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I am posting this just in case some of you are facing this issue in the future because this is a very common issue for all FCA (Fiat Chrysler Automobiles) owned brand cars like Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep and Ram. When I originally bought my Jeep probably a week after I started hearing a clicking noise coming out of the dashboard, I would hear it when I opened the door or when I was driving the noise would come up all of the sudden, one google search after and everything pointed to the AC recirculation actuator or better called A/C Heater Blend Door Actuator, one quick sear in autozone.com and I had the part number (604-029) and the price $27 USD (around 100 AED). I called some shops and even the dealer and they all gave me the UAE "premium" price of 600+ AED literally five times or more of what the actual price in the US was. I called some shops explaining what the issue was and most of them said they needed to take a look at the car, which is pretty reasonable but I just did not want to waste my time with shops that were not familiar with this issue. Since I was convinced this was actually what was wrong with the car I decided to order it from the US. (- NOTE: I am not advising you to just buy it, I would advise you to take it to your prefered shop to confirm this is the issue). One week later it arrived and just took it to the shop and told them to install it and voilà! I never hear the noise again.

That's a shame... I was looking forward on the next night-drive where i could follow your car with my eyes closed 😂

As we always tell everyone that never to go alone in the desert, it's because you need another vehicle help to pull you out if you are stuck unless you are ready to move the dune with a shovel. I have done that once when someone left me alone in the night drive. Good point @Fuad, to always go with bare minimum 3 cars, as two cars can get stuck too while recovering each other with a stuck rope and you need a third car and a second tow rope to fix the situation. I have an interesting theory to share for NOT going alone in the desert: When you are driving in convoy for X amount of drives or years and never or rarely got a stuck and this time you think you are ready to venture alone and on your first drive and within 1 km you get stuck. It's called Murphy's law - "Anything that can go wrong will go wrong". Naaaah. The reason why you got stuck because it wasn't your bad day but your subconscious mind telling you to not to do something all the time against your wish. This resulted in scary throttle, bad judgement, confused sand reading letting you stuck in a simplest of a dune or a crest, that you could have crossed in a blink if you were in a convoy with a peace of mind that you have few equipped cars behind you all the time. Conclusion: How to overcome this fear.....? Off course by not going alone in the desert, the simple and easiest one. OR learn how to fool your subconscious by saying that you have 15 cars behind you all the time.

You are always welcome to ask any questions and even challenge anyone's knowledge but with respect. You can start by reading these two advices first and then share your what you have learned.

@GauravSir i have found in couple of places in your above post, you have mentioned you need to have proper 4X4 and not SUV. Could you please elaborate more on that. Till date i thought or believed that their is no difference between SUV & 4x4. Advance apologies for asking such a basic question here. Just curious to upgrade my knowledge and educate myself on this particular topic. Disclaimer: Im not challenging or testing any of the member on their knowledge/skills. In fact i assume myself as uneducated/fresher on such topics.

Before i joined Carnity Off-Road, i went a few times into the desert behind our community, where on the weekend days and evenings it gets very busy and you see 4x4's and people BBQ'ing all around you. The dunes are small and if you don't do any crazy stuff there is not much that can go wrong. The small dunes however contains lots of smaller bowls and pockets so you need to be careful. But if you stay close to the road you drive around a bit and learn how your vehicle reacts. I've did some testing also over there to see the differences between 4H, 4HLC, 4LO, and different deflation pressures. This kind of stuff is a bit more difficult to do in a convoy. Google Maps Coordinates: 24°58'54.7"N 55°20'29.2"E Again, i will never encourage others to venture out in the desert alone, and i only did this on cooler winter days / evenings where i could always see people around me, and the distance to my house is only 3kms so worst case i could walk to the nearby road and have somebody pick me up there. On the other hand the practicing in that area gave me bit more confidence and when going into the sand with the club was less scary for me and i could focus more on the convoy behavior.

Sometimes it may be tempting, but... Who has tried the experience and how did it go ?

With the sudden change in weather, there is a sudden change in coming Friday plan Let's have an Intermediate level, fast pace afternoon drive with endless action, side sloping and ridge riding across the sandbox. From Fossil Rock - Camel Rock - Al Faya - Pink Rock - Big Red - Bidayer 31 Kms of pure fun in 4-5 hours When: 12 April 2019 Meeting time: 1:00 PM, the convoy will move at sharp 1:15 PM Where: Adnoc Petrol Station Maleha Road GPS Coordinate: https://goo.gl/maps/5eEfjiUgu8p Level: Strictly intermediate and above Type of Car: Any proper 4x4 with front and back tow hooks and 10 inches of ground clearance. Plan: Drive and enjoy till about 7:00 PM What to bring along: Snacks - whatever you like with little extra to share, water, liquids, smiles, stories, enthusiasm and willingness to learn. Approximate finish time: 8:00 PM Please RSVP on the below calendar.

