anyone know if i can hold a hobby store liable for a "tip" that ruined my RC Car?

In the absence of written evidence or if you dissobeyed guarantee rules, you can do nothing, It is the same as my case when power irregularities roasted my modem and the company guys reminded me of the "back letters" stating that they are not to be held responsible in these cases becauses things like power cuts and iregularrities are natural occurences....!!!!!

I use CSC, and never had a problem..... i left a body in it once for about 6 day!!!! BOY was it clean!!!! and no damage at ALL!!!

I use CSC, and never had a problem..... i left a body in it once for about 6 day!!!! BOY was it clean!!!! and no damage at ALL!!!

I to use Chameleon, Ive been wanting to try CSC but I just cant seem to do it...even though many others Ive talked to have had good results....I still use Chameleon even if its 3x as much for 1/4 of the amount of CSC at the LHS....I know it works! I know it wont ruin my plastic and Ive had no trouble with it....

This is why I use Chameleon Paint stripper - no worries mate.
http://www.chameleonproductsonline.com/pages/459119/index.htm

I doubt if you can hold the shop liable for the damage.

Brake fluid is a common paint remover(acid) in the modelling industry, it is VERY powerful and you need to be VERY careful using it(gloves, etc).
If you soak ANY kit in it over a period of time it will result in a nice deformed/warped item, I usually use it on die-cast figures rather than any plastic ones.
Some of my WH 40K space marines got turned into Chaos marines after soaking them in Brake-fluid.

The strength of the brake-fluid varies from place to place in some you can use it straight i other you will need to dillute it. or use a soaked rag and wie the paint off.

Best option for you is to buy a replacement body if available and work from there.
If the Car is an off-the shelf ready to go Car than you are out of luck, if it s a Tamiya, Kyosho or similar simply buy a spare body and some new screws.