wonder if there are some Youtube videos on how to transfer the electronics into a new body?

SAADHERO Posted at 1-11 09:50
did u by any chance touch the release slider before taking of making it insecure

I can't tell, i did the same procedure as always and push it firmly hearing the "clatch" sound securing..

Even these new latch are not big enough apparently.

I have the new latch and I had my battery drop out from 150 feet up in the sky. I was fortunate to have it land in a soft area and had absolutely no damage. Sorry about your crash!

A few tips for those reading this that have an undamaged Spark:
1. Get DJI Care Refresh and Refresh+ unless you have a different insurance. (I learned that too late! I took advantage of the one-minute verification promo DJI had in October)
2. Get the battery clip.
3. Make sure the battery is snapped in well. (My visual observer told me that he didn’t hear the battery snap in as well as usual that day, but assumed that it wasn’t a problem since the drone took off fine!)

Since this can happen on both the new and old clips, make sure that you follow these instructions. I have had no problem since (and I have been using the same battery).

The DJI warranty covers crashes?

In My Case DJI despite that originally they dint accept to fix for free when i provide all evidences (data file, records, video etc) they accept the hardware failure for the battery problem and provide me a free repair with a new battery.  
Waiting to receive it back fixed.

Great Support

I always take my time to firmly snap in the battery, listen for a pronounced click, then tug on it to make sure it is locked.