Common Problems Found On New Cars Many of the problems are masked by the presence of magnets. A car is best "debugged" without the magnets. Test a car extensively without the magnet to find and fix the problem and then if you want put them back in. The car will not only be faster but will drive more smootly and consistently.
OK This is a work in progress!
Fat Guides: This is a common enough problem. A symptom of it is course the car won't move forward, but that is an extreme case. The usual thing is that a guide will stick slightly and the car will wiggle under acceleration. The fix is simple, narrow the guide. The guide is remove and a file is taken to the guide and it is narrowed until it fits. The problem here is that guides are made out of tough material and you may have to file while you watch TV. I put the guide on a belt sander and it is down in no time. Always hold the guide with pliers unless you want to sand skin.
Lousy Tires: There are two causes of this; old age and lousy design. Solution: replace the tires with new ones or a better brand. Hard tires that offer no traction are OK at the front as the guide does the lion's share of the work.
Lumpy Wheels (Out of Round): A drill press works really well to fix this, but a dremel tool is OK. Put the wheel on a spare axle and put the axle in the Jacob's chuck of the drill press and get the wheel spinning at a moderate speed. Hold a sanding block to the wheel and slowly remove the high areas.
Lumpy Tires. Replace them or sand them. Click here for a great article by Harry Wise on the art of sanding tires.
Axle Slop:
Lubrication:
Braids
Loose Wheels
Lift
Loose Engine: Click here for an article I wrote for Cincy Slots. Scroll down the page and click on helpful hints. It is near the bottom of that section.
Guarantee: All fixes are guaranteed not to work. If they do work and you don't like it, send the car to me with return postage and I will fix it so it will never work! What you send will be obliterated beyond recognition. ;-)