Popular Post Atif Posted November 29, 2020 Popular Post Share Posted November 29, 2020 (edited) I know its late to introduce myself since I have been off-roading with Carnity since 2017. However, I must be the most inconsistent member of Carnity in terms of joining weekend drives. My last two drives were this month ( Nov. 2020) after a gap of one year! In no way does this represent my high regards for Carnity and my inconsistency is totally due to personal struggles in life. Surprisingly, my introduction to Carnity was when I was looking for cheap bonfire wood😃 and I ended up viewing the advice posted by @Gaurav Bhai under Advice section and coincidently I picked up a solution for mounting my flag from a photo under that advice. After that introduction to Carnity website in Jan 2017, I only ventured on my first drive with them in Sept 2017. Prior to this my desert experience was a few drives as a passenger in the 90’s with some family members. My path to Carnity off-road club happened only after two other clubs I accompanied earlier for a few drives gave me an ineffective experience in off-road desert driving. I don’t have any negatives for the first club as it gave me an idea of the basic equipment required but it was more about drives than dune bashing i.e. mostly a simple drive in the desert for a picnic/ bbq. When I did try to go for a real off-road session with them they refused , as it was not for newbies and they did not organize any on a regular basis for the newbies. The second club was more structured in drive levels but they gave me the worst piece of advice i.e. for the entire drive they wanted absolute newbies to drive in 2nd gear! Yes it suited them as it meant very few refusals due to insufficient power but for me it was a disaster as it took many drives with Carnity before I learnt to rely on the automatic gear change control using the gas pedal. Till that time I would be constantly be playing around with the steptronic rather than concentrating on the speed and momentum. I now truly admire the drivers of manual 4x4s in the desert. My main reason for writing this introduction is totally and sincerely to thank the original leadership team of Carnity who were patient with me and gave customized guidance that has had tremendous impact on my confidence and love for off-roading. For this I will mention @Gaurav @Rahimdad, @Srikumar and @Asif Hussain. I must add that @Gaurav Bhai and @Rahimdad Bhai complement each other extremely well with @Gaurav being safety conscious and @Rahimdad who can get one out of most difficult sticky situations with Superman driving skills. Of course I still fondly remember the company of @Frederic, @Emmanueland @Brette with whom I shared some earlier drives, Karak Tea and Rahim Bhai's Aloo Parathas 😁. Now for my actual introduction : My second life partner is a 2014 Toyota Prado , 4 door, 4.0 VXR that I bought brand new but took into the desert for the first time in 2016 . It is a very good vehicle for on and off-road but I recommend that, whomsoever drives one off-road regularly, to modify the front bumper. I have had mine repaired twice and will only be comfortable once I get to reduce its size or replace it with one that is higher from the ground level. All are advised to have a stronger bash-plate installed to protect the radiator and the front components from bottom damage and never leave the sunroof open during the drives, mine is no longer operational after sand entered the compartment .It costs over 4K AED to repair if motor is faulty. Prado has been a good mix of a family vehicle as a 7 seater, offering quality, comfort, weight-to-power ratio, luggage capacity and two fuel tanks with 150 litre capacity. Yes, I wouldn’t mind a Raptor but then I would rather learn how to manage a dune than go through it 😆 ( Disclaimer - Raptor appears to be an excellent vehicle and my joke is not to offend any of the Raptor lovers). Finally, I strongly recommend Carnity from my personal experince and the fact that from a few years only they progressed from arranging single drive to ten drives on weekends; making each weekend very special for more than 150 off-road enthusiasts. Edited November 29, 2020 by Atif spelling 10 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frederic Posted November 29, 2020 Share Posted November 29, 2020 What a fantastic introduction @Atif ! I remember joining the club and cafeteria Atif at the end of each drive with wonderful Karak Chai from either you or Rahim Bhai. Probably none of us thought that two years later Carnity has become the fastest growing, hardest working, and most amazing off-road club of the UAE and that the community spirit has groomed people of all backgrounds to become seniors who contribute on a weekly basis by supporting or leading drives. I for one feel blessed to be able to be a part of this big family and if I can speak for all the other seniors we are delighted to see you back in the sands. The dynamics of Carnity might have changed but the values of being your second family will remain the same. See you soon in the sandbox ! 6 1 2 "Go as far as you can see; once you get there, you'll be able to see further." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Atif Posted November 29, 2020 Author Share Posted November 29, 2020 Thank you so much @Frederic . Hope to meet you soon too. Downside of the expanded Carnity is not having all you Leaders together on one drive 😀. I will need to be more regular. 6 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
topgear Posted November 29, 2020 Share Posted November 29, 2020 Nice write up 2 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sertac Posted November 29, 2020 Share Posted November 29, 2020 Nice to see you again Atif bhai 4 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Srikumar Posted November 29, 2020 Share Posted November 29, 2020 It was great to see you back in action @Atif bhai. We sorely miss your cafeteria from the pre COVID days. You are one of the most thorough gentlemen in our club and some one that I have very high regards. Look forward to seeing you more often over the weekends. 5 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gaurav Posted November 29, 2020 Share Posted November 29, 2020 It is an absolute pleasure to have you back @Atif, not only for karak (as much as Sri want it) but for your infectious smile, humble and supportive attitude that we all are in love with and always look forward to drive with you. Thank you for coming back to your second family. Hope and pray your life struggle settle down soon, so we can see you more often in sand and look forward to share more stories of your beautiful last designation of - Students Affair oops Student Affairs. 6 2 Let's root for each other & watch each other grow. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nithin Vaidir Posted November 29, 2020 Share Posted November 29, 2020 @AtifNice to see some nostalgia in the forum. I am sure all of you had good fun on the sand and post the drives at cafes or restaurants . Hoping tO join for such sessions hopefully once Covid is no More. Just a small question on the baseplate. I drive a land cruiser 4.0 2014. I repaired my front bumper grill once, and now I have removed it completely. Requesting your recommendation on the bashplate material and also any garage name they will do it for a reasonable price. looking forward to many drives with the Carnity family . 4 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Atif Posted November 29, 2020 Author Share Posted November 29, 2020 18 minutes ago, Gaurav said: It is an absolute pleasure to have you back @Atif, not only for karak (as much as Sri want it) but for your infectious smile, humble and supportive attitude that we all are in love with and always look forward to drive with you. Thank you for coming back to your second family. Hope and pray your life struggle settle down soon, so we can see you more often in sand and look forward to share more stories of your beautiful last designation of - Students Affair oops Student Affairs. Carrying all secrets with me😂 2 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Atif Posted November 29, 2020 Author Share Posted November 29, 2020 13 minutes ago, Nithin Vaidir said: @AtifNice to see some nostalgia in the forum. I am sure all of you had good fun on the sand and post the drives at cafes or restaurants . Hoping tO join for such sessions hopefully once Covid is no More. Just a small question on the baseplate. I drive a land cruiser 4.0 2014. I repaired my front bumper grill once, and now I have removed it completely. Requesting your recommendation on the bashplate material and also any garage name they will do it for a reasonable price. looking forward to many drives with the Carnity family . Nithin the garage I went to stocked FJ bashplates that fit in exactly on my Prado. I believe they were 8 mm steel ones but frankly I cant recall the specs now. Also I understand that we cannot share names of garages on Carnity but you may contact me on [email protected] . 3 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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