Having to see your RC car all dirty is not a good feeling. But, you might be fearful of damaging the RC while cleaning it. If not done properly, you might end up with a broken RC. You definitely don’t want that!
Here’s the question. How to clean RC cars?
There are five stages of cleaning an RC. First, you have to remove the car’s body and wheels. Then you have to airbrush the parts with compressed air. The pressure should be around 100psi. Then brush the first down with a bristle brush. Finally, use some degreaser to wipe your RC clean!
It’s as easy as that! But there are a few cautionary aspects to the process. And we have them ready for you in this article.
Hope you’re willing to spend a little bit of your time on this. Shall we take a look? Here are the details for you-
Cleaning RC Cars: 5 Step Guideline
Before we get on with the process, let’s get you introduced to the tools. You will not need fancy tools or stuff like the ones used for removing paint from an RC. Most of the items you need may be actually lying around your home. You just need to gather them and you’re good to go!
Tools
Let’s see what you’ll need:
- Degreaser
- Microfibre towel
- Bristled brush
- Air compressor
- A blow-off tool
For the degreaser, make sure it has no ammonia in it. Any brand is okay. Try to get a natural bristle brush instead of nylon-bristled ones. They’ll help you reach all the crevices.
You don’t need a big air compressor. You can buy a small one or borrow one from a home improvement store. But borrowing from a store again and again can be a hassle. If you plan on keeping your RC car clean regularly, you should consider buying one. On that note, here are some air compressors we recommend-
For the blow-off tool, you can just buy whatever fits your air compressor. Make sure the tip is narrow. It will help you clean your RC with more detail.
Let’s move on the steps-
Step 1: Disassemble The Parts
First, you should disassemble your RC car. Take off the body carefully. Remove the screws if there are any. Don’t be hasty or you might have to deal with a stripped screw hole in your plastic chassis
Get rid of the wheels and tires. You can clean the tires separately. Remove the battery of your RC car. You don’t want any liquid to touch your battery. During the cleaning process be careful of other electronics. The ESC, motor, batteries, and the servo to be specific.
Step 2: Airbrush Your RC Car
Set your air compressor to 100-120psi. That is the optimal pressure to clean your RC car. Lower pressure will not clean your RC car properly. Whereas, higher pressure might pierce into some parts. For example, it might tear wires.
Attach the blowoff tool to your air compressor. You can blow the dirt off any way you want. However, maintaining a sequence is always a good choice. Star from one end of your RC chassis and finish at the other end.
Pay more attention to the parts with bearings. Those tend to build up more dirt. The spring shocks are another place that has built-up dirt. Clean them properly.
Make sure the air pressure is not too high. Too much pressure can damage some parts. For instance, if your wires tear, your RC car will have problems moving.
Airbrush your RC car’s body separately as well. Don’t forget to clean the inside as well. Airbrush the wheel plates you took out earlier.
Make sure to flip your chassis and clean it under.
Step 3: Brush Off Dirt with Bristle Brush
Your airbrushing will not clean all the nooks and crannies, you’ll miss some parts. This is where the bristled brush comes to play.
The bristles will reach the deep crevices and clean your RC thoroughly. Brush under the ESC, motor, shocks, and also the screw holes. Make sure not to disconnect any wires while you’re at it. Flip your RC and brush under it as well.
Step 4: Clean with Degreaser
Take a microfibre towel and spray some degreaser on it. Gently wipe down the RC car body with it. This will leave the outer body shiny.
Similarly, wipe down the chassis. This will make your RC look almost as good as new. Pay extra attention when you’re cleaning near the cables and electronics. Don’t let the towel be too wet while you’re cleaning them.
You don’t want liquid invasion into your wires and electronics. Unless you have waterproofed your servo and other parts beforehand. This is also a reason why we recommend using the spray on the towel. Spraying directly onto the parts of your RC might be detrimental.
Step 5: Dry & Assemble Your RC
Hope you’re done with airbrushing, brush cleaning, and degreasing your RC car. Now you can clean the tires as you wait for them to dry. It should not take long as the degreasers dry quickly.
You can wash your tire separately if it’s a rubber tire. Or, you can use a paper towel to clean your foam tires.
Just simply wash the wheel plates too. Or, you can use the air compressor and bristles brush. That way you’ll be blowing off all the dirt.
Even so, try to wash it; it’s a better choice. Because there are very small gaps in the plates. Rinsing them with water will get rid of the dirt in them.
When you’re done cleaning all the tires and wheel plates, let them dry. After they’re dry, you can assemble the parts again.
If you’ve followed until now, you know how to clean RC cars now! Be a little careful when handling the liquids.
FAQs
Question: How often should I clean my RC car like this?
Answer: You should clean your RC car every 2-3 runs. The performance of a clean RC is always better than a dirty one. Built-up dirt on the shocks and bearings is not good for performance.
Question: Why can’t I directly use a bristle brush instead of airbrushing first?
Answer: If you start brushing the dirt with a bristle brush first, it’ll build up dirt instead. The bristles will push the dirt into deeper nooks and you won’t be able to get them out. So it is good to airbrush your RC before brushing it down.
Question: Why use a natural bristle brush instead of a synthetic one?
Answer: The synthetic bristles are artificial and rough. The natural bristles tend to thin out at the end. This helps reach deeper and scoop out the dirt better. So when it comes to cleaning, always opt for a natural bristle brush.
Conclusion
How was it? Are you now clear about how to clean RC cars? We hope this article was easy and helpful to you.
Make sure not to let the liquid cleaner reach into the electronic parts. Store the battery away in safety somewhere and then clean your car. With that, you should be good to go!
We’ll part here for today, see you!
