Quality controle DJI sucks!?

Mavicfurrr · Feb 9, 2020

1,5 months ago I bought my first DJI product, a Mavic mini, got hooked and bought a Mavic 2 pro a week ago.

Both came with scratches/scuffs on the body new out of the box.
But the Mavic 2 pro is worse...
Little OCD maby but a new product with a prices tag of 500 (for the mini) or 1500+ (for the M2P) should be in pristine condition.

Somehow DJI is using different plastics on the M2P. I got 3 batteries with two different plastics used and with different tones of grey. A darker more shiny and a lighter more matt finish (2 batteries are lighter matt and 1 shiny dark).
The lighter matt one scratches as soon my finger nail touches it and came with scratches all over.

Also with the M2P it self, somehow, DJI uses two different plastics, the shiny kind and the matt kind, the shiny part of the drone is pristine and almost impossible to scratch with my nail, the lighter grey matt part is like a chalkboard and scratches as soon as you touch it with something hard like a finger nail. It came with scratches btw.

I searched for it on this forum, but all I could find was about gimbal scratching, im talking about the housing.

Did more people had this problem?
Is DJI’s Quality Controle that bad?
If so im leaving the brand ASAP.

Thanks guys!

kind regards,
Ferdi (Amsterdam, the Netherlands)

Here a better look. Number 1 is the matt grey plastic and number 2 the shiny lighter plastic. 1 Scratches as soon as you touch it with a finger nail, and number 2 is way harder somehow and does not scratch that easy.

The matt plastic is also used on 2 batteries, 1 battery has the shiny harder plastic.

lannes · Feb 9, 2020

Where did you get your drones from ?

Were the boxes sealed with tape or opened ?

Paul2660 · Feb 9, 2020

If it flies, takes great video and or pictures, I would not be too concerned. It's going to get scratches with just normal use. If the camera lens was scratched I would be concerned as that will possibly effect the images you take. Or if were any issues with calibration, or gimbal control.

My only concern with a Drone from DJI, unless it arrives broken is how well the camera works, mainly is the lens centered and able to take a evenly sharp image across the frame. I have had a few DJI products, (MPP and P4 Vr 2.0) that had to be returned after I first flew them due to camera issues. Both retailers swapped out the drones and the replacements worked fine.

Hard to beat DJI IMO for a flying camera, that can take acceptable images, with a great software solution for flight control.

Paul C

xspwhite · Feb 9, 2020

Mavicfurrr said:
1,5 months ago I bought my first DJI product, a Mavic mini, got hooked and bought a Mavic 2 pro a week ago.

Both came with scratches/scuffs on the body new out of the box.
But the Mavic 2 pro is worse...
Little OCD maby but a new product with a prices tag of 500 (for the mini) or 1500+ (for the M2P) should be in pristine condition.

Somehow DJI is using different plastics on the M2P. I got 3 batteries with two different plastics used and with different tones of grey. A darker more shiny and a lighter more matt finish (2 batteries are lighter matt and 1 shiny dark).
The lighter matt one scratches as soon my finger nail touches it and came with scratches all over.

Also with the M2P it self, somehow, DJI uses two different plastics, the shiny kind and the matt kind, the shiny part of the drone is pristine and almost impossible to scratch with my nail, the lighter grey matt part is like a chalkboard and scratches as soon as you touch it with something hard like a finger nail. It came with scratches btw.

I searched for it on this forum, but all I could find was about gimbal scratching, im talking about the housing.

Did more people had this problem?
Is DJI’s Quality Controle that bad?
If so im leaving the brand ASAP.

Thanks guys!

kind regards,
Ferdi (Amsterdam, the Netherlands)View attachment 93522
Here a better look. Number 1 is the matt grey plastic and number 2 the shiny lighter plastic. 1 Scratches as soon as you touch it with a finger nail, and number 2 is way harder somehow and does not scratch that easy.

The matt plastic is also used on 2 batteries, 1 battery has the shiny harder plastic.

Those are character blemishes like birthmarks.

Mavco · Feb 9, 2020

I have two batteries that came in my flymore kit that have the lighter finish and scratch easily with normal handling. However the battery that came with my drone matches the drone finish perfectly and is more scratch resistant.
I'm a bit OCD myself and am just going to live with it as the batteries function as they should.

lanpa8 · Feb 9, 2020

xspwhite said:
Those are character blemishes like birthmarks.

