Mini 3 swivel joint replacement

[Brutalwarpig]

Has anyone here had any experience replacing the front rotor arm pivot/swivel joint on a DJI Mini 3? My wife wanted to fly one of my drones. She hasn't flown a drone in the past so I spent plenty of time explaining everything I knew. We kept the drone in cinema mode, went to one of our large open fields etc. However she became disoriented between trying to keep the drone in her line of sight and looking at the screen and hit a small tree branch. The camera and gimbal were fine but the right rotor arm joint was broken. I thought I ordered an OEM replacement joint but once it arrived I realized it was an aftermarket part. It was a tight space to work but I was able to replace the joint and reassemble everything. The arm moves correctly and the drone seems to operate normally. However the pivot joint/rotor arm assembly is not as tight and precise as the other side. I realize this may just be a quality issue of an aftermarket part. Does anyone know any tricks or tips for this repair?

I'm very careful and particular with my drones and I purchased the 2 year care refresh plan. I'm debating just asking for a replacement drone. Has anyone gone through the replacement process with dji? Has anyone used the "Express" replacement service? Any advice is welcome and thank you in advance.

 

[BigManDan]

I don't know the process of replacing a rotor arm so please forgive me if this is a stupid suggestion...... Have you thought about using some sort of thin plastic bushing (washer) to tighten the joint? You might able to make something yourself out a milk jug or water bottle or whatever you have handy.

 

[Brutalwarpig]

Not a bad idea but I think I've discovered the problem. One of these pics is a screen shot of the arm joint/hinge the other pic is the same part after I installed it then removed it. As you can see the silver colored metal piece on the end has distorted into a "M" shape. The black base that has 3 mounting holes is the end that attaches to the drone body. The bent silver tab on the other end slides into a rectangular opening on the end of the rotor arm. Two screws are attached to the silver tab through two holes on opposite sides of the rotor arm. It appears this silver tab is just inferior metal and bent once I installed it causing the rotor arm to feel loose and not very secure. I used the original screws to re-attach the rotor arm to the pivot joint. The only other possibility I can think of is that I over tightened the screws which then protruded too far through the silver tab. So that when I rotated the rotor arm into position the tips of the screws contacted the corners of the square main shaft of the pivot joint which forced them out and away from the rotational axis of the pivot joint and bent the silver tab.
I believe I am going to spend the $39 deductible and make a claim on my DJI Care Refresh policy. DJI will simply send me a brand new Mini 3. I recommend to anyone who buys a new DJI drone to invest in the Care Refresh repair/replacement policy. I'm certainly glad I did.