One of the most popular equipment, finding its vast applications and demand in the market are drones. While it is really easier to customize drones suitable for one’s requirements, it is equally difficult when it comes to their repair work. There are times when one goes through the lanes of doubts comprehending what went wrong. It can be anything related to firmware malfunction, communication loss, some really small wire in the system that got broken, or well the most common error of all partially occurring pilot error that ends up crashing the drone. Such situations leave you pondering about the insurance cost was worth spending money or not. When a drone crashes it is recommended, to first retrieve your drone, irrespective of its warranty period. As a drone operator or owner, it important for him/her to be aware of common problems associated with them, and if they are beyond finding solutions, it is better to report your drone to available service centers.
Drones do not require periodic maintenance but there might be a need of changing a spare part. Apparently, many people have a misbelief that the cost of getting a new drone is better than repairing the old one. Many people want to avoid the process of going through finding a service center or even finding the appropriate cost of its spare parts available in the market. It is important to analyze the total cost of repair work, as well as the individual cost of spare parts that might be obstructing the drone’s flight. Provided drones are an emerging, highly advanced technical field, one should know what one is getting into. This article will help you determine the cost of repair works, and the steps followed for repairing a drone.
Basic Drone Repair
For any person or organization owning drones, one of the most common mishaps is crashing a drone. Many times even the presence of the most stable flight controllers and advanced obstacle avoidance sensors fail to avoid the crash. Where the intensity of damage can vary from minor ones to few severe ones. In minor cases, the damage involved is repairable by the owner. Where one can easily investigate the reason for failures, and end up concluding that replacement of spare parts would make one’s drone fly again. The most common causes of basic drone repair are propeller replacement and motor replacement. The cost for a small drone’s propeller repair starts from 3$ and goes up to 50$ and beyond depending on the size and quantity of propellers. While motors cost varies from 15$ to 100$ and beyond depending upon the RPM, and thrust requirement of motors. And for the branded drones repair cost and original parts’ cost one can visit the manufacturer’s website and order a set of propellers and motors.
Warranty Repair Process for Drones
In many instances, while purchasing a drone the manufacturers offer warranty repairs that definitely would not burden your pockets. And if you are in luck, you might be offered free warranty repair services. Now, all of these warranty repair services are not applicable for any type of crash. Apparently, these services are offered for particular types of failures. For a manufacturer to identify whether the system failure is covered under warranty involves gathering complete information about system crash and its last flying conditions, and environment. The very first thing is to reach out to your manufacturer. Record and note all the details of your last flight, share all the available post-crash details after retrieving your drone. If you are able to retrieve any flight logs, do submit that as well. The repair cost in such cases varies from 0$ to depending on the cost of additional parts that were not covered in warranty repairs.
List of common repair cost for different DJI Drone models
