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Also curious if the ESC needs that big diode soldered onto any motor I might install.

I see a bunch of people removing the diode.

It doesn't make sense to me, knowing how a diode works. Historically, diodes were absolutely not used on reversing esc's. But I haven't studied the small circuit board either.

Exactly, which makes me wonder why it's there in the first place, or what's different/special about that motor that it has a circuit board attached to the endbell.

Got mine a few days ago and finally opened it. The radio is good for a laugh, but the buggy is great for the price. The shocks alone seem like 40 bux worth. Very cool hobby grade set up on the electronics too.

This car is incredible for the price.
With so many metal parts and at <$40, how are they able to turn a profit??

XLR8 wrote: ↑Fri Oct 29, 2021 10:39 pm This car is incredible for the price.
With so many metal parts and at <$40, how are they able to turn a profit??

Honestly, I'd rather not know. My hope is that they mass produced, failed, and now have to clean out an Indiana Jones sized warehouse of these...

THEYTOOKMYTHUMB wrote: ↑Fri Oct 29, 2021 10:43 pm

XLR8 wrote: ↑Fri Oct 29, 2021 10:39 pm This car is incredible for the price.
With so many metal parts and at <$40, how are they able to turn a profit??

Honestly, I'd rather not know. My hope is that they mass produced, failed, and now have to clean out an Indiana Jones sized warehouse of these...

I'm still assuming it's a pricing error on walmart's end.
Edit: drunkin' post that made zero sense.

I still think it's a pricing error by Walmart. The buggy is still a good deal at the "regular" price, about $100 USD ($130 - $150 CAD)...and that's the price I see everywhere other than Walmart's American link.

So anyone of you taking advantage of this, I envy you.

The radio and receiver with integrated speed control are indeed craptastic, but what you'd expect for the price point. Most people yard that out and upgrade with a cheap FlySky transmitter & receiver and speed controller, but you need to also replace the stock steering servo.

I grabbed one of these to send as a gift. I just looked in the mailing package and apparently they aren't a sealed box from the OEM. So I looked it over. It's definitely going to be a gift. If I kept this thing, it would become a new project car that I really don't need to start a relationship with. My question is are there any simple mods or maintenance that are recommended for a new unit to maximize it's durability and/or potential? Things that wouldn't look like it had been tampered with, so it still looked new. Maybe grease and shrink wrap the CVD axles? Any other discoveries?

Frankentruck wrote: ↑Wed Nov 03, 2021 1:06 pm My question is are there any simple mods or maintenance that are recommended for a new unit to maximize it's durability and/or potential? Things that wouldn't look like it had been tampered with, so it still looked new. Maybe grease and shrink wrap the CVD axles? Any other discoveries?

There's lots of things you can do to mod these, depending on how deep you want to get involved in it. Here's my project thread, I go pretty deep. I also have a Quadify link to mods from another hobbyist, many of which I used with my own car.

https://www.rc10talk.com/viewtopic.php?f=114&t=45819

https://www.quadifyrc.com/rccarreviews/wl-toys-144001-setup-3-things-you-must-do-before-you-even-turn-it-on

I read about the F-bomb . That's part of the reason I'm not keeping it. Too many cool things can be done. I'm mostly just looking for anything that should be done that will keep it stock but maybe reduce chances of any premature part failures. I'm contemplating that drooping suspension arm fix. I'm trying not to get too attached to this thing though. My RC12L is going to fill my need for a smaller RC to mod.

There tends to be a lot of endplay at the axles. You can shim them or use a combination of wider bearings and/or shims.

I've got the wider bearings already and some shims on the way. I also have some aluminum hexes.

Be careful not to over-tighten the wheel nuts. It is easy to bind the hexes or bend the pins.

The diffs also need to be greased. I'm going to shim mine as well.

Nearly all WLtoys cars are over supported with bling and upgrades , it's all too easy to go down the rabbit hole with them !

The most commonly reported issues with the 144001 are diffs with barely any grease inside, and shocks with barely any oil inside. Addressing those issues will do a good part to reducing premature wear.

Coelacanth wrote: ↑Wed Nov 03, 2021 3:35 pm The most commonly reported issues with the 144001 are diffs with barely any grease inside, and shocks with barely any oil inside. Addressing those issues will do a good part to reducing premature wear.

Same with the WLtoys A959b I have , everybody complains about diffs but they come dry , I put diff syrup in mine from new and have never had any trouble .