Dji drones reliability

[jojonono]

I just started my drone business since a short while and after owning my third dji drone I learned a lot how to maintain it but am starting really to doubt djis reliability as of my.last two jobs



The first job I had mynair 2s falling from around 15 meters while it was doing the helix quickshot, I was thinking at first a bird attacked it but after examining the footage there was no bird, could it be the obstacle avoidance sensors not working in the quick shot mode ? During day light of course...



After falling I sent the drone for repair, the forward sensors were replaced and the entire gimbal too excluding the camera, today I was having another shoot indoors and suddenly the infamous Gimbal motor overloaded appeared out of nowhere, I admit it looked scary while.flying so I landed the drone immediately, I tried blowing at the gimbal, and everything utube suggested nothing could fix it even gimbal calibration isn't working so am sending it back to the same shop, I just don't understand how could a new gimbal act like that, the rest of the drone is fine its only the gimbal and camera acting up,



So at this point am really starting to doubt djinproducts, and I already invested a lot in the air 2s I don't want to upgrade to another drone, I can see on utube lots of people are facing the motor overloaded issue for no reason, so how reliable is dji really ? I admit I was really frustrated those two consecutive days j even thought to quit this entire field as dji drones seem either too sensitiveor tricky to deal with, it's one thing to fix ur drone, but not getting paid due to half-*** work and Not satisfying the client is the key to failure...

 

[Cafguy]

Was this a DJI repair? I own an Air 2s that should have given out a year ago from overuse IT will not die. Gimbals are tricky and other than just replacing the whole thing I tend to pass and refer the person to DJI. If this was NOT a dji repair perhaps the person did not run the calibration properly, or did not replace all of the damaged parts, or actually any number of reasons from firmware on down. If you want you can calibrate the new gimbal yourself. I would tend to think it has something to do with the repair. who did it?

 

[jaja6009]

Everyone's experience will vary. For failures, usually only those experienceing them will post about it. I don't post out of the blue that my drone did not crash today.

I have owned 4 DJI drones and my real job has owned 5.

Out of all of them only 1 expereinced a crash that was not pilot error. They are all still in use except for one.
The Public Safety use is for real emergency response and other supporting operations and includes long hours of operations in wind, sand, dust etc.. Public Safety use also entails bad battery management as compared to my personally owned drones.

Public Safety use

2 - Mavic 2 Pros - Airworthy 2019 to current
1 - Mavic 2 Dual - Malfunction, End of life crash 2019 to 2021
1 - Matrice 300 RTK - Airworthy 2022 to current
1 - M30T - Airworthy 2023 to current

Personally owned
1 - Mavic 2 Enterprise - Airworthy 2019 to current
1 - Mavic 2 Enterprise Advanced - Airworthy 2021 to current
1- Phantom 4 Pro - Airworthy 2020 to current
1- Phantom 4 RTK - 2022 to current


Our 2 Autels also have been All Stars and are still up and running.

 

[Starz]

back to the same shop

Could this possibly be a piece of the puzzle?

 

[jojonono]

Was this a DJI repair? I own an Air 2s that should have given out a year ago from overuse IT will not die. Gimbals are tricky and other than just replacing the whole thing I tend to pass and refer the person to DJI. If this was NOT a dji repair perhaps the person did not run the calibration properly, or did not replace all of the damaged parts, or actually any number of reasons from firmware on down. If you want you can calibrate the new gimbal yourself. I would tend to think it has something to do with the repair. who did it?

no it wasn't
the DJI repair costs half the price of a NEW drone besides he highly recommended me to go with their own fix saying most customers choose that and promised excellent results,

also am not even sure if he actually gave me a NEW gimbal coz the one he installed got 1-3 minor scratches or blemishes

in his defense he said maybe you touched the gimbal while it was working, i did have that camera sun visor hooked up just to protect the drone in case it falls but i didnt touch the gimbal, even if i did i cant understand why the gimbal is giving motor error + till now it wont even calibrate.

is there is a software from dji to calibrate ? or just through the dji app ?

i got extra paranoid from on coz the gimbals are extra sensitive and from now on i will always have someone with me or ask the guy with me to just monitor the drone and alert me if i was going to hit something,

the other day we were shooting a small clinic in the evening and the the obstacle avoidance wasn't working + i was going back and ended up hitting a tree ! then the gimbal started acting up

i miss the mavic pro where you could have the gimbal cover on while flying (despite the low quality and poor ventilation, but am just saying is it really IMPOSSIBLE to protect the camera/gimbal while flying ?

