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Yeah I was going to say everybodys talked about everything except the main issue until Barry came along. The tear is sucking in more air than the MAF is reading so most most probably you are running lean i.e more air and less fuel causing it too lose power.. Also back in the Desert Safari days this was a common issue with our 100 series Land Cruisers and no one bothered to fork out for an expensive piece of plastic plumbing. A got wrap around with a good quality duct tape, like gorilla tape worked just fine and lasted a long time too. I can't recall anyone having a tear in the tape. Just make sure its wrapped snug and airtight.

Thought came to my mind as I was passing the place yesterday. Try JOY scrapyards in Dhaid he's got three there plus a workshop and does all sorts of mods on Patrols and Cruisers for the local dhabab. And saw rows and rows of Patrols in his scrap yards. He can probably find and fit you a electric OEM patrol seat. Dhaid, first round about right xoming from Shj towards madam his workshop in on the right and scrapyards on on thr left further down. Go talk to Joy himself he can most probably hook you up.

Indeed. I’ve been on a few off road drives and I see what happens. I’ve seen weekend warriors sticking their head underneath a car that’s only supported by a trolley jack on a plank in the sand. I cannot stress how not cool this is. An extra plank and an extra axle stand should be part of the standard off road kit but I’ve never seen this advertised in any off-road clubs kit. You might get away with it, you might not. A cracked skull with a bit of brain matter squishing through through your broken head isn’t cool. I’ve seen it in real life This kind of stuff does and will happen. My first job in UAE was in a garage in Sharjah. Standard crappy garage. The jack was leaking oil. The owner told me to jack the car up and see why it wasn’t shifting gears. I said no way, your jack is leaking. I stuck a stand under the car and jacked it up. The jack collapsed and the stand saved my life. I survived because I put a jack stand under the car. Other than than I would have been replaceable, just order a new mechanic on dubizzle. Bad shit can and will happen. Never get underneath an unsupported car.

A tear in the intake pipe will cause a power issue too because the engine is using unmetered air, ie air that enters the engine but hasn’t travelled through and been measured by the airflow meter, therefore the ECU will send a wrong signal to the fuel system.

From my recent exposure to changing the shocks on my Nissan Pathfinder 2001 model R50 I came to know about the different types of shocks available in the market. Oil based shocks which last a bit longer, Nitro shocks which add a lot of comfort and Foam cell shocks which I know nothing about. The little I have discovered is that the Nitro and Foam Cell shocks are almost similarly constructed but have the foam along with the nitro. Anybody who has used the Foam Cell shocks and Nitro Shocks swears that the Foam Cell technology is much more comfortable. However my application will be more for off-road. The only drawback I have heard about the Foam Cell shocks is that although it does not get so hot so soon, but if overheated it takes time to recover after they fade. Any takes from anyone who can explain this all to me in lay man terms and give me an educated guess as to which one would suit better for off-roading?

@Gaurav what do you think about enriching this list with the most common failures/red flags to check while buying the cars? As well as the target km to buy at? ( I know that depends mainly on how good the car had been maintained but nevertheless...) I can also write a small scraper that can get the average price for each model per year on a daily basis. If we have this info in one place it would be a gold mine!

Hi @desertdude, thank you for sharing this, mate. I will check with out for sure and share the feedback.

Cayenne hands down. Test drive both and see. BMW build quality isn’t even close to Porsche.

1. @Srikumar & @GauravThank you, I just realized how a past issue I faced could have contributed to this. I never knew, You guys seem to have nailed it. 🧐. I did have an engine mounting issue in the past, before I joined carnity, and it did take a long time to diagnose! I remember, when the problem was identified and was being fixed, the old mounting fell with the rubber dampers almost nonexistent! I guess the damage to the air pipe was well into play by then, but me being me simply didn’t know 😂. 2. @Gaurav My apologies, I’m still catching up on the lingo 😂. You are right, the mechanic did use a larger tape for fixing the tear- approx 1 inch wide, it was topped with an additional insulation tape of the usual type. #mebeingme 😂 3. @Gaurav if anybody were to ask me- what was the greatest learning of the drive, I should say, here’s where I found the guidance & courage to try and use the tiptronic shift (2nd half of the drive) that I was scared to use before and oh MY, it was awesome!! Thank YOU, you are a true guru!