+1 not a big deal the drone gets scratched up after 2 flights

robwag · Feb 10, 2020

Fly it for a month and you won't even see those little imperfections. Go above 2m and you won't see them now.

Paulf10 · Feb 10, 2020

Mavicfurrr said:
1,5 months ago I bought my first DJI product, a Mavic mini, got hooked and bought a Mavic 2 pro a week ago.

Both came with scratches/scuffs on the body new out of the box.
But the Mavic 2 pro is worse...
Little OCD maby but a new product with a prices tag of 500 (for the mini) or 1500+ (for the M2P) should be in pristine condition.

Somehow DJI is using different plastics on the M2P. I got 3 batteries with two different plastics used and with different tones of grey. A darker more shiny and a lighter more matt finish (2 batteries are lighter matt and 1 shiny dark).
The lighter matt one scratches as soon my finger nail touches it and came with scratches all over.

Also with the M2P it self, somehow, DJI uses two different plastics, the shiny kind and the matt kind, the shiny part of the drone is pristine and almost impossible to scratch with my nail, the lighter grey matt part is like a chalkboard and scratches as soon as you touch it with something hard like a finger nail. It came with scratches btw.

I searched for it on this forum, but all I could find was about gimbal scratching, im talking about the housing.

Did more people had this problem?
Is DJI’s Quality Controle that bad?
If so im leaving the brand ASAP.

Thanks guys!

kind regards,
Ferdi (Amsterdam, the Netherlands)View attachment 93522
Here a better look. Number 1 is the matt grey plastic and number 2 the shiny lighter plastic. 1 Scratches as soon as you touch it with a finger nail, and number 2 is way harder somehow and does not scratch that easy.

The matt plastic is also used on 2 batteries, 1 battery has the shiny harder plastic.

I understand your dissatisfaction. New is new and you’d expect better. I doubt if any of us would buy a new car with the same attitude as some have already expressed. Not that they’re wrong, that’s just their viewpoint and I understand that as well. For myself I actually agree with them. I’ve never been concerned about my MPP or P4 appearances, only their performance. However that does not mean you should just sit back and accept it if it really bothers you.

Have you tried contacting DJI?
Have you thought about buying skins?
Best of luck regardless what you decide to do.

lannes · Feb 10, 2020

Paulf10 said:
I understand your dissatisfaction. New is new and you’d expect better. I doubt if any of us would buy a new car with the same attitude as some have already expressed. Not that they’re wrong, that’s just their viewpoint and I understand that as well. For myself I actually agree with them. I’ve never been concerned about my MPP or P4 appearances, only their performance. However that does not mean you should just sit back and accept it if it really bothers you.

Have you tried contacting DJI?
Have you thought about buying skins?
Best of luck regardless what you decide to do.

The older generation DJI drones like the MPP, MA , P4P and Spark have much better build quality, the MM is more of a kin to a toy drone quality with light weight plastic and cheap foam parts to keep the weight down.
It's like DJI changed manufacturer for their oem parts in their latest drones, using cheaper plastics.

Rockycat · Feb 10, 2020

They use the same plastic for both parts of the shell. The finish you see is from the molds being machined using Electrical Discharge Machining (EDM) Each mold will have different finishes because the finer finish you call for in the manufacture of the molds, costs extra time, and money.

xspwhite · Feb 10, 2020

This means that each quad is unique.

Ralph thompson · Feb 10, 2020

In my opinion DJI quality, technology & service is outstanding. Been flying DJI drones since 2012 and have no complaints.

E90RAW · Feb 10, 2020

Mavicfurrr said:
1,5 months ago I bought my first DJI product, a Mavic mini, got hooked and bought a Mavic 2 pro a week ago.

Both came with scratches/scuffs on the body new out of the box.
But the Mavic 2 pro is worse...
Little OCD maby but a new product with a prices tag of 500 (for the mini) or 1500+ (for the M2P) should be in pristine condition.

Somehow DJI is using different plastics on the M2P. I got 3 batteries with two different plastics used and with different tones of grey. A darker more shiny and a lighter more matt finish (2 batteries are lighter matt and 1 shiny dark).
The lighter matt one scratches as soon my finger nail touches it and came with scratches all over.