what if it falls again and gives motor error, how the heck to fix it ? is it always necessary a hardware thing ?

many questions in my head where is my business heading after those incidents.

also the shop exposed to me a piece of info when i suggested i would buy a mini 4 pro he said DONT they had several customers who crashed the mini 4 pro and despite being dji certified technicians they couldnt CALIBRATE IT and had to send it to Hong Kong which usually takes around 45 days to fix if not longer,

is it a proper decision investing in another DJI drone in the future ? and are you guys having your drones operating with flying colors really or do those problems appear randomly even if not dropped or crashed ?

thanks,

 

[GFields]

is there is a software from dji to calibrate ? or just through the dji app ?

Only in the app.

i miss the mavic pro where you could have the gimbal cover

It was never recommended to keep the cover on the camera/gimbal while in flight.

also the shop exposed to me a piece of info when i suggested i would buy a mini 4 pro he said DONT they had several customers who crashed the mini 4 pro and despite being dji certified technicians they couldnt CALIBRATE IT and had to send it to Hong Kong which usually takes around 45 days to fix if not longer,

I'm guessing that the shop you're using is one of your biggest problems.

I'm guessing you didn't purchase DJI Care Refresh and the drone is out of warranty, correct? You can send it to DJI to have it repaired correctly or keep wasting money with the shop you're using. This is the picture I'm seeing. However, I may be wrong.

 

[akdrone]

You have a non-dji guy doing the repairs and then question DJI reliability when something fails after a repair? I have 6 DJI drones and have had occasion to send 4 back at various times for my mistakes and a warranty issue and DJI repairs have been spot on each time. Individual experiences don't mean to much as with millions of users some will have perfect experiences and some will have multiple problems. Across the board however I think most folks have been well treated by DJI repairs as evidenced my most comments I have read. If you don't have DJI repair your drone you have nothing to complain about with regard to DJI....

 

[Starz]

shooting a small clinic in the evening and the the obstacle avoidance wasn't working

Perfectly normal when not enough light

protect the camera/gimbal while flying

Protection isn’t needed when flying. When you crash into a tree, protection would help a little but no guarantee the protection device would survive what slams into it.

if he actually gave me a NEW gimbal

Based on the scratches, no, it was used.

buy a mini 4 pro

I tend to avoid anything that includes the word”mini”( they are very popular though)

operating with flying colors

Crashed drones can be an issue.

usually takes around 45 days to fix if not longer

Bad information.
I’ve sent several pieces to DJI for various issues. Usually back within two to three weeks and Hong Kong had nothing to do with it.

 

[jojonono]

Only in the app.

It was never recommended to keep the cover on the camera/gimbal while in flight.

I'm guessing that the shop you're using is one of your biggest problems.

I'm guessing you didn't purchase DJI Care Refresh and the drone is out of warranty, correct? You can send it to DJI to have it repaired correctly or keep wasting money with the shop you're using. This is the picture I'm seeing. However, I may be wrong.

sorry but ur wrong,
i wish i could purchase that DJI refresh thing
its just not available in the UAE

 

[jojonono]

You have a non-dji guy doing the repairs and then question DJI reliability when something fails after a repair? I have 6 DJI drones and have had occasion to send 4 back at various times for my mistakes and a warranty issue and DJI repairs have been spot on each time. Individual experiences don't mean to much as with millions of users some will have perfect experiences and some will have multiple problems. Across the board however I think most folks have been well treated by DJI repairs as evidenced my most comments I have read. If you don't have DJI repair your drone you have nothing to complain about with regard to DJI....

I have to complain but its up to listen ! i said gimbal replacement and reprograming costs half the price of a new Air 3 ! judging from the fact you have multiple drones and have had multiple occasions where you sent it back and paid what DJI charged you it must be cheap for you, have a successful business, or u just dont care

 

[Starz]

that DJI refresh thing

This isn’t needed to get something repaired by DJI.

 

[jojonono]

Perfectly normal when not enough light

Protection isn’t needed when flying. When you crash into a tree, protection would help a little but no guarantee the protection device would survive what slams into it.

Based on the scratches, no, it was used.

I tend to avoid anything that includes the word”mini”( they are very popular though)

Crashed drones can be an issue.

Bad information.
I’ve sent several pieces to DJI for various issues. Usually back within two to three weeks and Hong Kong had nothing to do with it.

thanks for all the info
just to emphasize i dont live in the US, i am based elsewhere, so where was your drone sent if u dont mind ?...