Hi Guys, I have been reading a few blogs and it seems reliability wise Porsche are better in that 08-09 as compared to bmw x5 of same year. There are lot more mechanical issues mentioned online for BMW's . I have x5 06 and honestly its really reliable as never had any as such issues, can someone give verdict who has used either both the cars or may be one. How are the spare costs and generally maintenance costs for Porsche as compared to BMW x5

Dear Carnity Team. Good day! Just thought I'd share a recent vehicular performance issue I faced. Please feel free to share your thoughts on this: Vehicle: Nissan Patrol Safari Year 2005. Not a Plus 1 car, this is my regular vehicle for all commutes. 1. My car has been in quite a good condition, During my first 2 Off road drives (Newbie) , I was able to punch through quite comfortably. I think the vehicle played a HUGE part in off-setting my inexperience- I am sure it helped me plow through a lot of dicey situations due to sheer power alone, using only the Automatic "D" gear. 2. Post my 2nd drive, returning to On-Road, I started noticing that the car felt a little different, it was as if she took a longer time to achieve prior speeds. I thought that Off-roading had caused some sort of On-road issue, and let it be. 3. During the latest drive (my 3rd) the car simply wasn't the same. I can't explain the feeling, it's as if she just was not up to it. . I wasn't able to charge up the Pink rock on both routes, I did all the FLOORING of the accelerator that I could but she simply wouldn't budge. 4.. Luckily, I just got my vehicle serviced today, and the mechanic was able to identify a certain tear in the intake pipe. His actual words were: "Raizing mein problem aata hain kya?" :😂. (Do you have any issues during full throttling?) As per him this could have contributed to the performance issue during the recent Off-road trip. PFA ref Image. 5. A new Intake Pipe costs AED 375 (Shops near Al Suwaidi Garages in Ras Al Khor), I've decided hunt for a used spare later, hence the pipe's torn section has been taped with insulation tape for the time being. Cheers!

Thanks @Barry, but somehow offroaders here prefer the nitro shocks because they're stiffer. Maybe we can get some shock company to demonstrate the different shocks on road and off road.

I’ve never heard of foam cell shocks until now, had to do a bit of reading on it. Sounds good for on road every day driving but in an off road situation where the suspension is constantly working, it can’t be a good thing. When your shocks fail, you’re relying solely on the springs for your suspension, and that makes your ride bouncy as heck and you’ll bottom out a lot. I’m not an off roader but from what I’ve learned, oil filled seems like the king. Sometimes old school is best. For on road use, I’d always go for gas.

@Barry and @desertdude thanks for sharing the tech lowdown on the issue guys. Lemme arrange a cost effective solution to this and share the feedback.

done ,Porsche is final when i switch, review coming from person who owned and another specialist tech that is convincing enough.

thanks Gaurav, I had a similar feel as well about Porsche Cayenne. Anyways as u rightly mentioned 10 years old car maintenance is quite normal to come up but then i am looking for durability and that way feel x5 wont stand ahead. I had no mood to even start this search untill i saw bad reviews of X5, there is time before i buy and sell my present x5 so lets see

Remember you are talking about 10 years old car in either case and being a German luxury segment expect a high maintenance cost on both vehicles. That's why you are getting at 1/10 of its face value. I was in similar research a few years back and Cayenne better reliability wins as per online research. Then I start seeing few X5 and Cayenne and saw the repair bills from owners that outweigh the Cayenne option hands down. It was based on 5-6 cars viewing for X5 and Cayenne in Dubai. X5 all owner had several sheets of bills from AGMC during the warranty and just after the warranty period, whereas Cayenne owners had very little repair bills. I myself had 2006 Cayenne Turbo from 2012 till 2015 and the only thing I remember spending for repair was one of the headlight cornering light failed, that forced me to change whole left side headlight unit. It was maintained at Nabooda throughout and if I remember correctly cost approx. 2000 for minor service and 4000 for major service. I think these service rates are pretty standard for most of luxury SUV in the UAE, as I'm paying a similar rate for my Range Rover now.

