You’ve just got your brand new RTR car or truck and can't wait to hit the streets. Hold on, just because you have everything you need to terrorize the neighbors, there are still a few things you should do before you fire it up.

The first thing you should do is carefully read the instructions that come with it. Reading the instructions isn’t always the highlight of your day, but you can be sure you’ll avoid later disappointment. The instructions not only give you tips on proper running and maintenance, they have safety notices to make sure you don’t injure yourself of others. Many of these RTR vehicles are capable of high speeds and can weight more then 10 pounds. Being hit by one going 40+ MPH can not only cause broken bones, but even more serious injuries. Always be aware of that any time you run your car or truck.

Once you get your vehicle out of the box, go over it and check all screws, nuts and bolts to make sure they are tight. If the screws go into plastic, just make sure they are snug. If you tighten them too much, it could strip the plastic. If you have a nitro vehicle, all screws that go into metal should have thread-locking compound on them. Blue Locktite is best as it allows you to remove the screws when needed. The vibration of nitro engines will shake even the tightest screw loose over time, so the red locktite on the engine.

A few other things to check is to make sure the tires are properly glued on the rims. Check the adjustment of the differential and slipper-clutch if it’s has one. Check the oil in the shocks for proper filling and make sure the motor mounting screws are tight. Make sure any batteries you use are fully charged, if they are not rechargeable, that they are fresh. Check the servo or Electronic Speed Control (ESC) for proper adjustment.

If you have a nitro powered vehicle, double-check the engine needle setting. Improper adjustment can cause severe engine damage and they are not cheap to fix or replace. You should always make sure that your batteries are fully charged. If you batteries go dead while you are running, you can lose complete control of it. This can let it "run away" causing damage not only to the vehicle, but anyone that gets in the way.

Very few RTR nitro vehicles come with throttle return safety springs. A throttle return spring will close the throttle on your engine should your batteries unexpectedly go dead or if you have radio failure. Get one as soon as possible. They cost only a few cents, are easy to make yourself and can save you a lot of headaches.

RC cars and truck are complicated pieces of machinery with many small pieces. As much as we would like everything to be perfect, experience has shown this is not always the case. Screws can be loose, gears not adjusted properly and adjustments are not correct. This is why you should read the manual fully, check all screws and adjustments and double-check everything again before that first run. It doesn't matter what brand it is, they all have their imperfections.