How do I start my petrol RC car?

Well first of all, if you have a glow start then it's a nitro RC car. That's pretty important as you don't want to put the wrong fuel into the wrong type of RC car. And even if there is fuel already in the tank, the best thing to do is empty it all out and put in fresh fuel. There's no way of knowing how long the fuel has been in there, and nitro fuel does go 'off' after a certain amount of time.

Make sure you have the mains adapter to charge up your glow igniter, if you do, charge it up for 6 to 7 hours before even trying to start the car.

It's difficult to say anything about the pull start. It could just be that it's broken and you'll have to replace the pull start, or it might be that it's been used for racing in which case there will be no pull start.
I really need to know the type (eg. buggy, truggy, on road car, truck etc…) and if possible the make and model so that I can say for certain what should be there and what specifically to look out for. It would also help to identify which percentage of nitro fuel to use in it.

Even if it didn't come with an instruction book, don't worry too much. If you know the make and model, the official website for that car will let you download a free .pdf file of the instructions.

Edit: I'm impressed. That's an impressive bit of kit you have there. A Hobao Hyper 8, 1/8 scale buggy. It's the kit version too, so you'll probably find the servo's, receiver and transmitter are good quality parts too.
The engine looks to be a RB .21 engine, basically a racing engine, so you won't get a pull start for it. You'll have to get a starter box to start it, which is a good thing. And I'd recommend you use 25% nitro fuel for playing around with. Only use 30% nitro if you ever want to take it racing, other than that 25% is fine.

So, just a few things to do before you start it.
Get new batteries for the handset (transmitter). Get a rechargeable receiver pack and a charger for in the car, if it doesn't already have one. Put in a new glowplug (medium). A half gallon of 25% fuel. And a starter box.
Once you've got all that, check all the screws and nuts are good and tight, but don't touch the screws on the carb, leave them for when it's running.

It seems like a lot, but it will be well worth it once you start using it.

http://www.modelsport.co.uk/

Have a quick look around on that site, or one similar, so you get an idea of what you're looking for then head off to your local hobby shop.
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Ok am on school computer so I can't look at pics at moment. There are 4 ways of starting a nitro car, they are pull start, eezy start (electric - usually on Traxxas models only), rotor start or flywheel start (the latter of which is a pain in the a**e)

Is there on the side or possibly back of the engine a hex socket - bit like an Allen key fitting? If there is then it's a rotor start.

Actually tell you what - email me the pics the_ stuffies @ hotmail.com (no spaces - same reason as you and I'll have a look. Or if you need any more help then feel free to email me as I have now got 15 rc cars (and one boat but less said about that bloody thing the better).

I'll look later when I get home and let you know. Oh and I may have spares depending on what vehicle you have.

The other answer with the modelsport web address is also good - I shop there a LOT and my wife shouts everytime lol.
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