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Hello Ppl! I am new to the forum; i just sold my first car - Altima 2011, which i purchased from at 2014. Now looking for a buying a car - something like a crossover. Generally, i am bit of a car enthusiast; generalist, don't have any brands preferences, a bit of interest on the science behind the technology and watch DIY car videos on YouTube. NO practical experience though.

Just looking at crossovers now, guess it's not counted as 4x4, nor would it be good for the car itself.

Welcome @Pradeep Rajasekaran to Carnity. If any interest in off roading than crossovers are out. You need a proper 4x4 for off roading.

I agree with @Barry- the types of fire extinguishers people keep in their cars are mostly absolutely useless, hence the quote from Gaurav's post. Moreover, once a car catches fire, it hardly matters what caused the fire, and debating the percentages of possible causes becomes a useless exercise. I have like @Barry seen cars catch fire, and in my experience, the only thing you can do when your car catches fire is to get out of it, and away from it as fast as you can- taking only your children with you if they are in the car. Doing something stupid like opening the bonnet to see what caused the fire only feeds the fire with oxygen, so don't do it. If the fire starts in the passenger compartment, and the windows are closed, get out, and shut the doors to starve the fire of oxygen. If the windows are open, get out, and get away as fast as you can- again taking only your children with you. In short, once a car fire takes hold there is nothing you can do to stop it, but Gaurav's post contains some good advice on how to prevent your car catching fire- except the bit about car fire extinguishers being effective against electrical fires. The only time this might be true is when you can actually see and reach the fire, which is not possible if the fire starts under the dashboard, for instance.

Car fires are no joke. Plastic, cloth, hot oil, fuel, the whole car can go up in a few seconds. Fire extinguishers are a waste of time unless you know what you’re doing with it. If you have a big fire in your engine bay don’t even think about opening the bonnet to put it out, the flames will come out around you. Even if you’re not going to use the fire extinguisher, take it out of the car with you if possible. If you can’t get it out, make sure everyone stays back and tell the rescue services. These things can go off like a bomb if they get hot. Sometimes it’s better just to stand back and let the car burn. That’s what your insurance is for. Don’t underestimate how flammable engine oil is. Sure, you can stick a lit match in it and it will go out, but try pouring some on a hot exhaust manifold to see what happens. Personally I wouldn’t hang around after an accident trying to grab personal things, just get the heck out of the car. In rallying, drivers work on the 5 second rule. So as soon as the car stops bouncing, you have 5 seconds to get your belt off, get out of the car and start running. Something work practising. Never throw water on a car fire either. The water vaporises when it something hot and turns to steam. The steam carries fuel and oil into the air which can turn into a fireball. Sand is always a better option. Fire needs 3 things to burn, fuel, oxygen and heat so if you can stop one of these, you can kill the fire. I’ve seen a lot of fires from my time in motorsports and I could write a 10,000 word essay on it but that will do for now.

After long wait seeing this feature in waze and sygic, finally google maps decided to show small real time speed icon on down left of screen today morning when I used after some time. Not sure since how long this has been added, but its pretty recent. Dr. Google, please add the road limit icon too on the right side like sygic did it very nicely, many years back. As many time we run out of options to guess from 80-100-120 and then fall on 60 road with photo clicked at price of 600 dhs.

