Cleaning your RC car is very important. Every RC car is a little different in its cleaning method, but here are some basics.

WATER Most RC cars are water-resistant, some even being waterproof, make sure to check your RC car for its water rating. If it is water-resistant or waterproof, it can be rinsed off with a low-pressure garden hose, shower head, sink, or just about anything that releases water at a gentle pressure.

WINDOW CLEANER You can use window cleaner on your shell or body. It will typically bring back the original shine of the body. Any window cleaner will work but we recommend liquid ones, not the foaming type.

PRESSURED AIR A can of pressured air definitely comes in handy when cleaning RC cars, it can be used to clean the heat-sync for the motor or ESC. It can also be used to push stubborn dust, dirt, and grime off of the RC vehicle. This and a brush could be all you need for minor cleanings, or if the vehicle has no water resistance.

ALL-PURPOSE CLEANER To get some of the stubborn or old dirt and dust off your vehicle we recommend an All-Purpose cleaner. Again, you must confirm your vehicle's water-resistant or waterproof rating before using a product like this. Typically just spraying this in a lot of the dirty parts of the vehicle and then agitating it with a brush, and then rinsing it with water one or two times will get the vehicle looking clean again. There are lots of cleaners on the market, but our highest recommendation would be Simple Green, you can usually find it at department stores and auto part stores.

BRUSHES Brushes are definitely going to be needed while cleaning your vehicle, they will help you get into those hard-to-reach places and help agitate whatever cleaning product you're using if any. An old toothbrush would also suffice.

Remember to dry your vehicle well with pressured air or a towel, leaving water on the vehicle to dry can cause rust to form. It is also helpful to lubricate parts after cleaning to prevent rust and to make sure it is ready to go for the next run.

There are lots of videos on YouTube and forums all over the web for more specific cleaning methods, we recommend checking those out for a more vehicle-specific cleaning method.

Rebuilding your parts is a big part of keeping your RC car running in tip-top shape. We're going to go over when and why you should be rebuilding your parts. When rebuilding, we don't mean giving it new components, we mean taking it apart, cleaning it, lubricating it, and then putting it back together.

DIFFERENTIALS These should be rebuilt around every 10-40 runs. It really depends on how hard it is driven and what the vehicle goes through during runs.

SHOCKS These should be rebuilt about every 10 runs, these also vary on how hard the vehicle is driven and what terrain the vehicle is on. Dirt will make its way onto the shaft and into the cylinder, eating away at seals and not letting the oil do its job.

AXLES Some axles are solid designs, those obviously don't need to be rebuilt, but the plastic, especially spring-loaded easily removable axles need to be rebuilt often every 5-10 runs. The axle sends power to the wheel and is typically spinning fast, dirt getting in there will eat away at bearings and seals.

DRIVESHAFTS Some differentials are solid designs, those obviously don't need to be rebuilt, but the plastic, especially spring-loaded easily removable differentials need to be rebuilt often every 5-10 runs. For exposed driveshafts especially, dirt can enter the spring-loaded area and eat away at seals, shortening the lifespan of the driveshaft.

Some RC enthusiasts will ignore all these rebuilds and rather replace parts often, this also works but is not as budget-friendly.

If the vehicle rarely sees dirt and is mostly operated on pavement, a lot of these recommendations can be ignored, or timeframes can be extended. It is still always recommended to check on parts and make sure everything is working properly.

Replacing parts will be needed for RC cars as they wear out. Following the recommendations above can help extend their lifespan, but regardless parts will need replacing eventually.

Most parts on the RC car just need to be replaced as needed, every vehicle is a little different. It is a good practice to check on the vehicle after a run and make sure all the parts are secured and functioning properly.

We're going to go over common "wear items" and how to tell they need replacing.

WHEEL BEARINGS These are not extremely common, typically needing changing every 100+ runs. Usual signs of a bad wheel bearing would be a wobbly wheel, obvious wheel bearing damage, or not having the ability to align the vehicle.

MOTORS These are not that common either, most brushed motors lasting 25-75 runs, and brushless lasting over 150 runs. For brushed motors is typically pretty easy to detect a bad motor because they will begin to make a loud scratchy noise or just completely cease operation. For brushless motors, they will typically begin to whine as they start rotating, and become weaker and braking power is usually reduced greatly.

TIRES These may or may not be common, it really depends on the type of tire you're using and what surface the tire is on for the majority of the time. Tires could last anywhere from 1 to 200+ runs. They typically need to be replaced if the belting is beginning to show, if there is a dip in the tire, or if traction and/or performance has been reduced.

SHOCKS These can vary a lot from when they need to be replaced. Most shocks are replaced in pieces and not as an entire unit. Some may only need the spring replaced, some the cylinder, and some just need new seals. You can typically tell a shock needs replaced if it sounds scratchy when compressed. compresses slower than other shocks, or doesn't compress at all.

Most parts that don't move, like control arms, sway bars, etc. only need to be replaced when they are broken or have become weak.