Please recommend a trustworthy Business who is authorized and stocks DJI hardware that repairs Mavic 2 Pro drones - I live in Pennsylvania.

[GK-Mavic2P_Pilot]

This is the history and issues I planned to send to the perspective recommended repair facility -

I was flying my drone at low altitude at night over the street (10 feet up) to capture luminaries on Christmas Eve. Normally when near any objects I get lots of warnings but not so this time. I was flying in “P” mode. As I was navigating down the street (about 20 yds distance) the drone drifted to the right and downward (with no proximity alarms) and struck a mailbox, flipped over onto the street and then onto the adjacent grass, the battery fell out on impact and the props were ruined. There was no other physical damage noted on the outside of the drone. I put a new battery in and tested it at home with the smart controller (no props) for functionality and noted the following:

The camera worked but I no longer had any control of the gimbal movements. I checked the "Overall Status" on the smart controller and saw the following errors and was unable to clear them:

• Gimbal cannot receive main controller data
• The cable between dampening plate and aircraft is loose. Contact DJI Support for help.
• No attitude data to IMU

Please advise on amount needed to submit for the initial checkout and how you want to me to fund any needed parts, addnl. labor, etc. after examining and quoting total repair and mailing costs. The camera appears to be OK. Do I need to send a battery and the smart controller as well when mailing the drone for repairs? I was hoping not to have to include these items for the repairs to be completed.

 

[Deleted member 103366]

Assuming the drone is not still under warranty I would check the cable before considering sending it in, it really is a very simple thing to do.
Two screws to remove the cover over the drone end of the cable and then 4 screws to remove the gimbal assembly from the drone. 2 screws on the gimbal assembly itself to release a clamp over the gimbal end of the cable.
A pro could probably swap the cable and have the drone back together in 5 minutes. BUT go slowly do not try to do anything quickly.
The only problems I can imagine are
1) digging the anti tamper plugs out of 1 or 2 of the first 6 screws mentioned above
2) having the correct screwdrivers, Torx and or 1.5mm? Allen keys and maybe a very small crosshead 00 or 000 for the screws holding the mentioned clamp.
There are several youtubes showing the dismantling process, I would watch several and some are by heavy handed idiots.

 

[JimWest]

I had good results using the DJI repair service. It cost $235 and took about 10 days including shipping from Detroit to Texas. They paid shipping both ways. They didn't actually repair my M2P but replaced it with a new (or reconditioned) drone.

 

[Cymruflyer]

If you are not into a DIY effort then take my advice and send it to DJI.

I had a gimbal issue as well from a drop of my old Mavic 2 Pro. I tried several of the advertised guys on here and they all wanted to just replace the gimbal and camera, instead of repairing the gimbal. They wanted between $675 and $800 plus so I declined but it cost me mailing and one that charged for the lookover.

Eventually I found another in Virginia that said he could do the repair and I sent it to him. He charged me $135 plus my shipping cost and when it came back it seemed to work but then quickly stopped. I had to pay to send it back to him and he tried again. He said it was repaired properly this time but all in all, it took a few months of time.

When I got it back the second time, it still did not work, and he said he would refund me. He never did refund me a penny so I would never suggest anyone use him. In the end I sent it back to DJI and had a bill for complete repair of $325 and in 10 days it was back to me. However, they sent me a new drone, instead of repairing mine. It seems they always do this rather than take the time to have a repair done and send it back.

From what I understand the broken drone goes back to the workshop for the repair and is sent out to some other customer as a replacement. You always get sent a new or refurbished (that looks brand new) drone so you are quickly back in the air.

You do not send the battery, just the drone, no props, just the drone and DJI pays for shipping both ways. Save yourself a headache and just send it in. We have a new, young local guys near us in Northern Ohio, if you wanted to try that. DJI labour charge is $65 an hour, the same or cheaper than many who advertise here.

I would have saved myself money and months of time had I just sent it back to DJI in the first place, mine was out of warranty. Oh and mine was a very slightly bent gimbal arm that you could see was tweaked out a bit, but as yours, my camera worked fine, just no response from the gimbal.

 

[Droniac]

I had good results using the DJI repair service. It cost $235 and took about 10 days including shipping from Detroit to Texas. They paid shipping both ways. They didn't actually repair my M2P but replaced it with a new (or reconditioned) drone.

That’s the part I do not like. Replacement. I realize that in many cases, it’s the prudent way to go. Maybe it’s the specific nuisances of my bird or the way it smiles at me . But I leave my wetsuit on always ala @Phantomrain.org And (based on rampant litigious folk out my way) I ride prop guards which are carefully adorned with red Diamond reflective tape fitting precisely within the indentation on the guards perimeter, etc. I’ve bonded!!! I’d go with BigAl and many others use DDS whos also a verified merchant and member of MavicPilots. Grats on the repair. Getting back aloft is all that really counts I suppose.

 

[Cymruflyer]

That’s the part I do not like. Replacement. I realize that in many cases, it’s the prudent way to go. Maybe it’s the specific nuisances of my bird or the way it smiles at me . But I leave my wetsuit on always ala @Phantomrain.org And (based on rampant litigious folk out my way) I ride prop guards which are carefully adorned with red Diamond reflective tape fitting precisely within the indentation on the guards perimeter, etc. I’ve bonded!!! I’d go with BigAl and many others use DDS whos also a verified merchant and member of MavicPilots. Grats on the repair. Getting back aloft is all that really counts I suppose.

I understand, I did not want to lose my original either, because it flew perfectly. However, in the end, the new one is just the same, plastic and electronics and grey in colour. I did try DDS but they said they did not do gimbal repairs and offered to just exchange a perfectly good camera and damaged gimbal with a new replacement for around $700, which to me was like buying a new wheel, tyre, axle and suspension on one corner of your car, because your tyre went flat. Call DDS and ask them if they actually will do a gimbal repair or do they just replace the entire gimbal and camera unit for a new one. Then you can go from there, but I would always use DJI in the future after my experience with a gimbal issue and the costs I had to pay in trying out other places. Also ask DDS what their hourly labour charge is, DJI was $65 an hour. That may help you decide what to do and which way to go.