hey patrick, sorry to hear your problems, i think its just the luck of the draw, i have a hurricane that i beat to death and never have a problem, i even had the engine screws loose to the point the engine had a 1/4 inch of play in it, i didnt notice until i got home and started to clean all the rc's up, nothing happend. Now i have an ofna mutilator truggy that i have had for a few months, i love this truggy but i break something every time i go out, its either the aluminum steering knuckles or the rear dog bone bends when i hit a jump and land on the rear of the truck and not flat. Now the knuckles cost $17 for a pair and the dogbone costs $15. i have stopped buying dogbones and just hammer them straight. You can as xhoutas, rc danny about my rc's and how they work but i still love them. this is definately not a hobby for people with shallow pockets, lol. Just enjoy the hobby, give the car a once over before and after you run and keep your fingers crossed.