Gear plate snapped in two, check. Stripped all 4 square wheel hubs, check. Tire foams turned to dust, check. Rear diff housing snapped while bearings are still smooth, check. Exhaust? I don't know. I never tried it although the previous owner did because the body is all curled up and melted around where it was. The silicone coupler was cracked but that just happens.My thoughts? Well, no R/C company attempts to fix every common fault. I've grown to accept that years ago. Am I happy with the problems I've had? Certainly not. I've had more problems with this truck than any other I've had. That said, its also my first 5th scale so maybe that's just how it is.
My solutions? I replaced the plastic gear plate with the aluminum one which uses the larger bearings. I replaced all the foams with ones I made from air conditioner foam that you stick in windows, etc. 2 1/4" square by 2 feet long, cut in half and glued side by side, rolled into a circled, and shoved in the tire. A total of 4.5 inches wide foam all crammed in there seemed like just enough. Shortly after, my hubs spun out inside the wheels and remained difficult to keep tight so I got the Baja adapters and now running Proline Splitsix wheels with Trenchers. Looks funny but goes awesome.
Exhaust? Mine came with the DDM Dominator which was made for the MT. It was not on the truck but I made proper brackets, made a new rollcage, and installed it. The mods were all needed as the pipe hits everything as it wraps around the side so all the plastic supports had to go or be modded.
The rear diff explosion? That is a problem I have seen you guys tackle in a few different ways and I plan to do a combo of them. This just happened a couple days ago and my new case, crown gear, and diff gear are all on their way. Only an $80 repair. No big deal on a $570 truck right?
I plan to reinforce the diff cup bearing area with either an aluminum block or a metal strap as DemonRC has done. But I also plan to strip the chassis bare of all parts and weld or bolt frame rails from front to back to add as a backbone to what has been deemed a weak point by many of you guys. It will be added to the underside but I haven't mapped out the specifics yet. When I do it, I will take photos to document the process.
So, will this poll make a difference and get us upgraded wheels, bearings, plastic, etc? I highly doubt it but I challenge RedCat to respond with their thoughts. I believe that you can't build a truck for less money and just have it be a failure. Build a truck that will hold up and just charge what its worth. If I knew then what I know now, I would have bought something else. But I'm invested now so its a keeper.