Also with the M2P it self, somehow, DJI uses two different plastics, the shiny kind and the matt kind, the shiny part of the drone is pristine and almost impossible to scratch with my nail, the lighter grey matt part is like a chalkboard and scratches as soon as you touch it with something hard like a finger nail. It came with scratches btw.

I searched for it on this forum, but all I could find was about gimbal scratching, im talking about the housing.

Did more people had this problem?
Is DJI’s Quality Controle that bad?
If so im leaving the brand ASAP.

Thanks guys!

kind regards,
Ferdi (Amsterdam, the Netherlands)View attachment 93522
Here a better look. Number 1 is the matt grey plastic and number 2 the shiny lighter plastic. 1 Scratches as soon as you touch it with a finger nail, and number 2 is way harder somehow and does not scratch that easy.

The matt plastic is also used on 2 batteries, 1 battery has the shiny harder plastic.

Are you sure its not a refurbished unit. Did you get it directly from DJI or from an authorized dealer? OCD or not I would send it back. I just purchases a M2P ans M2Z and no inconsistencies like in yours. That would drive me crazy.

WithTheBirds · Feb 10, 2020

How much are you prepared to pay for the drone to have a finish that meets your requirements?

Personally I'm not interested in paying for a high level of surface quality on the moulded parts. They could be a perfect mirror finish however the tooling and production costs would add significantly to the price.

From what can be seen in your images posted this is the level of finish that seems typical.

This is almost certainly not a quality control issue.

WithTheBirds · Feb 10, 2020

Rockycat said:
They use the same plastic for both parts of the shell. The finish you see is from the molds being machined using Electrical Discharge Machining (EDM) Each mold will have different finishes because the finer finish you call for in the manufacture of the molds, costs extra time, and money.

I would have read this earlier- would have saved me posting.....

I'm not sure the surface finish is strictly a feature of the mould making process- spark erosion is capable of a much finer detail level. I would argue that is a deliberately designed pattern that will prove tolerant to a much longer service life for tooling and less precision required in production. The principal objective we would have to think is to keep manufacturing costs down.

Slightly different colours and finish for seperate components should be expected given they are the products of totally seperate production runs. The only practical means of ensuring a consistent finish on all parts of the finished assembly would be to apply a seperate finishing operation. You could almost guarantee that long term performance of the finish quality would be poor in comparison. And lets not forget an added feature of the current finish, it aids grip when handling.

Royston James · Feb 11, 2020

Hi, if you send it back with scratches DJI will insist that you have crashed the drone. They wrote mine off and sent me a refurbish drone just for having a few scratches on the body. With a charge of course

AnzacJack · Feb 15, 2020

Rockycat said:
They use the same plastic for both parts of the shell. The finish you see is from the molds being machined using Electrical Discharge Machining (EDM) Each mold will have different finishes because the finer finish you call for in the manufacture of the molds, costs extra time, and money.

I don’t think they are using edm machines on the plastic Mavics. Did you mean Cnc machine. We used to use EDM machines to cut holes in F111 wings, and I can’t imagine them being used to cut holes our drones.
Maybe I’m wrong, and if I am I’d like to see the machine

Rockycat · Feb 17, 2020

anzacjack said:
I don’t think they are using edm machines on the plastic Mavics. Did you mean Cnc machine. We used to use EDM machines to cut holes in F111 wings, and I can’t imagine them being used to cut holes our drones.
Maybe I’m wrong, and if I am I’d like to see the machine

No, not a milled surface. EDM sinker or larger RAM machines are the most cost efficient ways to manufacture molds for blow molding, look at the dashboard on your car it was done with a mold that was produced using EDM machining. some of these machines a large enough that you have to walk into them to set up a part. Using spark reduction you can achieve very fine finishes.
I produce injectors (rocket motors) for various Government agency's using fine hole EDM.
With these machines I can make holes down to .004 +/- .0001 through .100 of titanium, and depending on requirements achieve surface finishes down to Ra .40

AnzacJack · Feb 17, 2020

ahhhh the mold was made with EDM. sure i can see that. Yes i understand the high accuracy of these guys, the main reason we used these to cut small holes on the frame inside of our wings, through D6AC steel. I thought you were saying the drone shells where made with an EDM. I was picturing our EDM and couldnt imaging how that would be the case.
Like you describe, ours was huge and bloody complicated to setup as we were cutting holes inside a wing . So we had to get the actual EDM workings into the wing, and dam of an area so we could submerge it in "oil".