Now at times when a part of your drone does not come under warranty repair services, what cost should you expect for repairing your drone and its different parts? As DJI and its different models are the most popular and available drones in the market, we have created the most frequent out-of-warranty repair costs of different parts. Please consider a note that these are standard costs offered by DJI. The local vendor might offer you a different cost, but these tables would definitely help you understand market prices and help you understand prices better. If you happen to have DJI Care Refresh, these prices might be marginally reduced to nil.
DJI Phantom 4 Parts and Repair Costs
| Component | Price / USD |
| Phantom 4 Pitch Motor | 12.00 |
| Phantom 4 Roll Motor | 13.00 |
| Phantom 4 Yaw Motor | 12.00 |
| Phantom 4 Pitch-axis Bracket | 9.00 |
| Phantom 4 Roll-axis Bracket | 6.00 |
| Phantom 4 Gimbal FPC Cable | 11.00 |
| Phantom 4 Lens (AU, CN, JP, KR, TW) | 69.00 |
| Phantom 4 Camera Main Board (AU, CN, JP, KR, TW) | 176.00 |
| Phantom 4 Top Cover | 6.00 |
| Phantom 4 Middle Cover | 8.00 |
| Phantom 4 Bottom Cover | 10.00 |
| Phantom 4 2312S Motor | 25.00 |
| Phantom 4 Left Landing Gear | 10.00 |
| Phantom 4 Right Landing Gear | 10.00 |
| Phantom 4 ESC Board 1 (Left) | 11.00 |
| Phantom 4 ESC Board 2 (Right) | 11.00 |
| Phantom 4 GPS Module | 45.00 |
| Phantom 4 Downward Vision_Left Module V2 | 10.00 |
| Phantom 4 Downward Vision_Right Module V2 | 10.00 |
| Phantom 4 Forward Vision_Right Module V2 | 10.00 |
| Phantom 4 Forward Vision_Left Module V3 | 10.00 |
| Phantom 4 Triple Plate | 189.00 |
| Phantom 4 Ultrasonic Module | 13.00 |
| Phantom 4 Main Controller | 69.00 |
| Phantom 4 RC Top Shell (Silk Print) | 17.00 |
| Phantom 4 RC Bottom Shell (Silk Print) | 12.00 |
| RC Main Board | 148.00 |
DJI Mavic Mini Parts and Repair Costs
| Component | Price / USD |
| Mavic Mini Intelligent Flight Battery (Non-Japanese Version) | 45.00 |
| Mavic Mini Intelligent Flight Battery (Japanese Version) | 45.00 |
| Mavic Mini Aircraft & Gimbal and Camera & Propellers(FCC) | 292.00 |
| Lower Cover Module | 4.00 |
| Upper Cover Module | 4.00 |
| Core Board Module (FCC) | 85.00 |
| Downward infrared sensing system module | 2.00 |
| Downward vision system module | 8.00 |
| Gimbal and Camera Module | 113.00 |
| Gimbal Axis Arm Module | 33.00 |
| Camera Module | 67.00 |
| Mavic Mini Aircraft & Gimbal and Camera & Propellers(CE) (Non-Japanese Version) | 292.00 |
| Core Board Module (CE) | 85.00 |
| Mavic Mini Aircraft & Gimbal and Camera & Propellers(CE) (Japanese Version) | 292.00 |
| Remote Controller Upper Cover Module | 2.00 |
| Remote Controller Lower Cover Module | 3.00 |
| Remote Controller Dial Module | 2.00 |
| Remote Controller Left Control Stick Module | 3.00 |
| Remote Controller Right Control Stick Module | 3.00 |
| Remote Controller Battery (Global Version) | 6.00 |
DJI Spark Parts and Repair Costs
These are one of the cheapest DJI products. They are cost-effective and affordable to repair.
| Component | Price / USD |
| 3D Sensor System | 36.00 |
| Aircraft Main Board | 162.00 |
| IMU | 9.00 |
| ESC Board | 6.00 |
| Vision System | 31.00 |
| Vision Camera Module | 10.00 |
| Middle Frame Semi-finished Product Module | 83.00 |
| LED Cover | 1.00 |
| Motor | 9.00 |
| Upper Aircraft Cover (White) | 4.00 |
| GPS | 14.00 |
| 4.7 Inch Quick-Release Folding Propeller Mounting Plate (CW/CCW) | 1.00 |
| 4.7 Inch Quick-Release Folding Propellers (CW/CCW) | 6.00 |
| LED Cover Mounts (Front Right and Rear Left) | 1.00 |
| Middle Frame (Excluding ESC and Motor) | 12.00 |
| Gimbal Coaxial Cable | 12.00 |
| Gimbal and Camera Module | 112.00 |
| Gimbal Coaxial Cable Cover Buckle | 1.00 |
| Gimbal Roll & Pitch Axis Module | 19.00 |
| Gimbal and Camera Rear Cover | 2.00 |
| Gimbal Vibration Absorbing Board (Metal) | 1.00 |
| Gimbal Vibration Absorbing Board (Plastic) | 1.00 |
| Camera Module | 67.00 |
| Remote Controller Main Board | 64.00 |
DJI Inspire 2 Parts and Repair Costs
The Inspire 2 is one of the most expensive DJI products and hence is also most expensive ones to repair.
