Notorious First day with an RC

[abh16]

Prepping for my first rc by reading manual and this forum. Confused as to first day things to check. The manual doesn't mention much before the first run but I'm getting the impression from many threads that I should be doing a large amount of checking and tightening and tuning the trims and pairing this with that and to tell you the truth it's overwhelming. Can someone please layout a simple list of what to do on someone's first day with a new RC?

 

[Mazin]

Most here break it completely down and check
Differential Fluid levels
Shock fluid levels
Add blue loctite to screws where metal meets metal
Reassemble and tighten just enough to not strip where metal screws meet plastic.


I personally tighten everything and run a few packs through it because I'm impatient with new toys.....then break it all down.
I'm sure I'm missing stuff but that is the general idea of it

 

[Radiocontrolsoul]

I would drive it easy and learn the car how it drives etc. Have fun, check screws after the run. Gotta ease into all the maintenance, when just starting I wouldn't recommend tearing the whole rig apart

 

[SrC]

Good question and a tall order to list.
These rigs are not truly "ready to run". Can you run it out the box? Yes.
But then you will find yourself frustrated replacing the diffs very early on for starters.
I'll give a short list here off the top of my head.
I rebuild every single new 6s Arrma rig I get out the box.
You will need diff oil. Buy it now. You will be using it for this hobby anyway. Every 15-20 runs you will be checking and replacing diff oil anyway. Stock oil is way too thin.
Suggest 60k front/500k/center/30k rear.
Set your Steering End points. Don't rely on the Factory setup. Factory assembles these super fast during production. Many have had bad results. Confirm the Steering servo endpoints setup yourself. Manual in hand. Many videos available. Or you can break the servo sooner than later if it is not correct
Setup the wheel alignment and shock droop settings. Many threads here on AF in regards as well as Videos out there.
Remove and reinstall all four wheels. Making sure the wheel nut threads are not cross threaded or "Overly tightened". ( Common Factory mistakes).
Make sur ethe tires are glued properly to the wheels. tug on the bead and use Tire CA to address.
Vent the tires at the center tread. (2) 1/8" holes, 180 degrees apart.. Tape off the factory vents at the inner wheels..
Get yourself a good set of Hex drivers. I use MIP drivers. Not cheap but will spare your fasteners from stripping. Don't use the "L" wrenches at all!!
Make sure the motors pinion gear is meshed well ((Properly) to the Spur gear. Again videos will help greatly.
I am sure others will have more tips to offer.
Basically you are making sure all screws are tight etc. but don;t strip any.
You need to trust your own wrenching. The factory is known for horrible assy. Is what it is. All RTR's any brand of RC.
Failing to do the above, and you will find issues very early on, needing replacement parts that would have otherwise been fine. that could have been prevented most of the time.
Make sure you Calibrate the ESC to the Radio. Again Manual in hand.
I can take several days to setup my RTR's when new. Don't be in a hurry to drive it. The impulse to drive it as is out the box will hurt you down the road sooner than you think.
Doing the above will help you learn your rig first before you learn to drive it.
Have Blue Thread locker on hand for all Metal to metal fasteners.
Start reading up on Lipo care and feeding IF you are not familiar with them. Very important. Safety first.
Good luck.

 

[Crunchy Gears]

Watch a couple YouTube vids on how to shim the v5 diffs and just check to make sure yours are how they should be. While you're in there make sure the factory actually put fluid in there.

Tape the vent hole in your wheels if there is one, and put a vent hole in your tires if there isn't. Gently pull the Tires away from the rim see if they come off, if they do super glue them on so they don't fly into pieces when you grab the throttle. Tires are expensive and 5 minutes of prep will save you $$$.

Run a screw driver at the least through all the screws under the chassis make sure they are tight.

Tbh I skipped the diffs until after the first run and the rest will take you less than 15minutes to do. I made out fine but lots of people don't.

But if you tear it down and do your own quality check, you'll know for a fact your ready to go, if you have the patience it's worth it to go through the whole thing.

