So, I got a new flight stick last week, my third one in two years as the previous two sticks I bought just suck. Specifically I'm talking about the Thrustmaster T.Flight HOTAS Stick X. It was recommended by several GOGers and all in all I'm really happy with it. The thing is, though: it SQUEAKS, especially when performing slow moves, trying to be precise. Not only is the noise so awful that I just can't use it without using headphones and cranking it up all the way, I can also feel irregularities in the movement which is quite a killjoy.

So I thought that maybe I could grease it up. However:
1. I'm not sure if I know how to properly dismantle it, especially so I can put it together again. So I'm wondering if someone has already done it and can provide some advice.
2. I'm not sure what to use. My first thought was naturally WD-40 and according to the official website it's safe to use on plastic although I've read otherwise. Also from what I understand one should only use dry substances such as graphite in electronics (although I'm not sure a flight stick is "electronic enough" for it to be a problem). I'd appreciate some more input on this matter.

Thanks.

F4LL0UT wants to oil up his stick!

Yeah Baby! Yeah!

I'm VERY tempted to mark this as the solution.

Contact the manufacturer and tell them you wanna exchange the squeaky piece of crap for one thats made correctly.

Okay seriously.

I have, or had, the same problem with my gaming keyboard. Whatever you do to fix it just remember, once you start to open it up you totally lose any kind of warranty you have. The stick could be totally defective for a number of other reasons but you won't get a dime back if you've tried to fix it yourself.

My father uses that same one and not had an issue with it for a half a year and he plays around lets say 2 hours a week or so. Call the dudes back and be like broskie give me some new shit mange.

if you got it from amazon get a refund and get one of the logitech's I have mine for 3 years and no issues yet.

That's what she said...

She's a very kinky girl
The kind you don't take home to mother

I literally only opened this thread to see what "squaky" was supposed to be. =D

I wouldn't use WD40, it contains chemicals that can be hazardous to certain other substances and possibly dissolve them although it doesn't harm electronics. I wouldn't use graphite either as it's a lubricant for things like locks etc. but it is also a mild abrasive. I'd use some kind of grease made for the job which I beleive someone else suggested above.

One more piece of advice I'd recommend if you don't already use this practice: If you take it apart to service it, be very careful with the screwdriver/etc. to not scratch the screws or anything else so it does not appear as if you did take it apart, have maximum patience and care taking the time as electronic stuff like this can be easy to break a plastic tab or catch or similar even if one is familiar with how they generally are put together. I'd also recommend either keeping a video camera running while you take it apart or taking photographs of it after every screw and/or piece is removed, so that you can look at them in reverse order to put it back together in case that is necessary. This can be quite helpful and avoid the "what are all of these extra screws and parts for?" phenomenon that can happen after putting something unfamliar back together. Been there, done that! ;oP

Argh, God dammit!
I was tired.

The thing is that I'm fairly certain that it's a common issue with the stick going by the amount of posts on this matter I've found. In some cases people report that it's been doing it all along, some say that the squeaking started after a week or two. It's also the kind of issue that many users who gave the stick a positive review probably consider normal and not worth mentioning, making it even more common.

Chances that the replacement will suffer from the exact same issue appear just too high to me, at least soon after some frequent use. I really don't feel like jumping through hoops and be left without a stick for what will probably be weeks just to end up with the same problem. That sounds good. Will read up on this stuff (the lithium grease, that is).

Edit: Damn, there's a shitload of them, even from the same manufacturers. That will take a while to research.

That's some good advice. I don't have a camera but luckily I have a smartphone, some duct tape and a forehead. Well, I'm kidding of course but I guess I could set the smartphone up in a manner so I get the entire procedure on film. I guess i can always teach my cat to hold the phone for me. No, wait, I'll just ask my girlfriend. Yes, I'm a very confused man.

Apparently, so was everyone else -- otherwise, there would've been jokes about it. ;)

Well I guess you have your answer, use white lithium grease on your joystick.