Broken(?) starboard aft arm, fix it myself (glue?) or use Care Refresh?

[FlyawaySOB]

I did something stupid and my Mini 4 crashed onto a grassy hill from about 40ft agl. Pure gravity, had zero horizontal velocity. When I recovered it, I noticed that an arm (back/left or aft/starboard, whatever terminology you like) was split at a seem in the plastic near the hinge (see attached pic). I can't tell how these two pieces are supposed to be fastened normally, possibly just a friction fit? In any case, I pushed the two pieces back together and tested whether the props would still work... they did, and I even got airborne and everything held together. That said, it separates when I fold/unfold the arm and I don't trust it enough to actually go for a real flight.

I have care refresh but I am hesitant to use it for the following reasons. 1) the hassle of filing a claim, shipping it, waiting for it to come back 2) gluing it would be such an easy & quick fix 3) whatever repair fee I might be charged 4) I recently crashed in an unrecoverable way my Avata 2 & had to use flyaway for that one, just feels weird to come hat in hand to DJI again so soon.

That said, I would like to hear what any of you would suggest and any reasoning about it. Would gluing it somehow void any future care refresh issues? Also, does anyone know how the pieces are fastened together normally? I've attached pics of it when it's bent apart and when I have them pushed together.

 

[mavic3usa]

j-b weld

 

[Cafguy]

NO GLUE!!!! If its under care or warranty Send it back You will thank yourself later!
The only way to fix that without it vibrating apart or causing problems is to replace the part. Otherwise you may not get it exactly perfect and your motors will pay for it in the long run. plus if you have to send it in in the future and its glued together forget any warranty.

 

[mavic3usa]

NO GLUE!!!! If its under care or warranty Send it back You will thank yourself later!
The only way to fix that without it vibrating apart or causing problems is to replace the part. Otherwise you may not get it exactly perfect and your motors will pay for it in the long run. plus if you have to send it in in the future and its glued together forget any warranty.

i'm not going to mention on an open forum how to get around any of that; i took it the poster wanted to avoid paying for such an insignificant repair but he cannot actually fly it in that condition. he has care refresh so that will likely be a factor in any warranty claims. in the us, such a repair will not automatically void your warranty just as if you wired your bumper back to your car, you don't lose the warranty. if i glued my arm together and 6 month later i crashed and destroyed the front two arms and the camera and i needed a care refresh, my broken drone would be sent off with no camera, no front arms, and a missing rear arm. just saying. dji care refresh is all about risk.

 

[GFields]

Use Care Refresh!!!!

 

[Felix le Chat]

If you're hell-bent on a DIY fix for this SPECIFIC kind of joint separation: search for B-7000 adhesive. It sticks like nothing I've ever encountered before and once set, is NOT rigid like super glue or epoxy: it has enough flex to maintain the joint under stress without fracturing.

 

[Cafguy]

I forgot to add I am assuming you are going to use this Drone for non part 107 purposes?

 

[Conservative Nihilist]

I recently toyed with the idea of acquiring a Mavic 2 Pro on eBay whose right arm was "reinforced" with glue. Since I have basic soldering skills, I looked up the procedure for arm replacement on the M2 Zoom/Pro, and noted that six color-coded wires must be detached from the drone's ESC board to remove the damaged arm, with those six wires soldered back in for the new replacement arm.

Because of the precision required for that soldering job, I decided to pass on that eBay purchase and bide my time until an intact model was advertised in my price range.

 

[Cafguy]

I recently toyed with the idea of acquiring a Mavic 2 Pro on eBay whose right arm was "reinforced" with glue. Since I have basic soldering skills, I looked up the procedure for arm replacement on the M2 Zoom/Pro, and noted that six color-coded wires must be detached from the drone's ESC board to remove the damaged arm, with those six wires soldered back in for the new replacement arm.

Because of the precision required for that soldering job, I decided to pass on that eBay purchase and bide my time until an intact model was advertised in my price range.

With basic soldering skill and a good iron like a TS-101 you could do it for sure Get a little Practice board and a little flux pen and your there!

 

[djwak59]

I’d use the Care Refresh. If you paid for it, might as well use it.

 

[Dogpilot]

It is glued in the first place. Not exactly complex structure. I would tend to a thin texture plastic bonding epoxy. It is what it appears to be when I disassembled one that was loose and re-glued it. The epoxies specified for plastic bonding properties tend to be shockingly expensive, particularly when you use it once and it will be decayed by the next time you use it.

 

[Cafguy]

I think it is actually easier to replace the arm than it is to glue two pieces of the same part back together Soldering is NOT rocket science and Besides I am pretty sure those mini 4 arm connections are "snap on" type.?
If you Glue it and you are wondering why your videos are jittery in the future, At least you will know what to look at.
If you use it for business You do NOT want your insurance company to get wind of your D.I.Y. fix.

 

[tstr14]

I think it is actually easier to replace the arm than it is to glue two pieces of the same part back together Soldering is NOT rocket science and Besides I am pretty sure those mini 4 arm connections are "snap on" type.?
If you Glue it and you are wondering why your videos are jittery in the future, At least you will know what to look at.
If you use it for business You do NOT want your insurance company to get wind of your D.I.Y. fix.

Are you suggesting he should take it to "Cousin Ernie's Muffler Shop, Drone Repair Station and Pizzeria" instead?