This is not the issue of oversize tyre. This is a common problem with the Pajero after a desert drive. You had hit the front bumper and it has moved in a little. Since it's made of fiberglass you cab just pull it out. No point spending money in a workshop. If you plan do offroading i suggest to remove the lower plastic black lip (where you have circled). There are only two bolts and would help a lot

@Frederic It looks like you won’t need lights for our night drives...

Fantastic area with lot of nice rolling dunes. Expect a fast paced drive.

Yes, you need to use the flag on the car, while offroading for safety reason all the time. Morning and Afternoon are both independent drives and both are ON.

Absolutely brilliant. I saw some people on the edge for an intermediate level afternoon drive. Great initiative.

@Gaurav Thank You for proving me wrong sir. that was the good one though. I will ensure my prado will not weep or frown 🤞

I'm really sorry to tell you that you don't deserve Prado, just kidding. Poor Prado soul must be weeping down in the parking lot right now after reading this. Toyota Prado is one of the best and capable 4x4 in the market that comes offroad ready in a stock state. Going more on 4x4 differentiations: 4x4 have LOW gearing and SUV don't 4x4 have locking differentials (front, central and rear) and SUV's don't 4x4 have better suspension travel and SUV's don't Some 4x4 even have adjustable firm suspension for offroad and SUV's don't 4x4 have front and back tow hook and SUV's generally don't 4x4 have better ground clearance and SUV's generally don't 4x4 most of the time have better tires unlike low profile tires that come in SUV's 4x4 most of the time built on chassis unlike most of SUV's are unibody 4x4 gearing has better torque for a climb and towing that no SUV's offers 4x4 usually carry fewer gizmos and computers for better reliability than SUV's

Feel it is under SUV category. Hope im wrong on this.

Wow. Impressed by the quality & quantity of content we have in this forum. For me at least now i have an basic idea on differences with 4x4 & SUV. Just to clarify, Prado comes under which category?

I highly suggest to get quotes from 2 more places, I heard Yoko is/was running a promotion for 3+1 tire, worth checking with them. If I am in your place, I will opt for the original Japanese rubber if the price is not a barrier. Al Nahda Tyres and Rings Tr. LLC Al Nahda St Opp. Day to Day - Sharjah 050 980 8761 https://maps.app.goo.gl/oG137 Formula Tyres 06 531 8814 https://goo.gl/maps/F83jfrrtBKQ2

Those aftermarket cone filters that suck up the air from inside the engine bay are not advisable. A decent cold-air intake unit would be better and might indeed gain you a few horses, but then again it might not.... (depends on so many things). I am using a K&N drop-in filter which replaces the OEM filter in the original housing, but do not see much improvement on power. Sound is slightly more. I don't believe that K&N will allow more dust or sand to enter the engine, it is just a different type of technology in comparison with your OEM filter. But yes it needs maintenance and re-oiling after 20 to 30000kms. After every drive i clean out the air filter. K&N or OEM does not make a difference. I use the OEM and the K&N one alternately and that gives me time to clean and maintain it. Would i buy it again ? Maybe not, but then again i paid like 250dhs for it so it was worth the try.

I had been to the desert alone only once, when I had to take someone to shoot some sunset shots in the desert. I was in the Qudra lake area, and mostly took the flat track as much as possible. Kept it very simple and was also more relaxed once I hit the tarmac.

I have always used a OEM air filter for my Jeep. If you are referring to the cheaper after market ones then I would say definitely forget it, as you wouldnt want to take the risk of sanding entering your engine while offroading. Regarding the performance air filters, like K&N, they work with the principal of letting your car breathe easier, which in a way means that more sand can enter your engine. Also, there is a huge headache of cleaning the air filter after each drive as it gets choked with sand. The only person I know who is using a K&N air filter in our group is Gaurav, and I dont think he also feels there is a big difference compared to the headache of weakly cleaning.

Have been into desert alone few times and most of the time it doesn't went well. Mostly we wont take any chances while we are alone and always prefer the safest route which doesn’t feels good. i will never ever encourage anyone to go alone. Atleast 3 vehicles should be there with proper recovery gear.

I've been out alone into the desert for more times than I care to remember on a regular basis. But this was part of work for me when I was in that line of work. Infact when I started out I was mostly by myself 95% of those times have been incident free, but 5% have been everything from getting lost ( pre GPS days ) having a simple puncture to having been transferred to hospital via ambulance.

Unless there is visible evidence of sludge in the engine, which there shouldn't be if you have been doing regular oil changes with the correct oil, you will be wasting good money.

Only been to the desert alone 3-4 times without any incident. But I did try to avoid taking chances and the thrill is not quite there, just a fear. I have always enjoyed the company of like minded people for over 10 years and it is much more fun.

So, i have decided to come on friday, a friend will be joining me as a passenger. This will be my first chance at 4x4 in UAE so i will have lots to learn! I need to start with the very basics with tire deflating methods and how to stay in control off the road. See you!

