Cracks, Cracks, Cracks. In the upper shell of my Mavic Air 2

[Ben Anderson]

My MA2 has about 20 hours and about 6 months old (June 2020). I don't see any of the cracks in the pictures here.

 

[DanMan32]

It should be a warranty fix.
DJI may hem and haw that it probably cracked on an undocumented crash or rough handling.

If you're close to the end of your refresh or refresh plus period then maybe consider that, but it would cost you around $170. If you have lots of time, save it for a rainy day and pay for the repair if warranty is denied.

I misquoted the refresh cost. I had my M2Z in mind. MA2 is less costly.

 

[DanMan32]

I would like everyone to know it’s not hard at all to remove and replace the top shell. I followed a YouTube video of how to do it. I do have some drone repair experience even if I did not have a little experience I believe I would be able to swapem out.

Your first photo is with the bottom removed. I can tell because you see the bottom vision sensors.

 

[ptecib]

Purchased my Air 2 back in August, 2020. Never crashed or abused. I don't have DJI Care Refresh. Sending back to DJI for repair of hair line crack on the left side upper body near left front folding arm. Always took care when extending and retracting arms. It seems like this is becoming a big problem with Air 2's.

 

[icecoldgin]

Looks like the cracks are all concentrated on the area where the front arms fold.

When I got my MA2 I no longer folded the arms and I just placed the drone, all arms unfolded, on top of the table.

Glad I did that

 

[screwthepap]

My theory is that the cracks are being caused when the battery is inserted while the quad is sitting on a flat surface with the arms extended. If you simply press the battery down to seat it with a click, you are pushing the entire quad down with enough force to cause the front arms to flex upward, thereby stressing and possibly cracking the fuselage shell at the pivot points.

This is the reason I always insert the battery whilst holding the underside of the fuselage; pressing the spring loaded latches on the battery during insertion also eliminates stress on the sides of the battery compartment.

 

[silverdragon]

My theory is that the cracks are being caused when the battery is inserted while the quad is sitting on a flat surface with the arms extended. If you simply press the battery down to seat it with a click, you are pushing the entire quad down with enough force to cause the front arms to flex upward, thereby stressing and possibly cracking the fuselage shell at the pivot points.

This is the reason I always insert the battery whilst holding the underside of the fuselage; pressing the spring loaded latches on the battery during insertion also eliminates stress on the sides of the battery compartment.

Nope, not mine. I not once popped a battery in while it was on a flat surface or alike. It just cracks.

 

[silverdragon]

I swapped out my upper shell. It was fairly easy. Plus It felt good to do the swap.

 

[Zigzagbrown]

Mine has cracks on both sides along with a weak rc signal. Dji has it now as we speak.. I should be hearing from them in a day or so.

The whole process honestly has me a little anxious. It's not everyday I get to drop a grand on a hobby so I've handle that thing like it's a baby..

I was surprised how hard it was for me to ship her out! I didn't realize how attached I've become lol.. held on to it for close to two weeks before i could pack it up.. The dji repair guys have probably never seen so much bubble wrap!

 

[Javierz0509]

I would like everyone to know it’s not hard at all to remove and replace the top shell. I followed a YouTube video of how to do it. I do have some drone repair experience even if I did not have a little experience I believe I would be able to swapem out.

how are you going to do by not having the serial number label on the new shell?

 

[kidroc]

This is not the first report about cracks seen on MA2's shell. Seems that the signature issue of Phantoms is reappearing

View attachment 113097
View attachment 113098

Anyone who owned a phantom was Plagued with crack problems it was terrible

 

[kidroc]

Hmm wonder if getting some skins for my Air2 might actually help add a tiny bit more strength.

Or hide a nasty crack that might form I’d be careful.

 

[kidroc]

Purchased my Air 2 back in August, 2020. Never crashed or abused. I don't have DJI Care Refresh. Sending back to DJI for repair of hair line crack on the left side upper body near left front folding arm. Always took care when extending and retracting arms. It seems like this is becoming a big problem with Air 2's.

that looks like you pressed down when installing the batteries. Always pick it up when installing if you don’t already.

 

[screwthepap]

how are you going to do by not having the serial number label on the new shell?

Remove the label from the old shell and stick it onto the new one?

FWIW, the label is extremely easy to remove with just a hair dryer and a curved pair of tweezers. The label on my recently acquired MA2 was affixed slightly off-center from the factory. This didn't sit well with my OCD sensibilities, so I used the hair dryer on medium heat to soften the adhesive on the label, peeled it off with the tweezers, and stuck it back down perfectly centered.

 

[ptecib]

Never saw any of these types of cracks on the 1st gen DJI compact drones, I notice the build quality is a bit lower with the MM and MA2.
They just don't seem to be as well made as before, the plastic moulding looks cheaper, I guess they are using lighter less durable materials to reduce weight and improve performance

I've noticed that my Mavic Air seems to be built more bulkier than my Mavic Air 2. I only had my Mavic Air 2 six months before it developed a crack on the upper body near the front legs. DJI is repairing it for me free of charge.

 

[ptecib]

that looks like you pressed down when installing the batteries. Always pick it up when installing if you don’t already.

Always picked it up when installing batteries. DJI is repairing for me free of charge. I'm happy about that.

 

[ptecib]

Purchased my Air 2 back in August, 2020. Never crashed or abused. I don't have DJI Care Refresh. Sending back to DJI for repair of hair line crack on the left side upper body near left front folding arm. Always took care when extending and retracting arms. It seems like this is becoming a big problem with Air 2's.

Update....DJI is fixing free of charge.

 

[ross_impress]

Have the same issue, above and on the belly some small stress cracks. Dunno if this will be a safety issue to fly the MA2? I took the pictures in high contrast to see well the small cracks..
- 55 flights
- Bought May 2020






View attachment 124956View attachment 124957View attachment MA_4.jpg

 

[rxlawdude]

Have the same issue, above and on the belly some small stress cracks. Dunno if this will be a safety issue to fly the MA2? I took the pictures in high contrast to see well the small cracks..
- 55 flights
- Bought May 2020

View attachment 124958

That loo


View attachment 124956View attachment 124957View attachment 124959

That does look nasty at first blush, but does it continue across the entire surface to the other edge? In other words, is this something to worry about?

 

[Oatme4l]

Update....DJI is fixing free of charge.

How did you get them to fix it? I had 3 volleys with customer support, and they refused. Same story- under warranty, no crashes, gently used and cared for, and I have the exact cracks everyone is talking about.

I'm really upset with DJI.