What, would that be the one where no one is buying their products because they're so unreliable and poorly made? Oh hang on. Errr, no... that'll be another company or two....
Inspect your P3 before flight!
- Thread starter REBELimgs
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Yes, but its the wussy blue kind. Meant to be removed. Definitely not Loctite brand....
Not true. Some have loosened and retourqed the screws and still have cracks. It is bad plastic, there is not much you can do.
I was saying the same things you are. Blaming the pilot, tight screws etc. Then my arms started developing cracks. I store mine in a hard case and keep the case under a cabinet. I inspect it before and after every flight. I flew it one day, inspected and wiped it down before putting it away. The weather got cold and I didn't fly for a month or so. The very next time I pulled it out to fly, there were cracks everywhere. Not at the motors but up and down the arms. It had been in that case for at least a month. I live alone so I know it had not been messed with.
The same with the controller. It fell apart from the inside out. Pieces of plastic started rolling around on the inside. Then the iPad holder started to lean to one side, then the right stick started to sink down inside the controller, then the RTH button, which I never once pushed. I took the controller apart, and every single mounting point and standoff was brittle and falling apart like sugar candy.
If you keep yours long enough you will probably eventually get the cracks.
Yes, just recheck them often. Don't use thread locker unless it is specifically made for plastic. The blue stuff eats plastic. Search YouTube. It litterily turns plastic into rubble.
If you get these, don't buy the ones with the little standoffs as separate pieces. You need the ones with them made as one piece onto the plate. This will eliminate shifting of the plate on the posts. Shifting stresses the plastic.
Don't use locktite on or near plastic. It will literally dissolve the plastic overnight.
That fact is yes, the number of hardware failures of all types could possibly be in the 000's but they've sold 00's of 000's in both the US and Europe and 000,000's worldwide. In reality, that failure rate will be very, very low and far fewer people praise their Phantoms than those who seek help in "fixing" or improving their operational skills. I'm one of those very, very few who are happy to state they've had practically no issues with their 3A. And I hold my hand up and say those issues that I have had, have been caused by my inexperience and naivety not because of "buggy" software, FW or dodgy hardware.
Sorry I should've been clearer. There's no issue with using the blue loctite on the motor bolts as it's metal-to-metal.
The metal-to-plastic screws don't need any locking compound.
EDIT - I've just been looking at the type I've been using and it's 425, which is safe to use in plastic.
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This is true. I just re-shelled my P3P and I have never wrecked or otherwise hurt him.
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Too late for what? It is an easy and relatively inexpensive fix, you will see cracks developing before you get close to an inflight failure.
+1 on this. Now granted, I used to build race cars for a living, and I am mechanically gifted. However, anyone with enough patience and the right set of little drivers from walmart can handle it. Like I said, I just re-shelled my P3P. The shell is authentic and cost me 60 bucks. I swapped it over in about 3 hours taking my time. Now my P3P looks absolutely brand new and Im back in the air. It feels good to fix it too!
Oh and for what its worth, it had three massive-*** cracks in the right rear motor arm (all from just stress) and a chunk missing between said cracks, and it still flew flawless. Hell, the motor may have only been secured in 3 places at that point, who knows?
The most common issue people have is they manage to butcher the connectors, in some instances breaking headers off the PCB. As you say a little care, research, and basic mechanical aptitude puts this within the capability of most as a DIY proposition. It's a three beer job for me. As you would have seen the GPS connector is a trap for some, carefully remove it before yanking the lid off.
A couple of hairline cracks on 2 arms. I "welded" them with Flex-I-File, Professional Plastic Welder. Checked the motor screws and though tight, nothing to abnormal. Backed them off and retightened to "feel". I do a lot of light aluminum work in the aviation industry and I trust my "feel". I'll check them from time to time and fix any other cracks I see occurring. I'm under warranty but, with the stories I read on this forum alone, it's not getting sent in, thank you very much. 
