Just bought a Phantom 4 Pro

[blade strike]

What makes you say a refurb is practically brand new?

The components and motors may have flown for hundreds of miles. But it gets a new shell. I don't call that new.

What parts are changed when a Phantom gets refurbed?

Something like the p4p would be more than likely be a new craft just not boxed. Even a fully refurbished unit should have new motors and main board.

 

[Dronefriend]

Something like the p4p would be more than likely be a new craft just not boxed. Even a fully refurbished unit should have new motors and main board.

Thanks Blade.

I bought my Phantom in Sweden. We don't have DJI support here that I know of. And it happens I am going to Florida in a month. Would it be possible for me to send it in while I am over there? Should speed up the process I believe. Or would they redirect me to a europe based service center since it is a "eu" phantom?

----
There are four flaws on my phantom.

Two tiny cracks on landing legs:


It has the "camera hum and buzz and gimbal lock" when tilted front and to the right. This has almost never hurt my shooting, but it is there and can be reproduced.

The focus wheel in Manual is off and has always been off. Infinity point is two lines closer to the middle of the wheel, going past it will put lens out of focus.

The drone has never crashed to the ground or crashed into anything with force.

Do you think these flaws fall under warranty?

Thanks!

 

[dewein]

I've had a few crashes since the fw update. Broke the landing gear but still no stress cracks on the body <fingers crossed>. Anyone know where I can get spare screws? One was stripped when I replaced the landing gear. Specifically looking for the 5/64 screws.

 

[UpLift Aerial]

I never let my bird touch the ground if I can help it. Safe if you just use your head and do it right.

You make it sound like hand catching is dangerous.
I've read many accounts of people cutting themselves up, usually trying to grab a crashed Phantom and shut it down.
I can't remember any hand catch landings going wrong like that.
I haven't landed a Phantom for two years and I think hand catching is quite safe.

I'm just saying it could be dangerous.

 

[UpLift Aerial]

What makes you say a refurb is practically brand new?

The components and motors may have flown for hundreds of miles. But it gets a new shell. I don't call that new.

What parts are changed when a Phantom gets refurbed?

I would be happy if I got a refurbished. That's just my opinion. They would replace anything damaged and it would be tested. I would rather have a refurbished but that's just me.

 

[dewein]

Thanks Blade.

I bought my Phantom in Sweden. We don't have DJI support here that I know of. And it happens I am going to Florida in a month. Would it be possible for me to send it in while I am over there? Should speed up the process I believe. Or would they redirect me to a europe based service center since it is a "eu" phantom?

----
There are four flaws on my phantom.

Two tiny cracks on landing legs:
View attachment 88780 View attachment 88781

It has the "camera hum and buzz and gimbal lock" when tilted front and to the right. This has almost never hurt my shooting, but it is there and can be reproduced.

The focus wheel in Manual is off and has always been off. Infinity point is two lines closer to the middle of the wheel, going past it will put lens out of focus.

The drone has never crashed to the ground or crashed into anything with force.

Do you think these flaws fall under warranty?

Thanks!

Having replaced my landing gear recently, I strongly suggest you remove the cover and see if the crack continues on under one of two screws that hold the landing gear on. If it does, replace the landing gear. If you need help replacing it, let me know.

 

[blade strike]

Thanks Blade.

I bought my Phantom in Sweden. We don't have DJI support here that I know of. And it happens I am going to Florida in a month. Would it be possible for me to send it in while I am over there? Should speed up the process I believe. Or would they redirect me to a europe based service center since it is a "eu" phantom?

----
There are four flaws on my phantom.

Two tiny cracks on landing legs:
View attachment 88780 View attachment 88781

It has the "camera hum and buzz and gimbal lock" when tilted front and to the right. This has almost never hurt my shooting, but it is there and can be reproduced.

The focus wheel in Manual is off and has always been off. Infinity point is two lines closer to the middle of the wheel, going past it will put lens out of focus.

The drone has never crashed to the ground or crashed into anything with force.

Do you think these flaws fall under warranty?

Thanks!

Service is only available for the region that craft was purchased .. One of these should be able to help,

GERMANY

+49 (0) 9771-177 3000

Mon-Fri 9:00AM - 3:00PM (GMT+1)

Netherlands

+31 20 654 5202

Mon-Fri 10:00AM - 7:00PM (GMT+1)

United Kingdom

+44 2076603037

Mon-Fri 9:00AM - 6:00PM (GMT+0)

 

[Dronefriend]

Service is only available for the region that craft was purchased .. One of these should be able to help,

GERMANY

+49 (0) 9771-177 3000

Mon-Fri 9:00AM - 3:00PM (GMT+1)

Netherlands

+31 20 654 5202

Mon-Fri 10:00AM - 7:00PM (GMT+1)

United Kingdom

+44 2076603037

Mon-Fri 9:00AM - 6:00PM (GMT+0)

Thanks for many good clarifications, and thanks to everyone else for chiming in with advice.

 

[DirectorDrew]

Thanks Blade.