 

[mavic3usa]

I vote for glue it but the reason why I said JBWeld is because that's what I did with my broken arm FPV. Agreed for the Mini, you want to use something else. The FPV has a lot of scars, the video doesn't have to be "Rocksteady", and the color matches.

 

[Yorkshire_Pud]

I have care refresh but I am hesitant to use it for the following reasons. 1) the hassle of filing a claim, shipping it, waiting for it to come back 2) gluing it would be such an easy & quick fix 3) whatever repair fee I might be charged 4) I recently crashed in an unrecoverable way my Avata 2 & had to use flyaway for that one, just feels weird to come hat in hand to DJI again so soon.

That said, I would like to hear what any of you would suggest and any reasoning about it. Would gluing it somehow void any future care refresh issues? Also, does anyone know how the pieces are fastened together normally? I've attached pics of it when it's bent apart and when I have them pushed together.

With regards to
1) My understanding is that the care refresh process is quite straight forward but I don't know if you have to take the drone to the carrier's premises.
3) The fees are fixed and specified in the care refresh T&C, google them if required.
4) You would not be going cap in hand top DJI, you have paid for the insurance and will have to pay a fee for the repair. I would bet DJI's accountants have worked out the llikely cost and, overall, make a profit on care refresh claims. I suspect that where possible, they salvage components from sent in drones and reuse them.


2) Glue !!!!!!! Never, for that type of break.
Would you fly in a plane whose wings where glued to the plane's body in what looks to be a butt joint with the gluing being done by an amateur?
If the glue fails the drone is coming down and may hit someone, besides a DIY repair will invalidate warranty and care refresh.
In addition there may be damage that you have not noticed. A replacemnt drone from DJI should be new or as good as new.

PS, One other point, if you glue it and leave it at that and the drone crashes and the crash comes to the attention of the authorities, a drone with such a repair might be considered unairworthy and drop you in deep deep doda.

At the very least I would replace the arm,complete with the motor, and have done so with other drones, I am all for DIY repairs but not in these circumstances with that damage.

 

[Cafguy]

I just checked. Many places have the arm"shells" and are selling them for around 15 bucks!

 

[Dogpilot]

Replacing the arm shell sounds attractive, but it is actually a whole lot of work. You really cannot feed the wires down the arm and there are antennas in the front ones. Then you must solder the motor wires back onto the ESC. To feed the wires down the arm, you actually need to separate the area at that joint. You can do this by gently squashing it between your fingers and going around the joint until the glue gives way (which it does surprisingly easily). Then you can separate the two pieces, feed the wires down it and then glue it back together. If you want to replace an arm, buy one with the motor and LED, antennas installed, it is worth it.

Frankly, glue it see how it works. If it crashes again, then use care refresh. They actually don't check. They are not fixing anything, they throw them in a bin and send you a replacement. Where do you think all those parts come from? They sell the broken ones they get back, and they are dismantled by the folks that buy them in bulk.

 

[Droning on and on...]

if i glued my arm together and 6 month later i crashed and destroyed the front two arms and the camera and i needed a care refresh, my broken drone would be sent off with no camera, no front arms, and a missing rear arm. just saying.

Says and clarifies a lot.

 

[Droning on and on...]

2) Glue !!!!!!! Never, for that type of break.
Would you fly in a plane whose wings where glued to the plane's body in what looks to be a butt joint with the gluing being done by an amateur?
If the glue fails the drone is coming down and may hit someone, besides a DIY repair will invalidate warranty and care refresh.
In addition there may be damage that you have not noticed. A replacemnt drone from DJI should be new or as good as new.

Well said, very well said.

DJI does repair drones returned via CR, using them for other CR returns and selling them discounted as refurbished.

They NEVER repair a drone by gluing breaks or cracks. Why is that?

A drone is a carefully engineered device. Forces and stresses are first modeled in a CAD program, using FEM and other tools to identify weak points, beefing them up, etc., and a lot more.

Then, there is a destructive testing process on prototypes to test stress and force limits of the design.

When you repair a break or crack with glue, you don't know any of this. You don't know what forces the glue you're applying can handle. You truly have no real idea if it will hold under all conditions, especially when it might be really important under the most extreme stresses.

It will get you back in the air. It may never fail. You can also put a single bullet in a revolver, spin the cylinder, put the gun to your head and pull the trigger, and chances are very good you'll survive.

But you won't play Russian Roulette for obvious reasons. Take death out of the equation. Say you're only risking a very nasty lump on the head and a gash in your scalp, that you'll fully recover from. Will you play the game then? I expect not.

But that's the game you're playing when you fly that glued drone. And if people are near, you're risking a nasty lump on the head and/or gash to their scalp, among other things, if your unengineered, untested fix flies near them, carrying a bullet. So to speak.

If you wouldn't fly in a plane repaired that way, don't fly a drone repaired that way.

 

[mavic3usa]

Says and clarifies a lot.

Sure does say alot. It says I understand the dji care refresh contract better than you. If I crash the drone and forgo the first repair and then I crash the drone a second time and I send it in, I should be entitled to the repairs covering the first and the second crash. Making a small repair myself to a covered repair doesn't cancel my ability to go back and get it repaired in the future. DJI replaces destroyed drone, they don't repair them. I'm getting exactly what I paid for with the service contract. How about you do you.