RC Car Cleaning Tips

KB151

Updated 2023-10-13 by Simon

Introduction

In this hobby, the weather conditions aren’t always the best, and your car will become dirty, so knowing how to effectively clean afterwards is imperative.

Therefore, it is good to make a habit of cleaning the car quickly after changing the battery and more thoroughly before storing it after finishing using it. This way, you will ensure the durability of the mechanical parts simply by keeping them clean.

Dirt binds moisture, which will increase the rate of rusting of the metallic parts and works as an abrasive, especially between the plastic parts wearing away the parts significantly more than normally.

How To Clean Your Car

How you clean your car can depend on whether the car is nitro or electric, and if the is waterproof.

When cleaning the car, a brush is the only thing you need to get the loose dirt off.

After driving in a dusty environment, compressed air is a quick and easy way to clean the car, but this is not something you may have access to.

If the car is waterproof, straight after use before the dirt has had time to dry, a garden hose will work to rinse the dirt off.

Do not use a pressure washer, as the force of the water can damage the electrical components.

General Cleaning Tips

It is good to clean the car right after use, when the dirt is fresh and will come off with ease.

Damp clay/mud is difficult to get off the plastic parts once it has dried on.

After driving, the first thing you always do is switch off the power and take off the battery. After this, you use a brush to remove any loose dirt.

If the dirt is stubborn, you can use a cloth dampened with a cleansing agent like Muc-off, or a solvent cleaner like Nitro Blaster to rub it off.

By using a cloth, the dirt is absorbed, which keeps the working area clean.

For easier cleaning with off-road cars, it’s good to take the tyres and the rear wing off, making cleaning the suspension components significantly easier.

After cleaning, it is good to check the condition of the bearings, especially if you’ve been driving in wet/damp.

You should oil the bearings with an appropriate type of oil to protect the bearings against rusting in the future. Something like GT85 would be perfect for this, as it has PTFE.

If, or when, you come to store the car for some time (Over winter for example), it’s good to clean the car thoroughly before. You can do this by removing the electronic components for better access when cleaning, an old tooth-brush, or paintbrush is fantastic for getting into all of the hard-to-reach places

Summary

After cleaning it is important to remember to dry and when necessary, oil the hinge pins and the bare metal surfaces with GT85/WD40 for example. The joints of the driving shafts can be greased with graphite grease or a lubricant that is meant for joints. When greasing the bearings, it’s good to use oil that’s meant for the bearings.

A well-cleaned and serviced car is much nicer to use when a new season starts or when moving indoors. It’s important to remember that the durability of a serviced and cleaned car is much better than a car that hasn’t been serviced and cleaned. The functioning of the suspension and drivetrain of a car that is kept clean and serviced is much smoother and thus the cleaning affects the overall performance of the car.