| Component | Price / USD |
| Inspire 2 Roll-axis Arm+Pitch-axis Base | 19.00 |
| Inspire 2 Yaw-axis Arm+Roll-axis Base | 19.00 |
| Inspire 2 Yaw-axis Motor | 9.00 |
| Inspire 2 Pitch-axis Motor Rotor | 3.00 |
| Inspire 2 X3 Gimbal Camera | 272.00 |
| Inspire 2 X3 Gimbal Camera | 272.00 |
| Inspire 2 Camera Top Cover | 10.00 |
| Inspire 2 Camera Bottom Cover | 6.00 |
| Inspire 2 Bottom Shell | 5.00 |
| Inspire 2 Airframe Tag | 5.00 |
| Inspire 2 Aircraft Nose Cover | 3.00 |
| Inspire 2 Airframe Top Shell | 5.00 |
| Inspire 2 3510 Motor CCW | 25.00 |
| Inspire 2 3510 Motor CW | 25.00 |
| ESC Board | 18.00 |
| Inspire 2 Landing Gear Kit | 13.00 |
| Inspire 2 Left Arm Kit (Plaid) | 80.00 |
| Inspire 2 Right Arm Kit (Plaid) | 80.00 |
| Inspire 2 Sweepback Right External Arm (Plaid) | 33.00 |
| Inspire 2 Sweepback Left External Arm (Plaid) | 33.00 |
| Inspire 2 Sweepback Main Arm Right (Plaid) | 15.00 |
| Inspire 2 Sweepback Main Arm Left (Plaid) | 15.00 |
| Inspire 2 Flight Controller Module | 273.00 |
| Inspire 2 Monocular Vision Positioning | 53.00 |
| Power Board | 20.00 |
| Inspire 2 Central Frame | 137.00 |
| Inspire 2 GPS Module | 45.00 |
| Inspire 2 1345S Quick Release Propeller Kit | 13.00 |
| RC Top Shell (Including Dial, Record, Shutter Button) | 154.00 |
| RC Bottom Shell | 62.00 |
| Inspire 2 RC Main Board | 253.00 |
Repair Service Fee
| Part | Hour(s) | Service Fee / USD |
| Battery | 0 | Free |
| Gimbal or Remote Controller | 1 | 65 |
| Aircraft | 2 (Phantom series) 3(Inspire series) |
130 195 |
Finding Customer Service Centers
The advantage of buying a drone from a company like DJI is that one can easily find their service center in one’s country. This definitely reduces shipping costs and shipping time. You can also avail of local repair services near you with a quick online search. You will have to insert information about the product you want to get repaired. DJI has commercialized services centers around the world claiming to exist in more than 100 countries. You can find the nearest service center to you by inputting your region, and country on its website.
Customer services repair process
The DJI services follow standard online service procedures which are also followed by most of the private service providers. After completion of the online process, DJI provides a shipping label for your drone. It covers the cost of shipping but it does not cover packaging costs. The average shipping time comprises a week, depending on your location. The process is as followed:
- Requesting Service: You will have to select your drone type, followed by a number of pages where one has to describe the damage, and conditions in which it occurred. A service case is generated automatically for your product.
- Shipping Your Product to center: You will receive details for shipping the product to your service center based on your region. If you opt for a non-service area, DJI might charge a shipping fee, tax, and any other fees. Whereas the private repair vendor may or may not offer service charges for international shipping.
- Assessment and Repair: The DJI Service Centre or private service center assesses your product and sends you a quotation.
- Cost and Payment: The repair work for your product begins after payment is made.
- Receiving Product: The DJI Service Centre or private service center sends the repaired or replacement of product to your address.
Time required for repair work for DJI Drones
The repair work in standard DJI service center takes about a month to ship it back to your location. The local service providers in your country might take less than that depending on your location. Approximately 5-8 business days are taken to repair a product after reaching the DJI service center. An estimate of 4 to 6 weeks takes place to complete the whole process. There are also possibilities of taking more days. In such cases you are notified through an email after each step of the service process is complete. We can check the repair progress by visiting the repair progress page or by contacting DJI Support.
Contact list of available drone repair centers
- Heliguy: https://www.heliguy.com/blogs/posts/tagged/drone-repair
Contact: Colena Ltd, Unit 9, Jupiter Court, Orion Business Park, North Shields, Tyne & Wear, NE29 7SE, United Kingdom
Email: info@heliguy.com
Telephone: 0191 296 1024
- Drdrone.ca: https://www.drdrone.ca/pages/contact-us
Contact: Dr Drone / The DJI Store, 250 Baker Drive Suite 146, Dartmouth NS B2W 6L4,
Telephone: 1-844-373-7663
Email: info@drdrone.ca
- Fortress UAV: https://www.fortressuav.com/request-repair-custom
Contact: 2200 10th Street, Suite 100, Plano, TX 75074
Telephone: (844) 851-2184
Contact: 1st Floor Phoenix House, 3 South Parade, Leeds, UK, LS1 5QX
Telephone: 0330 111 7177
Contact: (805) 480-4033
Live chat on their website
Email: services@coptrz.com
- Drone nerds: https://www.dronenerds.com/service/
Contact: Dronenerds.Com, 20614 Biscayne Blvd. Aventura, Fl 33180
Contact: 786-708-7807
It can be concluded from the above tables that the cost of certain components is expensive for a repair job. And these prices vary exponentially for technically equipped drones. Drones technology is still under development, and it is expected that the costs of the drones and their parts will decrease in the future as there might be scaled production of drones, and suppliers are able to recover their start-up costs. DJI’s services might be slower but they provide the most reliable and best available services in the market. Their services are systematic and easier to follow and so of some private service providers. Everything that needs repair can be found conveniently in DJI’s service center.
