Mavic 3 - Gimbal Arm Scratches (out of the box)

[spji]

Hi,

During unboxing I noticed the following scratches.

They all seem to be in places where the gimbal arm is close to the drone body.

Probably just cosmetic but I am wondering about the cause (poor handling during assembly or something else (gimbal malfunction during test / gimbal arm touching the drone body?)

Anyone experienced something like this / any ideas?

thx

PS Maybe I am picky but this is an expensive piece of hardware…

 

[Deleted member 103366]

Was this in a sealed box, did you have to activate it, was it sold as new or refurbished? If new were there no protective films on the gimbal etc. etc. ?

 

[spji]

Was this in a sealed box, did you have to activate it, was it sold as new or refurbished? If new were there no protective films on the gimbal etc. etc. ?

Yea, new, in sealed box. I activated it.

There where stickers in a couple of places and also a proactive foam part around the gimbal.

 

[Roberto Smera]

Very strange. The arms of the gimbal, as well as the articulating point in the back, should have come with the original stickers on each side. Mine came and I only trimmed the yellow tip to keep the protection.

 

[spji]

The 4 stickers with the yellow tip as well as the foam U shape protector where in place.

The foam should protect against at least one of the scratches shown above. This is why I believe that whatever happened was before the foam U shape protector was installed.

I just remembered that when unboxing (after removing the U foam) I noticed that the gimbal was not locked into place / center position (but was moving freely).

I don’t know if that’s normal (though since the U foam was there, this does not explain the scratch at the base of the gimbal arm).

After powering on and updating the firmware, gimbal now normally locks after shutdown.

I am also attaching 2 more pictures (not so zoomed in as the previous ones).

 

[Deleted member 103366]

The 2nd new photo is 'pretty bad', to be honest I'd begin to be a bit concerned as to what problems might arise in the future, it looks like the arm has had a bit of a battering. Are you thinking of a return? If so from whom did you buy it?

 

[spji]

The 2nd new photo is 'pretty bad', to be honest I'd begin to be a bit concerned as to what problems might arise in the future, it looks like the arm has had a bit of a battering. Are you thinking of a return? If so from whom did you buy it?

The photo makes things worst compared with looking with the naked eye.

Seems more than poor paint job than actual scratches.

Obviously the arm came in contact with the legs and left these marks in paint job but I am curious how this happened as the U shaped foam was in place.

This why I suspect poor assembly (or DJI sells refurbished ones without warning / though everything else seems ok).

Thats why I asked if everyone else experienced similar marks around the gimbal (Poor QC).

Regarding your remarks on the photo:

Yes, this is a minor dent (you can barely feel it with your fingernail). It is so minor that it could be paint failure from scratch and not an actual hit.

The lip is normal. It is due to the angle of the photo.

 

[Deleted member 103366]

but I am curious how this happened as the U shaped foam was in place.

The U is, I believe, a fairly recent 'fix', possibly as a direct response to scratch complaints. It
may be that it was retrospectively applied to already assembled (and rattled) drones awaiting dispatch.

 

[spji]

btw I noticed that the gimbal unlocks very easily (just with a slight touch).

This maybe explains why it was unlocked when I opened it for the first time.

Is that normal?

 

[spji]

The U is, I believe, a fairly recent 'fix', possibly as a direct response to scratch complaints. It
may be that it was retrospectively applied to already assembled (and rattled) drones awaiting dispatch.

Yes, that could be an explanation (but not an excuse for poor QC, obviously).

But some or the scratches (first post, 2nd pic, scratches around the neck) cannot be explained by this, I think (no contact with the legs there).

 

[GadgetGuy]

As long as the scratches are only cosmetic, and everything else is working properly, I'd just fly it and enjoy it. If anything else is squirrelly, your warranty should cover you. Just document the scratches, as you have done, so they don't infer abuse and deny warranty.

 

[Jamie Preston]

Maybe a refurbished unit??

 

[Drone Master]

There have been many reports of the gimbal being scratched due to the close tolerance of the arms and motors when folded. Some have placed a protective piece of felt or tape in that area to help protect the gimbal while in transit. It is believed that DJI failed to realize this during the designing process.
I use a aftermarket gimbal cover to help protect mine.
It is just something we have to deal with.
We have a thread talking just about this subject here.
Gimbal Arms Scratch Prevention

 

[JoelP]

No scratches on my Mavic 3. I would wonder if your was a refurbished unit sold as new. I only buy DJI hear from Amazon since I have more faith in them not to sell refurbished units as new and they have an amazing return process.

As to the comment on the gimbal lock, I have also found that it doesn’t take much to unlock the gimbal. I have to be extremely careful when remounting the muzzle to not unlock the gimbal.

 

[hiflyer201]

If you bought if from DJI or Amazon a return is the only option. Very fast and super easy.

 

[canadian drone videos]

Hi,

During unboxing I noticed the following scratches.

They all seem to be in places where the gimbal arm is close to the drone body.

Probably just cosmetic but I am wondering about the cause (poor handling during assembly or something else (gimbal malfunction during test / gimbal arm touching the drone body?)

Anyone experienced something like this / any ideas?

thx

PS Maybe I am picky but this is an expensive piece of hardware…

You bought a refurbished drone that’s been crashed. If you investigate DJI hard enough you will find they do sell drones that may contain nuts (used parts). The only way to be guaranteed a 100% brand new drone is order it from DJI in China, or buy it brand new when it’s first released. I warned people of this when it first came out, don’t wait to buy it because you may net end up with a 100% new drone.

 

[Deleted member 154956]

You bought a refurbished drone that’s been crashed. If you investigate DJI hard enough you will find they do sell drones that may contain nuts (used parts). The only way to be guaranteed a 100% brand new drone is order it from DJI in China, or buy it brand new when it’s first released. I warned people of this when it first came out, don’t wait to buy it because you may net end up with a 100% new drone.

There is no definitive proof to indicate that this is true.

 

[Mike Mas]

Looks like you got yourself somebodies returned defective machine. I would not even fly it because if it hits the ground its your baby then!

Tell them you want a new machine.

 

[GadgetGuy]

There is no definitive proof to indicate that this is true.

It's also way too early for any refurbished M3's to be in the distribution channel. Early refurbs are also brand new units, just in plain boxes without any retail labels.

 

[Mike Mas]

Don't think that'sa corret satment - they have hundreds of pilots at their locations that received product long before we do.