And yes i see why you would avoid anything with mini in it, i just thought of having a secondary drone for emergencies like that + i tend to shoot indoors too.

Thanks,

 

[jojonono]

This isn’t needed to get something repaired by DJI.

Agree, we just dont have the Luxury to obtain one here in the UAE.

 

[Starz]

where was your drone sent

Sent from Arizona. The pieces I’ve sent end up in either Texas or California.

 

[akdrone]

I have to complain but its up to listen ! i said gimbal replacement and reprograming costs half the price of a new Air 3 ! judging from the fact you have multiple drones and have had multiple occasions where you sent it back and paid what DJI charged you it must be cheap for you, have a successful business, or u just dont care

You might look into non-dji insurance. I have DJI care for all my drones but I also have a State Farm insurance for some of them cause it's cheap, like under 100bucks a year. My drones aren't part of a business, I'm just a wealthy retired high school teacher... wait...never mind.

 

[Felix le Chat]

I just started my drone business since a short while and after owning my third dji drone I learned a lot how to maintain it but am starting really to doubt djis reliability as of my.last two jobs



The first job I had mynair 2s falling from around 15 meters while it was doing the helix quickshot, I was thinking at first a bird attacked it but after examining the footage there was no bird, could it be the obstacle avoidance sensors not working in the quick shot mode ? During day light of course...



After falling I sent the drone for repair, the forward sensors were replaced and the entire gimbal too excluding the camera, today I was having another shoot indoors and suddenly the infamous Gimbal motor overloaded appeared out of nowhere, I admit it looked scary while.flying so I landed the drone immediately, I tried blowing at the gimbal, and everything utube suggested nothing could fix it even gimbal calibration isn't working so am sending it back to the same shop, I just don't understand how could a new gimbal act like that, the rest of the drone is fine its only the gimbal and camera acting up,



So at this point am really starting to doubt djinproducts, and I already invested a lot in the air 2s I don't want to upgrade to another drone, I can see on utube lots of people are facing the motor overloaded issue for no reason, so how reliable is dji really ? I admit I was really frustrated those two consecutive days j even thought to quit this entire field as dji drones seem either too sensitiveor tricky to deal with, it's one thing to fix ur drone, but not getting paid due to half-*** work and Not satisfying the client is the key to failure...

How reliable are DJI drones? Depending on how they're handled, they are possibly THE most mechanically reliable drones currently being manufactured. Yes, the gimbal and camera are the Achilles heel, but this is true for every other camera drone as well. Hard knocks and mishandling will still cause failures and problems, but nowhere near as much as there used to occur.
To be fair, I've never had, or used care/refresh or repair insurance, any problems, part replacement or repairs are handled DIY.... except for cameras and gimbals, which are now a royal pain in the nuts for the casual user to replace.
If you're in the UAE: then you have a number of factors conspiring against you.... the authorities notwithstanding, so finding a certified DJI repair service within the relative geographic vicinity may well be next to impossible, so it's inevitable that some enterprising individual who has some degree of skill handling busted electronic devices, but hasn't necessarily got the specific skill or experience handling drones will have a crack at putting your bent drone back in working trim. But there's no point blaming the drone manufacturer for making a delicate flying camera less than bulletproof.

 

[Cafguy]

the DJI repair costs half the price of a NEW drone besides he highly recommended me to go with their own fix saying most customers choose that and promised excellent results,

DJI would have sent you a refurb (as good as a brand new drone) for half price!
If my business was repairing drones I would highly recommend my service against DJI's as well.

not even sure if he actually gave me a NEW gimbal coz the one he installed got 1-3 minor scratches or blemishes

He gave you a used gimbal.

n his defense he said maybe you touched the gimbal while it was working,

gimbals are very sensative but unless you pinched it and held it tight while it initiated you wont damage it!

i cant understand why the gimbal is giving motor error + till now it wont even calibrate.

Most likely the calibration was done incorrectly. or you got a bad gimbal.

is there is a software from dji to calibrate ? or just through the dji app ?

NO you will need to calibrate the gimbal with Python just as your repair person attempted to do.

i miss the mavic pro where you could have the gimbal cover on while flying (despite the low quality and poor ventilation, but am just saying is it really IMPOSSIBLE to protect the camera/gimbal while flying ?

I have 3 Mavic pros none of them will let me keep the cover on they will usually overload if I forget the cover.

is it really IMPOSSIBLE to protect the camera/gimbal while flying ?

to a point YES that is a fragile piece of equipment- You need to fly the drone with that in mind!

what if it falls again and gives motor error, how the heck to fix it ? is it always necessary a hardware thing ?