 

[SrC]

Never neglect the diffs out the bx. Every one usually has failed very early on. Sometimes from bad factory assy, not properly shimmed etc not just from being too thin oil and underfilled. Diffs don't come cheap. And if you wrench the rig before the first run, you will/may find defects that can be more easily addressed with the Arrma 2 year warranty. Better to address this before you run it. Or you will be scratching your head wondering if you caused the issue. Telling Arrma that the rig is unused yet has stripped screws, little to no oil etc. damaged parts form over tightening etc. is best,
Trust me. Been there. My Lim was a nightmare. Sat on my bench for 5 months waiting for Arrma to send me over $300. in damaged parts.
A child probably built it. I honestly believe that. Poor China labor is pretty much apparent these days. Nothing new.
Wrenching is 80% of this hobby. Driving is 20%. If you ignore the wrenching aspect, you will end up driving much less.
Breaking parts is normal. Be prepared for this as you learn to drive better.
I am a kit builder at heart, so every rig I get gets my blessing before I run it.
I tear it down out the gate. Rarely have any issues now.
Just replacing parts that normally wear out and parts I break from driver error.
Read over the manual very well. Don't lose it and just wing it without the manual in hand.
Read it until you understand it. Read it several times, before wrenching. Watch videos and take pictures during disassembly.

 

[TheBadazz]

You guys are brutal. When its your first day running a RC, wrenching isn't what a noob can do. Yes diffs are a problem, but most ppl wont blow them out, first run. Yes get the proper tools and check screws. Start off 4s if possible. Learn the truck. No standing backflips and other crazy stunts. Don't hold throttle wide open for long periods of time. Be mindful that this rc can be dangerous if around people.
Also turn own the transmitter first and then the car.

Watch videos on battery care. How to fill diffs, how to gear mesh, how to adjust end points for steering.

 

[Stokt]

My Kraton is my first RC in about 15 years so I consider myself a newb. I didn't increase the weight of my diff fluids right away. I just made sure they were topped off with stock weight fluids. I did this so I could learn how it drives with the "too light" fluids and then be able to appreciate and understand the difference the heavier weight fluids make. Just something to consider.

Also, when you do start breaking the whole truck down, make sure you have a system to keep track of what screws go where. I group them by assembly and put them into small ziploc bags and label what part of the truck they are for. Reassembly will be much easier.

 

[SrC]

Best to teach newbs first, the correct way.
Especially when they asked.
My trials and tribulations can always help a new guy out. Making less mistakes than I did.
Learning Wrenching is more important than driving. Wrenching is 80% of the game with RC.
Why wait for the first or second run to brick the DIff. Then take it apart only to find it bricked because it was not shimmed right and/or filled.
I felt like an idiot 6 years ago when I neglected to look over my very first Arrma 6s OC, supposedly "Ready To Run". NOT! (My first RTR rig) And was not a newb. Just a newb to RTR's. Always built kits. I was just too trusting into the RTR thing.
The center diff melted. Low on oil. Diffs don't come cheap. Why have to buy another after only 2 runs, only because of Bad Factory QC.
That is just frustrating to a newb.

 

[Crunchy Gears]

At the end of the day they're just big toys, we're steering you towards the side of caution because we're counting on worst case scenarios.

First timers often get frustrated when they take their awesome car out for a rip and it has issues out of the box.

You very well might not have ANY issues. I'd at least do the tires and tighten the screws on the bottom while you wait for your batteries to charge.

If your diffs crap the bed on the first pack, they're ~$30 a pop on Jennys and you can fix em the "right way" then

 

[KnowAir]

Most here break it completely down and check
Differential Fluid levels
Shock fluid levels
Add blue loctite to screws where metal meets metal
Reassemble and tighten just enough to not strip where metal screws meet plastic.


I personally tighten everything and run a few packs through it because I'm impatient with new toys.....then break it all down.
I'm sure I'm missing stuff but that is the general idea of it

This is my routine as well. A quick once over and send it.

Good question and a tall order to list.
These rigs are not truly "ready to run". Can you run it out the box? Yes.
But then you will find yourself frustrated replacing the diffs very early on for starters.
I'll give a short list here off the top of my head.
I rebuild every single new 6s Arrma rig I get out the box.
You will need diff oil. Buy it now. You will be using it for this hobby anyway. Every 15-20 runs you will be checking and replacing diff oil anyway. Stock oil is way too thin.
Suggest 60k front/500k/center/30k rear.
Set your Steering End points. Don't rely on the Factory setup. Factory assembles these super fast during production. Many have had bad results. Confirm the Steering servo endpoints setup yourself. Manual in hand. Many videos available. Or you can break the servo sooner than later if it is not correct
Setup the wheel alignment and shock droop settings. Many threads here on AF in regards as well as Videos out there.
Remove and reinstall all four wheels. Making sure the wheel nut threads are not cross threaded or "Overly tightened". ( Common Factory mistakes).
Make sur ethe tires are glued properly to the wheels. tug on the bead and use Tire CA to address.
Vent the tires at the center tread. (2) 1/8" holes, 180 degrees apart.. Tape off the factory vents at the inner wheels..
Get yourself a good set of Hex drivers. I use MIP drivers. Not cheap but will spare your fasteners from stripping. Don't use the "L" wrenches at all!!
Make sure the motors pinion gear is meshed well ((Properly) to the Spur gear. Again videos will help greatly.
I am sure others will have more tips to offer.
Basically you are making sure all screws are tight etc. but don;t strip any.
You need to trust your own wrenching. The factory is known for horrible assy. Is what it is. All RTR's any brand of RC.
Failing to do the above, and you will find issues very early on, needing replacement parts that would have otherwise been fine. that could have been prevented most of the time.
Make sure you Calibrate the ESC to the Radio. Again Manual in hand.
I can take several days to setup my RTR's when new. Don't be in a hurry to drive it. The impulse to drive it as is out the box will hurt you down the road sooner than you think.
Doing the above will help you learn your rig first before you learn to drive it.
Have Blue Thread locker on hand for all Metal to metal fasteners.
Start reading up on Lipo care and feeding IF you are not familiar with them. Very important. Safety first.
Good luck.

