Periodic maintenance question

[Filmarik]

I mean nothing lasts forever, right?
What periodic maintenance would you recommend to do to keep the M3P in good nick and airworthy? Like changing props after x number of flight hours, even if they are looking perfectly fine and undamaged ? Or perhaps after certain amount of time, like every 6 months or a year or 2 years, regardless of flight hours? Anything else?

 

[Chrislaf]

I am no expert on this so I will be interested to hear what others have to say. My M3Pro is almost 2 years old and I haven't replaced the props yet. I do check them every flight to make sure they are secure and there is no visible damage. I remove them periodically to check the clips to make sure there are no cracks or damage. I have a spare set but have no plans to replace my current ones unless there is a problem.

With regard to my batteries I try to keep them between 50-75% charged when not flying and only charge them up before I plan on flying. Most of the time this works but occasionally I get caught with changes in weather that prevent me from flying on a freshly charged batteries, in which case I try to fly within the next few days if possible.

Chris

 

[Dronerock]

I mean nothing lasts forever, right?
What periodic maintenance would you recommend to do to keep the M3P in good nick and airworthy? Like changing props after x number of flight hours, even if they are looking perfectly fine and undamaged ? Or perhaps after certain amount of time, like every 6 months or a year or 2 years, regardless of flight hours? Anything else?

I think you have opened an important thread here. You are right, we have these remotely controlled aircraft which obviously have the potential for their systems to deteriorate and possibly fail with possible unforeseen drastic consequences. As drone pilots we don’t have the full understanding of potential system failures as even the drone manufacturers keep upgrading their “upgrade down loads” to mitigate problems they have discovered as their drones fly over more and more time periods.
It does seem logical that there should be more information from the constructors of our drones to teach their clients what they should keep an eye on and what time periods the critical elements of the drone’s systems should be be replaced or sent to a professional that understands these elements in order to prevent potential failures. The DJI “Care refresh” is available which can be a bit daunting if the drone has to be parcelled up and sent away but as I see it this may be the best way of answering your question.
I would suggest that DJI create a timeframe recall systems so after so many logged hours they provide a checkup service.

.

 

[Cafguy]

Your props will last forever if undamaged. I would say While not in use Keep your drone in its case and/or in a place that the temps don't fluctuate to much.
The best maintenance I can think of is also the most neglected and is mentioned by Chrislaf in post 2.
BATTERIES!!
You need to keep a good eye on those Batteries during Storage, every month or so, check them for any problems. Put them on the charger and refresh them. KEEP them between 60%-40% (never more or less). Your batteries will thank you.

 

[tstr14]

I change the oil, lube the chassis and rotate the tires.....
Oh, wait, that's my truck.

Check props, clean lens(es) watch batteries for swelling or leakage.
If you experience a crash, collision or hard landing, then besides the above, check for cracks.

 

[jaja6009]

The Mavic 3 Pro is very similar to the Mavic 3 Enterprise. The Mavic 3 Enterprise is one of the only newer Enterprise drones to not have a dedicated Maintenance Manual. But it does offer 3 Levels of DJI Maintenance, Basic, Standard and Deep/Premium.

We have not sent out Mavic 3 Enterprise in for Maintenace yet since I am able to conduct Basic Maintenance. It will go in for Standard Maintenance next year. But I have sent in other drones such as an M30T, Mavic 2 Enterprise variants, a Phantom 4 RTK and a M300RTK.

On our M30T and M300RTK we had Premium Maintenance replace a large amount of parts to include:

Aircraft Upper Shell Module
Front Cover Of Battery Compartment
Landing Gear Connector
Propellers
Aircraft Arm Connector
Aircraft Arm Carbon Tube
SDR Antenna Base
Motor Cover Module
Aircraft Arm Sleeve Module
Battery Locker Module
Gimbal Rubber Damper
Propeller Holder
Motors

The Matrice 4 is a similar aircraft to yoour Mavic 3 Pro, and calls for the propellers and gimbal dampeners to be replaced every 365 days or 200 flight hours or of course if damaged.

Matrice 4 Maintenance and Inspections which could be used on your aircraft. We use these inspections on our Mavic 3 E and will send it in to DJI for the different levels of Maintenance.










There is also a Battery Maintenance that is similar to other DJI drones.


Some Maintenance Items done during Basic Maintenance by DJI in Cerritos CA on a Mavic 2 Enterprise Advanced. They give you a very nice report for your records.

 

[Meta4]

It does seem logical that there should be more information from the constructors of our drones to teach their clients what they should keep an eye on and what time periods the critical elements of the drone’s systems should be be replaced or sent to a professional that understands these elements in order to prevent potential failures.

.

There is almost no maintenance needed.
Keep the drone clean, replace any props that have hit anything and that's about it.
The solid state electronics in the drone will most likely last longer than you'll be flying it and the motors will be trouble-free for thousands or even 10s of thousands of hours.

 

[Filmarik]

There is almost no maintenance needed.
Keep the drone clean, replace any props that have hit anything and that's about it.
The solid state electronics in the drone will most likely last longer than you'll be flying it and the motors will be trouble-free for thousands or even 10s of thousands of hours.

I agree in most part but the ball bearings in motors will definitely not last for 10s of thousands of hours. When I was flying the DJI hexa Flywheel many years ago bearings in those motors were the weak point and needed to be replaced quite frequently because the motors became notchy. It looks like the bearings DJI use these days are of a better quality though..