Brilliant article ! *Al Qudra Lakes are a nice getaway, but can get extremely busy on the late weekend afternoons and evenings. Beware to take your GPS with you because as it gets pitch dark and as all lakes look similar it's very easy to get lost. Most of the trails are easy to drive on, but i've come across quite some areas where people got stuck, especially in the sandy parts between the road and the side entrance of the lakes. Many people that drive towards the lakes have zero to none off-road experience so you'll see many people getting stuck with 7 people in the car and no deflation done. * The Love Lakes are definitely worth a visit, especially on weekend mornings between 9 and 12 when it's still calm and peaceful. (ssssst... don't tell the others )They are easy to reach if you drive all the way up to the Last Exit roundabout, go left and follow the road direction Al Lisaili. Keep going straight for at least 3 roundabouts and then take a right where you will see the sign boards that will lead you to the parking of the Love Lakes. (most of this road is a sandy trail that goes parallel with the High Voltage Lines), it is a road that any SUV can tackle. Even 2WD would work but is of course more risky. Warning: Google Maps shows another lake called "Love Lake", but this is a wrong pinpoint: https://goo.gl/maps/nABTVGaT87q This location is NOT the Love Lakes, so do not look at the reviews of the disappointed people. *The Bicycle track has different lengths depending if you stay parallel with the main roads or go into one or more "loops" in the track. There are several loops within the track. Avoid taking these loops at night or when you ride alone; there have been reports/rumours of cyclists getting lost, or accidentally crashing into a gazelle or oryx. Some of these loops are close to the Maktoum Solar Park (24.740259, 55.322964). Novice cyclists could go on the Saturday morning breakfast ride that starts at the bicycle roundabout parking at around 6AM (depends on the season), they drive up to Bab Al Shams for breakfast, and then drive back. There are 2-3 groups with different average speeds. I would avoid using these tracks for a leisure ride with kids and the misses, as you'll be shouted at constantly to move over by the wannabe Lance Armstrong types . As we go camping often; the areas below the Maktoum Solar Park are fantastic and quiet. But don't venture out alone and go at least with 3-4 cars, and keep the nice spots for yourselves

78% nitrogen is all you’ll ever need. I put it in tyres every day and never had a complaint. Heck, I don’t even charge for it.

Today I decided to give a try to one of the recommended ways to solve this quite annoying issue that many Xterra owners know (at least the regular off-roaders) : to apply lithium between the leaves. I used this 20dhs spray bought at ACE. Basically, you have to lift the car (with the system that will let the wheels free), use a screwdriver to create a gap between the leaves and add the grease in between each pair + on the sides and different mountings. When we took the car down, the miracle had happened. Not a single sound ! I drove back home with my windows opened, crossed humps at good speed : no more squeaking. Now let’s see how long it will last but so far it’s working. Previously I had tried everything except taking off the suspensions and clean them : w40, diesel, placing a rubber between the leaves... None of those had any effect.

Hi Recently went for oil change and the mechanic advised me to use engine flushing oil to flush out deposit from the engine, I was not sure if its good or bad so i didn't opted for it. Need petrol heads advice on this so i can opt it during next change

Experts, i would like to know the pros&Cons of after market filters and precautions taken while installing it. @Gaurav @Rahimdad @Emmanuel

Would have loved to join guys! Unfortunately work commitments on Friday! Have a blast and enjoy the sand!

I also had the same feeling but didn't feel like saying after seeing your excitement

Definitely go for the flush next time. The miles are high so there might be some residue.

1000 Carnity points for this reply

What do you think......?

Thanks @Gaurav your map is correct. On the right side of the road along the way you'll find the signboard that will clearly indicate where to take your right turn.

Yes a cold air intake would enjoy much better in performance. Regarding the cone filter, check once on the legality and whether you can get your vehicle passed annually.

Thanks, @Frederic to help build this article more accurately with local resident feedback, really appreciate it. Please confirm if this is the love lake route through Tarmac you have mentioned? Yes, this requires little bit tweaking in Google maps to move the points around.

I would go with a cold air intake they already have the filter and will add more horsepowers to your car

I was preferring the Performance Dry Flow air filters preferably AEM for Pajero

Flushing oil is nothing but a very light weight oil. Better if you still must do it is the old mechanics trick of putting in a 1/4 liter of ATF around 100kms before you oil change is due. ATF has stronger detergents than regular engine oil and could help out in breaking those hard deposits and varnish build ups.

Working as an Electrical Engineer with MNC (Healthcare)

I love the aircraft bolts look... this reminds me of mad max

I have one word for this.... eww!

Hi guys. Can someone advise me on a good lightbar to buy ?? Im looking for something which is good reliable and is good bargain. My car is a land cruiser prado 2018 model

It was after my last desert drive. I think of going to some workshop to check.

So the morning drive is not happening anymore?

Another newbie question... do we need flags on the cars? When are these used? Many thanks.

What model and car mileage?