rstevens

My first experience of CEN Matrix R2 RTR (purchased for $275) Keep to facts, not opinions: Facts: All during the first 30 days, Pullstart broke and replaced twice. Given engine was extremely difficult to start, purchased Gear start. Still engine would not start well. Took 25-35 min to start. Sent back to CEN. They replaced the engine. Engine still difficult to start. Performed Idle break in of 2 tanks. Ran for 10 min, Throttle servo failed (was even a metal gear servo). Did not trust OEM quality, so replaced throttle servo with a Futaba servo. Ran great for 15 min. then Steering servo failed. Replaced it with a metal gear Futaba servo. Ran great for 10 min and lost radio contact within 20 yards. Car took off on its own and lucky we were able to catch it when it switched direction. Replaced Receiver and Radio with a more name brand. Ran great with an excellent range for 20 min. Engine died, and now won't start.
Summary: Spent additional $343.00 on parts/radio to upgrade plus shipping costs to manufacturer for a total run time of 45 min. Spent a total of 5.5 hours on repairing and and $343 upgrading a BRAND NEW CAR!

ace9213

I will say this and not trying to be mean or anything, but usually when it's your first car (which it sounds like it is) you will always have trouble. It's just the name of the game. RTR cars always get crappy electronics in them from the start. You did the right thing by replacing the radio and servos. I can't imagine the engine being bad after so little use. Get it started and try to really dial in the tune. Trust me I had all those problems when I first started. As you learn more about RC you learn cheap is not the way to go and you also learn how to keep your cars running alot better!

j_blaze

if everyone on here wrote what happened in their first 30 days of running ANY rc car it would look a lot like your post. how about the first time you tried to ride a bike, or fish or skate? all sad storries, but you stick with it, you get better and it gets cheeper. to get a full race day (about 8 tanks, 60 minutes-ish) out of my cars i have to wrench on them about 3 hours, each, so your total ther was a bit longer. still not bad for a begginer. rtr's always get a bad wrap, i wish i had the money to go buy an rtr now after all that i have learned and see how good rtr's really are. i hope those 45 minutes were at least worth it. by the way "metal gear" does not mean "good servo" or "will not fail" (sounds like lhs talk to me). sounds like your motor was not broken in enough to bash around with yet (good job cen for replacing it), i'll bet it overheated and the plug went bad, thats why it won't start. maybe glow ignitor is dead after 35 minutes of starting. and your first 30 days budget looks to be right on with the usual spending to keep these cars running. have fun.

vnmsgt

Also if you did the break in and never touched the carb needles that may be why you get the hard starting and not running well and stalling. Motors are set really rich from the factory and usually always will have to be leaned out to get them to run properly after break in. If you do not do that they are usually a slug with slow exceleration, blow way too much smoke and in general will not run good at all. Also you should replace the glow plug after break in as it is hard on it the first couple tanks.

All the other problem with pull starters and servo's going out and radio problems you will have on ANY RTR that comes with that equipment, NOT just CEN. Stick with it and the more you learn the better it will get. Always frustrating at first.

chrobar

Very true guys..this is the RC hobby. It's also why RTRs aren't always that great. My first 30 days started with a traxxas nitro rustler..now that was a pain, switching from that to a CEN Matrix TR was awesome. Had the time of my life with that car, hell of a lot of fun. Have fun with your car man, it'll get better, trust me..it sounds like you just got a lemon.

supertib

Its and RTR CEN, what do you expect ? seriously in RC you get what you pay for..... sorry to sound rude but as a rule RTR means junk !

harry1215

My Feedback: (1)

I think you can get a quilty rtr. I have only been in the hobby for about 1 1/2 year and only have had one buggy (X-terminator pro) and it has done very well for me i picked it up on sale for $250 at hobby people. I admit its not the most popular buggy out their but none the less it has done right by me. I have upgraded a couple of things to it (servos,wing,motor) but that is whats is to be expected with experience I know im not the most experienced but I would like to think their is a learning curve. I think to say that all rtr's are junk is a bit harsh. Lets take consideration that you have to start somewhere.

rstevens

Thanks to all for your input! Obviously, to keep the prices low, they install some of the lowest quality parts. I assume their money is made when you are forced to upgrade.
Still can't get the engine to start again. I am trying different Plugs, adjusting the Idle and Rich/Lean.....sounds like it wants to start, but doesn't quite make it.
I am glad I installed the Rotostart, as I think I would have easily surpassed a thousand pulls by now trying to get it going.
I am wondering if the Carb on this Corsa engine is junk? I am not going to give up until I can figure out a solution......! Spent far too much on upgrades to stop now!

hrdcoreglf

Pull the engine, disassemble it, clean it, reassemble it using high temp red silicone sensor sealer to seal it up. Carb to crank case - backplate to crank case - etc.. Use loctite on screws and bolts. Don't over do the locktite (blue) Set needles to factory setting and start over. Dont adjust LSN until you have HSN tuned. Dont make large sweeping adjustments, small 12th of a turn adj.

breezerboat

You will never own a RC that your not always spending more money on. It never ends.

supertib

unless you buy a Mugen...sets a whole new standard ! no lies

chrobar

I think what you should do is set the needle back to stock and try from there. Also, make sure you're priming it.
Companies like Mugen only make kits, and the things to fail on any RTR are always the servos, radio, and engine because they are installed to keep the cost down. The only real money pits in RC are RTRs because you have to upgrade the servos, radio, and engine eventually. Getting a kit in the first place allows you to buy known brand electronics and engines, so nothing will fail. My C-1 FRE hasn't failed on me at all ever, because it was a kit. One RTR that comes with somewhat decent electronics and engine without needing to buy a kit is the Losi 8ight RTR. They can have accessories like that on the RTR because it costs $700!
Good luck rstevens, and don't get discouraged!

lez1troubles

Sorry to hear your having so many problems. maybe you should have read through some of the reveiws here on RCU before you went forking out so much doe(money). That's what the girls at work did and ended up buying a Kyosho MP7.5 RTR, best darn buggy I've ever owned and I've had lots. I was always driving electro's until a couple of years ago when I changed to nitro, started with a Tamiya nitro thunder, that was a pretty good buggy but not powerfull enough and it went off a cliff (30-40 meters down) in France, straight into the North sea, never seen it again, then the girls at work bought the Kyosho for me for my birthday and it's just great, never had a problem, even with the GX21 engine that everybody complains about, it's really not that bad, it all comes down to the set up of your needles on the carb and the plug you use. I'm not saying go buy a Kyosho but it would be a good start.

oshaym

crappy rtr $343 caster buggy priceless

vnmsgt

I would not say it is crappy. Pretty much ALL RTR's need some TLC. They are not built with the best materials like the PRO Kits are. I know you like your Caster but everyone has bad experiences with all kinds of manufacturers stuff. Everyone has had good times too. There are actually some people who do pretty good with the CEN where I am at.

Zerodefect

Ditto, I've seen Cen's go. i'm sure i could tune one to boogie......just not with RTR gear in it.
Get a Novarossi N21bl ($155) and a Dynamite 086 pipe and a Ofna truggy starter box. problem solved.

Even the high end stuff like Xray and Mugen need repairs. Just they last alot longer than most. Its a driver skill thing as well, thde better you get the less damage you do. Usually.[&:]