I really hope that guy who put the insulation tape as a temporary fix (shady mechanic), secured it nicely and informed you to not rev too high. If this tape goes inside the engine, it will burn instantly and leave nasty plastic marks on cylinder walls (not good). Instead of insulating tape, he could have used broad duct tape that is stronger and harder to get it in and then secured that duct tape with cable ties on unbroken crease section.

Also it would be good to check your spark plugs as well. Recently changed them for my Cherokee and I could instantly notice the difference in acceleration.

I think you need to learn to drive the car in 1st gear in tricky climbs, soft patches, and cross tracks. When I have driven your car it seems it has enough power to do massive sideys let alone the newbie level climbs and cross track. Every offroader should drive in D in high gear about 75% of the time and the rest 25% of the time you need to manually select 1 or 2 gearing as per required terrain. For air filter torn neck, @Srikumar doubt is quite right to check all the mounts as apart from that there is no other reason you can tear that neck in spite of having so much play in 6 creases on the neck.

Check your engine mounts as well. If they have failed your engine would be moving like crazy within the engine bay when you are hitting the gas. That would also cause the tear in the engine intake. Also, I suggest that you get it replaced at the earliest without much delay as you don't want dust entering your engine. But not sure if the air intake pipe tear would causes the loss in power as then it would be a free flow air intake which should infact result in more power

My wife's Pajero has a Yvusa battery on for 2 years and just started giving a bit of starting problem but not dead yet. Got it checked and weak but not dead. Advised to use till it dies. My respect to Yuasa after Amaron. Today after 2 years changed Yuasa battery with Delkor. This is a Spanish battery and got good feedback from the battery guy, almost half price of Amaron but uses same Amaron technology. Will keep you guys updated here.

Thank you @Ren13. Wilco!

@Barry the bottle jacks are very easily tumbled in offroad due to the uneven surface and while fixing the pop out we shake and clean the wheel and tire. I totally agree on jack support to be used always as all jack can fail sometime or other, that's why while doing the popout repair we only reach the tire from outside and not underneath. And in some extensive work, if we have to carry, we use two jack or spare wheel under the car to save the day.

Please update the situation on February 17th ,2020. 😬😬😬

Type of jack depends on the surface you’re jacking on. Scissor jacks aren’t called suicide jacks for nothing. They’re a last resort for changing a wheel at the side of the road. Trolley jacks are king, but only if they’re used on a flat surface. The wheels can roll and adjust. I love bottle jacks. I don’t know why people are scared of them. If you put it on a plank, it’s the same as spreading the load on a trolley jack. @treks can tell you that air jacks are cool but they can damage your engine. All forms of jacking have their pros and cons but the most important thing which hasn’t been mentioned yet, if you jack a vehicle up, make sure it’s supported. Axle stands are cheap. If you jack your car up, stick an axle stand under it with a plank under the stand. Jacking can and will go wrong. My friends father was crushed to death. He jacked the car up with a trolley jack, rolled under to change the oil filter. The jack failed and he was dead. My ex employer also died. A proper car lift failed and he was crushed to death. Things can go wrong and they do. Remember that. If you jack a car up, whatever type of jack you use, make sure there’s some sort of mechanical backup, even if it’s only 2 stacked up wheels.