I bought my Phantom in Sweden. We don't have DJI support here that I know of. And it happens I am going to Florida in a month. Would it be possible for me to send it in while I am over there? Should speed up the process I believe. Or would they redirect me to a europe based service center since it is a "eu" phantom?

----
There are four flaws on my phantom.

Two tiny cracks on landing legs:
View attachment 88780 View attachment 88781

It has the "camera hum and buzz and gimbal lock" when tilted front and to the right. This has almost never hurt my shooting, but it is there and can be reproduced.

The focus wheel in Manual is off and has always been off. Infinity point is two lines closer to the middle of the wheel, going past it will put lens out of focus.

The drone has never crashed to the ground or crashed into anything with force.

Do you think these flaws fall under warranty?

Thanks!

Do you let the aircraft land on the ground or do you hand catch the aircraft? I always hand catch my aircraft and I wonder if that will prevent the landing gear from cracking

 

[UpLift Aerial]

Odd how t P3's did not have the cracking issue on the landing gear but the P4's do.

 

[Dronefriend]

Do you let the aircraft land on the ground or do you hand catch the aircraft? I always hand catch my aircraft and I wonder if that will prevent the landing gear from cracking

Hand catch almost every time. I have landed on ground maybe four times in total.

 

[rcflyingaddict]

I didn't have refresh. It was pure warranty repair (they replaced the craft).

Funny thing about refresh, I have a refresh policy on my Mavic. It developed a gimbal problem suddenly one day out of the blue, no crash, no mishandling, it just wouldn't complete the startup routine, claiming gimbal obstruction, and the lock was removed. The gimbal moved freely when power is off, it felt fine. Anyway, I sent it in for warranty repair and DJI wanted me to pay a refresh payment to get it fixed! I asked them for justification why this isn't covered under warranty, and they couldn't. They covered it under warranty.

I think DJI repair employees are trained to try and charge everyone a fee if they have a refresh policy, whether it's pilot error or not! That's the last refresh I'm buying, because not only that abuse of inappropriate attempt at charging, but when I sell the craft the refresh policy is void, it doesn't go to the next owner. But with the 1yr warranty, when I sell the craft it does go to new owners, as long as they have a receipt. So why isn't a refresh policy good with a new owner (with a receipt) since the warranty is good with new owners? I'm not investing in refresh anymore, but I do think it's a good thing for newbies until they get competent.

There has been some conflicting information about refresh being void when selling your drone or going with said drone. Some insist that it goes with the drone and is still 100% transferable.

 

[DKG13CC]

Good point! There's an emotional attachment that grows with your car. Some will think I'm a bit silly, but I've grown emotionally attached to my P3P. It's up for sale (because I have a P4, P4P and Mavic) but I'm hesitant to sell it because we've flown so many places around the country. I know that's ridiculous, but I have to admit I'm sad to sell my original P3P craft, it flies so well. Unfortunately it rarely gets flown anymore.

If I could unsell my P3P, (that particular bird and I had good times), I would in a heartbeat. I love my P4P now that ive gotten a good one but I still miss it

 

[PhantomWetSuits]

P4 and P4P are very similar in shell shape and material. My P4 cracked in the lower right corner of the battery hole, as well as others had similar failures. Mine was 362 days old, barely in warranty, but DJI gave me a new drone. It's been fine ever since, however I've only put about 20 flights on the new replacement P4 when I bought my P4P which is what I fly 95% of the time now.

You might consider putting the Phantom 4 Rain WETSUIT on the drone at this point, it is designed to protect the drone from all weather flying and to give the the landing gear better support .
check it out at phantomrain.org it may be a smart solution for you.

 

[NHABD]

i waited and waited to buy the Phantom 4 Pro to see if any stress cracks problems arised over the month.

I bought a Phantom 3 Pro when they were first announced and unfortunately my P3P has the inevitable stress cracks under the motors. I placed zip ties on all arms near the motors and it seems to solve the issue.

My question is had the been any stress crack or fragile shell issues with the Phantom 4 Pro? I know the original Phantom 4 had some cases of weak shells. Wondering if they fixed the issue with the P4P. I’m not talking about if I crash it, I expect the shell to break. I’m referring to will the shell crack or break on its own from motor or wind stress like the P3 shells?

Good question, maybe try fixing these stress Crack areas with liquid plastic? I've used and tested this stuff watch Plast-aid 101
I've put this stuff up to the challenge and it holds up very well. It's a plus that when dried it's white as the drones plastic.

Keep in mind all these drones are made from the same plastic material and over a course of time depending on its extent to exposure to air and Sun light and excessive Heat will eventually dry out the plastic and becomes very brittle. Losing its plastic properties in respect to strength and flexibility.
Heat just from the electronic board which gets extremely hot starts the drying process of the plastic.
It's a shame DJI engineer's did not take this into consideration and use different kind of plastic when molding out their products of drones. They do sell heat resistant Plastics on the market but unfortunately using the best Plastics will drive cost up. I am sure that DJI has picked this sort of plastic for a reason to Market it's replacement parts. Another way for DJI to make money.
If I had access to injection molding I would have selected a better grade heat resistant plastic which would Outlast the lifetime of the circuit board and motor. And on the same note being much more durable when it came to a crash.
The only thing I can do is keep a close watch of the plastic and make always necessary repairs with liquid plastic as needed.
For the cost of these drones one would think the engineering would have selected a better grade plastic that would handle the elements so that the plastic would not lose its properties and develop stress cracks and lose its flexibility and strength.

