Should I send my air 2 s in for care refresh?

[Mikeymav]

Ok so after almost two years I crashed my air 2 s. Bird seems to be fine, a few scratches on the front plastic. I had bought the two years of care refresh and I have it until Aug 15, 2023. Once I retrieved the drone I took the props off and started the motors. Then I put in a new battery and took off to a hover. I quickly tested everything and it seems ok. Should I send my bird in just in case? Also dji recommends doing an 'express' (they put a hold on your card for the replacement and ship out a bird as soon as you send yours in), but if there isn't anything wrong with my air2s I'm not sure how that would work vs the 'basic' claim.

Send or don't send? Express or basic?

Thanks in advance to anyone who takes the time to read my post!!

 

[Cafguy]

I would put your drone thru its paces and make sure nothing is wrong.
If not, I wouldn't send it in, after all they are just going to replace it and the one they give you just might have a problem. Grandpa always says: If it aint broke don't fix it.

 

[RodPad]

Wow, that is a hard question! I don't know anything about DJI care.

As said the one you get back could have problems.

Cafguy

mavicpilots.com

Could he do some kind of a test flight, then share his log?
Seems that should have been best before he contacted them?

Just some of my weird thoughts.

Rod ..
.

 

[mavic3usa]

My opinion I wouldn't send it in. But it might be a good time to sell it!

 

[Cafguy]

Wow, that is a hard question! I don't know anything about DJI care.

As said the one you get back could have problems.

Cafguy

mavicpilots.com

Could he do some kind of a test flight, then share his log?
Seems that should have been best before he contacted them?

Just some of my weird thoughts.

Rod ..
.

Thats a good Idea then several could check you over.

 

[RodPad]

Thats a good Idea then several could check you over.

Thanks

Yes these guys are #1
I don't think there pay check is very good.

Rod ..

 

[Yorkshire_Pud]

I properly crashed an M2Z, including a substantial fall.
Immediately apparent damage, crumpled nose and a lost cover on the gimbal.
Testing, i.e. hovering at eye level, spinning and full-throttle spurts revealed a droopy front arm and a rear arm with play in it, dismantling the drone to fix/replace the latter revealed internal damage to other bits including a broken damper mount on the gimbal.

How severe was the crash, what did it hit and what did it land on?

Don't you pay extra for "express"? Do you need the drone back ASAP?

So it's swings and roundabouts, if it wasn't a severe crash and landed on something soft and if you are confident you have discovered all the damage and have tested it vigorously then it might be worth risking keeping it. I certainly wouldn't pay for express if they charge extra for that and you do not need the drone back yesterday.

BUT if you have a niggling worry in the back of your mind that you might not have found all the damage then I'd be inclined to send it in but not via express unless you need it yesterday.

BTW I thought express meant they sent out the replacement either ASAP or at least before they received the 'patient'.
Also, it is my understanding that care refresh is a fixed fee repair and thus the drone need not, on receipt, be assessed for damage. Thus, when using the basic care refresh, the replacement would/is NORMALLY be sent on receipt of the 'patient', am I wrong?

 

[Macinfo]

If you take a few more flights and nothing happens, and your photos and videos look fine, I would not send it in.

If all you really have is some plastic scratches in the case, and not even the props were really damaged, then it seems like it was not a serious crash.

Course like so many things, you never know, but it goes both ways, if you don't send it in and you have a more serious problem on a near future flight, was it the result of this crash or just the way it goes..

If you do send it in, and you either get back the same drone, because DJI checked it out and didn't find any problems and does not replace it, (not sure if they would do that) or they did send you a replacement, and then you have a problem, is it the replacement, or again just the way it goes?

Either way, its going to cost you maybe.. If you send it in, there are shipping costs, then if it has an issue and your care refresh expires, it will cost you more, but if you fly a lot for a while and have no problems. You saved the $$...

 

[FLDave]

Based on your Care Refresh contract you know exactly the cost of the replacement; it's not based on any DJI damage assessment. The shipping costs are already included in the replacement cost.
The the express option you pay directly for the replacement drone. I believe DJI will request the "crashed" battery and send you a replacement the "new drone".
You observed the severity of the crash so you can made your own assessment as to whether or not that are some unobserved defects or defects that will show up later.

 

[Parkerjh]

If there's any question, I would err on the side of caution and send it in. You can then rest assured you don't have a problem (small unnoticeable crack for example) that will become a bigger problem over time. You paid for the protection. Use it.

I used to always pay for the express, but I've come to find recently, that dji's repair program is so blazingly fast, that it's not even worth it. I've sent two drones in recently that were out of warranty, and they were both repaired within 48 hours.