This is part of the reason I've never built an ARF before this one. I feel like I need to fix something, when the problem could have been taken care of easily in the design or initial build.
Welcome to the world of ARF's. I don't think there is an ARF made that doesn't need a little redesigning and tweaking here and there. That's part of the process. I agree that some of the issues could have easily been corrected during manufacturing but you have to consider how cheap they are overall. The better ARF's are a bargain any way you look at it. If your plane has steel push rods in nylon tubes and they are binding, I'd look for the cause before trying to lube them.