Uh, that's the "short" list!?

Prepping for my first rc by reading manual and this forum. Confused as to first day things to check. The manual doesn't mention much before the first run but I'm getting the impression from many threads that I should be doing a large amount of checking and tightening and tuning the trims and pairing this with that and to tell you the truth it's overwhelming. Can someone please layout a simple list of what to do on someone's first day with a new RC?

Congrats! Hope you enjoy!!

 

[TL01magic]

Prepping for my first rc by reading manual and this forum. Confused as to first day things to check. The manual doesn't mention much before the first run but I'm getting the impression from many threads that I should be doing a large amount of checking and tightening and tuning the trims and pairing this with that and to tell you the truth it's overwhelming. Can someone please layout a simple list of what to do on someone's first day with a new RC?

peeps saying tear down and rebuild; then you'll be sure all is well (or not)

Am thinking if you do not do that "naturally"; wanting to tear down / rebuild AND have no prior experience...well.....I think their advice is actually; look for anything obvious like loose screws / loose motor ect.

less that, imo best advice for first run is be VERY certain of the area you are running in; know the obstacles and things that can cause crash.

also, I suggest every five min or so of running it check out for obvious stuff; heat, odd drive train issues ect.

likely not possible but take it easy bashing it, "push it" here and there, become familiar with the "abuse" it can take.

That's my first day with RC advice; drive easy (don't break new toy!) push here and there, slowly become familiar with RC. Be aware of area driving in to prevent crashing into something that would end fun early.

oh and batts, it'll come out naturally eventually but paymind that how you treat your batteries determines their useful life. rarely do I use a pack down to 3.7v no load. usually about 3.75v.


Oh and note the difference between the manual and the Arrma threads is passion mostly lol

VAST majority buy the rtr and run it right out the box...honestly what consumer wouldn't when it's "RTR" and warrantied. The extra mile advice on the forum is from peeps who are passionate about RC....i disassemble / rebuild my mojave every couple runs lol...my wrench time to drive time is like 5:1 and that's what I enjoy

some peeps run it, hose it off and toss in shed / garage until next time.


So if you're the type to read manuals in advance of using the RC, are checking forum ect for additional advice, I think you'll be most happy if you treat your new RC kindly at the start...being careful not to cause damage via driving it (like into rock / wall / blackhole ect) ...easing into evermore aggressive bashing as you see fit / enjoy / are able to control well.

Arrma makes awesome RC's and are perfect imo for the first time surface rc users. Platforms and 3rd party parts are good enough to build up on or just leave as is.


Oh and lettuce know how the first run(s) went!

 

[~Kaos911~]

Everything that has been mentioned is to help you enjoy your new rig, not to discourage you in anyway. My first RC in 35+ years (first ever hobby grade) was my Big Rock. After doing all the recommended service to it out of the box, I over looked the wheel nuts and lost one. That was not my biggest issue! I put in my 3s battery and took it out to the parking lot of our apartment complex for a shakedown run. Didn't turn down the power to 50% and quickly realized that this thing was fast and more than I could control without practice. Point is to take your RC out where you can run it and get a feel for its ability, start out with 50% throttle then work your way to up 100%.
I had to do the same thing with my Mojave. Even though I test drove it on 6s on a track, I took it to a local park and ran it on 3s because it was completely different from my BR.

Take your time, learn about your vehicle, and you will have a better time bashing! This group is amazing for its knowledge, never hesitate to ask questions and always show pics especially if a tree or curb gets you. LOL Seriously, though pictures of issues or videos are better, can help narrow down vague questions.

 

[FlipSide]

Everything has been covered already.

