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I have started rebuilding the transmission in my re-re XLS. I have run hundreds of batteries through this buggy since buying it in 2017. I ran it in freezing cold, in the wet, on grass, on dirt; in blazing heat; I ran it everywhere. Power is from a Reedy 7.5 on 2S LiPo. I have done no transmission maintenance until now apart from diff and slipper adjustments. Given the collectibility of this kit and the prices they bring, I doubt that very many have been beat on as hard as mine has.

With new bearings and Pro diff rebuild kits ready, I opened the front, expecting the worst. Surprisingly, all was well. All of the parts were like new. I gave it a thorough cleaning and rebuilt it using all of the old parts.

Edit: The rear was also in really good shape. There were lines tracing the path of the diff balls. I couldn't feel them with my fingernail but could with a new Xacto blade. They would have been fine to put back into service. Since I had it apart, I flipped the rings and re-used the balls.

Whether you want or need a Pro Trans for your CAT is up to you. The point of this post is just to let folks know the Pro trans is not just a cash grab from the manufacturer. It actually is a quality piece.

I bought a Pro for mine several years ago..installed it, ran it
at a race...but it always bugged me that I took the original out...so I restored it (didn't need much, basically a new clear undertray) and put the original back in...and the Pro tranny is sitting in a box somewhere...like u said...the Pro is great quality, but so is the original, plus the Pro eliminates the Integrator or whatever that classic center ball diff is

I was tempted to put mine back to original just for the nostalgia. The original transmission is an engineering marvel. It is exactly what you would expect when an F1 transmission guy designs an RC car. No doubt Rube Goldberg gently wept at the site of it.

My ProCat and Bosscat are both pretty much original, though. The XLS is my thrill machine.