Send it to DJI- PAY the quote- Recieve a NEW Drone! NO it can be software BUT if you crash it yes its a hardware thing!

lso the shop exposed to me a piece of info when i suggested i would buy a mini 4 pro he said DONT they had several customers who crashed the mini 4 pro and despite being dji certified technicians they couldnt CALIBRATE IT and had to send it to Hong Kong which usually takes around 45 days to fix if not longer,

Sounds like he is using scrap parts. DJI certified repair centers dont do that! He doesnt want to pay the fee it takes to get the used gimbals to work ( you need the RepairTool software emulator). there are services online that charge a per use fee of 100 bucks for this.
If you can afford the purchase the mini 4 would be an excellent addition to any Drone fleet. If he is DJI certified he gets this service from them so thats a red flag. DJI will do this for you it takes around 7 days or so turn around time.

and are you guys having your drones operating with flying colors really or do those problems appear randomly even if not dropped or crashed ?

Nothing that wasnt update related and easily fixable.
DJI is not like the local car dealership that charges high prices for service they are actually quite reasonable
Your best bet for gimbal repairs is to send it to DJI this way you are getting a new part with a warranty.
ONE more note: IF you DROP or crash your Drone - IT WILL BREAK.
If this person is an authorized DJI service center they themselfs would not have attempted the fix-They would have sent it for replacement. A DJI authorized Repair center will usually only physically work on Enterprise model Drones
ALL the rest go to the factory.

 

[Meta4]

in the evening and the the obstacle avoidance wasn't working + i was going back and ended up hitting a tree ! then the gimbal started acting up

If you are relying on obstacle avoidance to prevent damage, you are asking for trouble.
And since your OA can't work in the dark, that crash is down to the way you are flying.

Flying close to obstacles is risky and requires extra care.
Better still keeping away from obstacles is the most effective obstacle avoidance.
When there's nothing to hit, it's very hard to get into trouble.

DJI drones are extremely reliable.
Much more reliable than many drone flyers.

 

[jojonono]

You might look into non-dji insurance. I have DJI care for all my drones but I also have a State Farm insurance for some of them cause it's cheap, like under 100bucks a year. My drones aren't part of a business, I'm just a wealthy retired high school teacher... wait...never mind.

am retired but not wealthy lol,

am not sure what is a state farm insurance,

when i was trying to establish a drone business here in the freekin UAE i had to insure the drone and pay 300$/year

anyways, we dont have DJI care

drone sent back to the DJI shop and he is the only one in hte UAE and highly reputed as per google maps review

and ill wait to see what solution he propose

i think the major problem happened to my air 2s due to crashing
not sure what i should do to GUARANTEED never crashing the drone again

wish the dji products had Ultra Sonic sensors instead of the stupid camera sensors which dont work in low light...

 

[jojonono]

How reliable are DJI drones? Depending on how they're handled, they are possibly THE most mechanically reliable drones currently being manufactured. Yes, the gimbal and camera are the Achilles heel, but this is true for every other camera drone as well. Hard knocks and mishandling will still cause failures and problems, but nowhere near as much as there used to occur.
To be fair, I've never had, or used care/refresh or repair insurance, any problems, part replacement or repairs are handled DIY.... except for cameras and gimbals, which are now a royal pain in the nuts for the casual user to replace.
If you're in the UAE: then you have a number of factors conspiring against you.... the authorities notwithstanding, so finding a certified DJI repair service within the relative geographic vicinity may well be next to impossible, so it's inevitable that some enterprising individual who has some degree of skill handling busted electronic devices, but hasn't necessarily got the specific skill or experience handling drones will have a crack at putting your bent drone back in working trim. But there's no point blaming the drone manufacturer for making a delicate flying camera less than bulletproof.

i too reached this conclusion that the camera and gimbal are the weak spot of every drone,

how do i mitigate crashing them for god sakes ?

i will have a second hand help from now on to minotor the drone while flying and warn me if it is about to crash into something

both crashes were in low light situations were the sensors didnt work well

i have a side question though, mmm...

the other day someone had the mavic 2 pro, his obstacle avoidance sensors managed to pick an obstacle 2meters away in extremely dark outdoors shoot, i was really surprised !

so i was wondering are the mavic 2 and mavic 3 pro sensors more reliable at night ??...

its either that or i will have to hook up extremely powerful lights when flying at night on my drones for the sensors to prevent crashes at night !...

thank you,