To the OP, don't be discouraged. If this is your first RC, it is probably not realistic to do a super exhaustive check-up/rebuild before driving it. Learning to wrench on the RC will take a little while. It is 100% true that many experienced RC enthusiasts will do all of this this before running a new RC, but not all of them. For newcomers, it is probably better to do the minimum at first, start-off easy on the throttle and jumps for the first few packs and repair parts as you break them. Between driving sessions, learn to wrench on the car one project at a time (Youtube and ArrmaForum will be very helpful). Don't worry...it's intimidating at first, but it doesn't take a long time before you "get it" and you are able to wrench without any help,

My suggestion:
Mandatory before the first drive:
- Calibrate the ESC and adjust the servo travel endpoint
- Check the gear mesh
- Do a complete bolt-check, to make sure all screws are fully threaded in

For the first few packs:
- Go easy on the throttle and on jumps.
- Pay special attention on your tires and re-glue as needed
- Check that all bearing are spinning smoothly
- Top-off your diffs with diff fluid. This will be a good occasion to shim the diffs in the diff case, if needed.
- Learn how to properly adjust the pillow-ball retainers (they always back-off)
- Etc (See @SrC list)

Alternatively, do like many (most?) newcomers are doing: Just send it like crazy out of the box! You will break tons of stuff, which will force you to learn how to wrench on your rig in order to repair it. In the end, you will end up with the same car and the same knowledge, but you will have wasted money in the process...and probably have to endure the frustration of getting a very short driving session due to an early and often preventable breakage. It sucks, but it happens.

Another thing: For many (myself included), wrenching is the best part. Get good tools and organize a nice work space, if possible. If you ever get frustrated in the wrenching, take a break, ask questions here and watch youtube video tutorials. Have fun!

 

[KnowAir]

To clarify, I did say send it after a checkover, but I didn't mean "send it"
The key is to take time and learn the rig by using it and checking things over as you go..most importantly, it's supposed to be fun so don't stress it too much

 

[Adiabatic]

If this is your first R/C I don't recommend doing extensive disassembly unless you're very mechanically inclined. I used to know a hobby shop owner who commented on the number of customers bringing in new RTR cars for repairs after they're rendered less RTR by a novice attempting to do a bunch of preemptive maintenance they read about 'on the internet'. The other basic stuff people have mentioned here like checking screws for tightness, checking the gear mesh and setting steering end points is worth doing and hard to mess up.

 

[Smilinbri]

Yea, what they said! Lol

 

[Sandracer_NL]

Hopefully this thread hasn’t scared him away.
First of all welcome.
All good information here.
Check if your steering endpoints are correct (EPA= End Point Adjustments) to make sure your servo isn’t ’overstretching’ (Otherwise your servo will die quickly). Then go out and have fun and try to start easy and get used to the speed and the handling.

After that (or a few runs) read this thread and try to do some other stuff mentioned here. It’s better to do it upfront, but it be overwhelming and you’ll be doing it with your next car(s).
Watch youtube of diff maintenance and other things. They look intimidating, but they are easier than you think.
Now go out and have fun.

 

[Woodentop]

It's a shame that we have to do this with such an expensive product.

You would think qc would be well sorted this far down the line. This is exactly why as I've progressed in the hobby I enjoy wrenching more than driving.

Also whilst more expensive than an rtr I prefer to build from scratch, to my spec, so I know what I'm getting out of the gate. Unless it's a roller or a stonking good deal I'll build my own.

 

[TL01magic]

It's a shame that we have to do this with such an expensive product.

You would think qc would be well sorted this far down the line. This is exactly why as I've progressed in the hobby I enjoy wrenching more than driving.

Also whilst more expensive than an rtr I prefer to build from scratch, to my spec, so I know what I'm getting out of the gate. Unless it's a roller or a stonking good deal I'll build my own.

just my opinion of course,

imo the weird part is no offering of a very well buttoned up rtr; absolutely would be a much higher price point. but imagine there is enough money out there that would support it.

TC racing rc is very mature products of course, and 1/10 scale sedan kits are very $$. those RCs have a very easy life compared to the madness we subject arrma bashers too lol

I imagine it'd be 2-3 times the current price for legitimately RTR - mad bashing level for the 6s and up.

The way you do it is probably best value and by a lot. Also for those that prefer to wrench, is a funner more satisfying experience...just the upfront cost...and there is example of rtr price point.

maybe tesla robots can assemble rc cars oh, that's right those robot maintenance cost would be far greater than the standard of living provided to the children who currently assemble our RCs :/ .......for hobbiests that many would prefer to assemble themselves. but yea such an "expensive" toy