Drive call off Due to limited participants we will be doing this drive NEXT WEEK at same location and same time. When: 1st March 2019. Friday Meeting Time: 12:45 PM, Convey will move at 1:00 PM Meeting Point: Al Rashedi Restaurant, Sweihan - GPS coordinate https://goo.gl/maps/B5SZM6kKCMv

hi @Sajith Kumar fixing a new model vehicle seat to the older model at times gets a little difficult as explained by @desertdudeseat connectors and wiring harness dont match and you may face challenges with the seat electrical's. I suggest if you go to any upholstery shop they should be able to re-cushion the seats and you can custom design it as per your taste and comfort level.This will also help you to revamp your interiors and you will end up paying much less then fixing in a new model seat and also struggling with getting the electrical s switches sorted out. Old seat. New seat

Based on your 10 drive overall offroad experience, you are good to join this Sweihan fewbie level drive. Once we observe your drive in Sweihan we will promote you to the fewbie rank afterwards

Dear @Per A this is a rear skid plate. You cannot buy this off the shelf, there are many fabricators in Sharjah Industrial area who can do this for you in about AED 200/- with fitting. Let me know once you have bought your Pajero so that I can point you out in the right direction.

@Per A the main issue while offroading is with the rear bumper which kinda works like a shovel. You can always attach a bar at the back or if you intend to maintain the original look this is a design I got from @Rahimdad. Pics are below but not necessarily in order. For the front bumper it would be good to remove the front mud guard and might have to trim the bumper a bit. Alternatively, @WiLfY can suggest about getting a two inch lift which would eliminate the need for trimming the bumper and would also give a you a decent ride height.

It was moved back after test-drive so couldn't get any good pick but got one...

Maybe i was a little impulsive but papers signed..... Checked and it was a little late for service but it is being serviced at Al Habtoor before i get it. I was pristine underneath so no off-road or hard driving at all, no accidents only some small dings on the fenders and got a good price for a close to full option car so couldn't say no.....

And some of them never bother to do the scheduled maintenance. This I am stating out of personal experience. So like Gaurav said it doesn't matter who has driven it as along as it's regularly maintained.

I would like to say I’m fairly well travelled, I’ve been in a lot of countries. The only place I have ever been where it is acceptable to ask a random person you just met, how much is your salary, is the uae. Nowhere else would this be freely discussed or would it be acceptable. Try asking this question to someone in Germany and they would likely tell you to foxtrot Oscar. My default answer has become, enough to pay my bills and save a bit. So why is it acceptable here?

When it comes to knowing about cars in uae, not many people are interested. It’s all about paying the smallest price. I have always had problems finding work as a mechanic here. It’s like oh, you’re white, sorry we can’t afford you. None of them even asked how much I wanted. I have done low paying jobs in shitty backstreet garages here but it’s hard to get into. The higher end garages have offered me jobs in the office. I’m not an office guy. Fixing cars is my passion. If I can share some of what I know online and help some people and try to cancel some of my bad karma then I’m happy.

Or it's maybe the other way around, that people who ask your salary has low figures and to cut the conversation people at high salaries reply with half or even a quarter of their salary. No matter how big or small your salary is, it is never enough due to the life we pull along with that numbers and love to cry thereafter. At a very early age, I have been jobless in this country for 9 months, and realize the true importance of money and savings + started valuing real friends than the bunch of imposters. Two of my favorite sayings: The mind is its own place, and in itself can make a heaven of hell, a hell of heaven - John Milton Tough Times Never Last, But Tough People Do!: Robert H. Schuller

We all make bad decisions in life but its important to fight it out and come strong.Happy to know you were able to do that and come out a winner. Life is not simple as we think it is but it depends on us how we simplify our life. Have read your posts Barry you have great knowledge about cars and your vast experience backing you and happy to connect with you. Thanks to carnity we have the freedom to discuss life along with cars in this group. 🍺Cheers.

People who feel they get less than what they deserve tend to be more open to the extent of telling the exact figure. Not sure if it can be generalised across the entire spectrum from the lower income to the upper income.