Just my opinion based my experience and engineering knowledge with many types of plastics on the market.

 

[NHABD]

When the cracks are as small as that, is it even a problem?

Is it something they send you a brand new drone for?

Yes, once a crack in plastic starts this could be a sign of a few different problems. One of the biggest starts at a proper mix. The plastic is a liquid first before injected into molds. The liquid mix could have been bad or contaminated to begin with. Once the liquid is injected into the mold and then hardens you would never know with your eyes if there is a flaw with the plastic to begin with until it starts cracking.
If other areas of the drones plastic is flexible but there is a crack found. Most likely the plastic to begin with is bad. Coming off production line with poor lack of quality control which I've seen in my experience many times when it comes to injection molding.
I would say if under warranty just get it replaced. Hope the replacement is of better quality but yet still the same plastic.
Hope this helps,

 

[NHABD]

Thanks!

The crack does not really bother me though, and I am very satisfied with my Phantom. Do you think the chance of getting a lemon when getting a refurb is so high that I would be better of keeping mine?

My P4P has only one defect and it is very small and irrelevant if one know to avoid it.. the focus is off, so infinity is not on the edge of the wheel but two lines inwards.

I would hate to end up with a refurb with smudgy lens or something to that effect..

If it were me, I would keep since you know your drone is fully functional. Either repair crack using this stuff....
Plast-aid 101
Of spend the money replacement plastic parts.
You never know what or who's drone you will get from DJI. I disagree with there replacement process. I would expect my original drone fixed and sent back to me.
The warranty or replacement process DJI seems to be using is merely a refurbishing replacement back to customer line. I've seen this in my experience and there is pros and cons when doing things of this nature.

 

[ChipperRay]

You make it sound like hand catching is dangerous.
I've read many accounts of people cutting themselves up, usually trying to grab a crashed Phantom and shut it down.
I can't remember any hand catch landings going wrong like that.
I haven't landed a Phantom for two years and I think hand catching is quite safe.

Hand catch mine all the time. Now a Mavic Pro is a bit more difficult.

 

[John Locke]

If it were me, I would keep since you know your drone is fully functional. Either repair crack using this stuff....
Plast-aid 101
Of spend the money replacement plastic parts.
You never know what or who's drone you will get from DJI. I disagree with there replacement process. I would expect my original drone fixed and sent back to me.
The warranty or replacement process DJI seems to be using is merely a refurbishing replacement back to customer line. I've seen this in my experience and there is pros and cons when doing things of this nature.

Interesting to note, out of 4 warranty repairs I've sent to DJI, I received back new replacement drones in return, not refurbished. Every one of the new drones worked flawlessly, as though they actually tested these before shipping. The only craft they didn't replace was my P4P (vibrating gimbal), they replaced the camera/gimbal on my original craft. When I got it back the camera was crooked, but a dual axis gimbal calibration fixed that, so that was OK, but it shouldn't have been crooked to begin with IMO.

My feeling is the 3 replacement craft I was sent (P4, P4, Mavic) all worked 100% when I got them, as though they were scrutinized and tested before shipping out. This is different from production, which everyone knows are not tested before shipping. We know this because there are too many obvious flaws that could have easily been caught, if DJI simply turned on the drone with no props and look at what it does. Vibrating gimbals, crooked camera's and batteries not taking a charge are three of the most common defects upon arrival that could easily be screened out if DJI implemented an outgoing test process. This is easy stuff to screen out, but they don't care apparently. The buyer has to do the screening upon purchase, returning thousands of craft for warranty replacement/repair. That's why I put together a list of things to check when you get your new P4P, making the screening process easier.

 

[John Locke]

You might consider putting the Phantom 4 Rain WETSUIT on the drone at this point, it is designed to protect the drone from all weather flying and to give the the landing gear better support .
check it out at phantomrain.org it may be a smart solution for you.

Does your wetsuit make the craft float? If yes, I deem that feature as very key for pilots that have REFRESH policies for their drone, and they fly over water all the time. DJI covers water damage with their refresh policy, but you have to return the craft, so retrieval is essential. Weighing 5oz isn't much to insure the craft won't sink, assuming the suit floats the craft.

It appears this suit sticks on with two sided tape, which means it cannot be removed when not needed, correct? When removed, does it leave any tape residue on the craft, or does it come off clean?

I would not endorse plugging up the ventilation of the motor vents as shown below. This will make motors run hotter, having no air flow. Have you done heat testing, measuring the motor temp after similar flights with a laser temp gun, with and without these vent plugs?