Having a fire extinguisher in your car is good, but sometimes it's of no use if car catches an instant and uncontrollable fire. In that scenario, best is to learn - how to exit the burning car with all your "critical belongings" under 10 seconds. Here are the stats that show the percentage of each type of cause that is responsible for an uncontrollable fire. 49% - Mechanical failure or malfunction 23% - Electrical cause 11% - Leaks or breaks 09% - Unknown causes 05% - Catch fire from another burning source 03% - Accidents or rollover So in short, 83% causes of an uncontrollable car fire is because of an owner negligence and only 17% is beyond anyone control. So NEVER delay car maintenance, use cheap parts, ignore leaks / rattling / grinding noise again. Here are the 7 main reasons that can cause an instant and uncontrollable car fire and how to prevent it: Engine Oil: As much as buying the best engine oil for your car is very important, you should also pay equal attention to any engine oil leaks. Most of the car engines leak oil when they get older, as the rubber gasket inside the engine tend to stop work and ideally they should be replaced before the leak starts. It's always a good practice to inspect the engine oil leak under the engine and sump area to notice any spotting or dry leak stains at least once a month. If you see any stains in your car park, it's already too late and you should check for its severity and/or replace gaskets/hoses asap. Changing engine gasket is not cheap so if you are press for expenses, get it checked for its severity and let a mechanic or car experts advise you if it's safe to drive for a while. You should also check your engine oil regularly if you have done any engine tuning recently. You can also do the car engine compression test to find out the overall health of your car engine. If engine oil is dripping on the exhaust or on any other heated surface, then don't take any chances as it may ignite on your next drive and get it fixed asap or stop driving that car immediately. If you get the check engine light or see smoke from the engine hood, switch off the car immediately. Even a small engine oil leak can catch fire and that small fire can burn down the nearby high-pressure hoses that can result in an uncontrollable car fire. Coolant: As the name suggests, it cools down the engine internally that has varied temperature from 60 degrees to 1500 degrees at various stages. Engine coolant constantly circulates between the engine jacket and radiator. Thermostat work as a gatekeeper to let the coolant cool down in radiator to exchange with hot coolant that was running in the engine jacket. Even the smallest of a coolant leak is very dangerous, because first, it will spoil your engine within a few seconds and then burn the whole car down in minutes. If coolant quantity reduces or becomes totally empty then the engine won't be able to cool down and will blow the engine head gasket first, warp the engine head and then catch fire. Make sure to check your coolant level always at least once a week, and for off roading just before every drive. And you should know how to test car engine coolant. If there is a coolant leak, please DO NOT DRIVE to save from huge expense that comes from rebuilding an engine or risking your life. Always keep an eye on the heat gauge in the dashboard while driving and pull over the car if it rises above the ideal range. If the heat gauge moves up "little" in the slow-moving traffic and AC stop cooling and come back to normal on the highway, that means something is wrong in the cooling system and get it checked asap but still, you can drive with caution. Gear Oil: Any unusual behavior from the gear shifting with jerk or delay in picking gear or confused with downshift or upshift is a tell-tale sign of failing gear or gear oil. You should also read 5 signs to change your transmission for more details. As the first rule of thumb, get the gear oil and filter change to OEM specs and inspect the sump magnet for any metal shavings. Very fine shavings like a paste are acceptable but if shavings are like spikes then the gear is failing and it needs to be rebuild or change asap. And never believe on the myth about lifetime transmission fills. Continue driving with failing gear is extremely hazardous as it will heat up the gear oil more than its normal temperature. If the car is equipped with A/T light, you can still stop until it cools down, but if the car has no A/T warning light in instrument cluster then it will overheat and explode the weakest pipe or joints and catch an instant and uncontrollable fire under the dashboard. I have recently witnessed this scenario and we were unable to fire-fight instead of several extinguishers used and the car was fully burnt within few minutes. Fuel: One of the most inflammable item in your car and you should never ignore the fuel smell coming from any part of your car. The fuel system is completed sealed and pressurize so ideally not even a vapor can escape. In several occasion leaking fuel pump due to the bad gasket or leaking injectors can cause an instant and uncontrollable fire. If you spot any such fuel smell immediately switch off the car and let competent mechanic have a thorough look rather than taking a chance to drive back home or work. If the smell is coming from fuel cap, then switch off the car and wait for 10 minutes and open the fuel cap to release any excess fuel pressure (if any), occasionally this helps to some extent and then start the car and let it idle for 5 minutes to test. If you still smell the fuel, take no chance and put the car on recovery bed. Electrical: One of the easiest thing to fail and cause a fire is electrical wiring, fuses, relays, etc. Although most of the time the electrical fire is controllable by a car fire extinguisher, but if it happens near hot and pressurized hose then it will become uncontrollable very fast. A major cause of electrical failure is bad workmanship and running the cables from non-designated areas. Using educated electrician is very important to install new electrical components safely, be it off-road lights, winch, music system, amplifier, etc. If any additional cable has been pulled from the car battery then it has to have a certain rating to draw the required amperage load. Wrong or cheap cables will melt and may cause a fire. Such fire or short circuit is also traceable with the plastic burning smell and thin smoke. If you spot the plastic burning smell or smoke or both, immediately switch off the car and reach to your fire extinguisher. First and foremost check the switches, wire and electrical component that you have recently installed. Most of the bad workmanship fail within a few months or under extensive load, so you can doubt accordingly and go close to that switch, cable or component and smell the source. Switch on the car ignition and see if it again smell or produce smoke, then switch off the car and disconnect that component either from switch level or fuse or directly from the battery. Accident: Rare but possible, that after an accident you might damage some flammable fluid hose that can cause a fire. For safety reason, in case of an accident especially small ones, on which we always focus on the accident damage rather than the whole integrity of the car. You should inspect the car from all sides and look for any leaks or burning smell from the engine bay and under the car. If you spot any leak other than AC water dripping, don't drive the car until you figure out what has been leaking and is it safe for a short drive to mechanic or not. Ignoring any small leak, smell, smoke can cause an instant and uncontrollable fire as something under the hood must have been impacted and might leak or explode under the pressure if you drive again. Must read: The top 10 things to check after a car accident. Accessories: One of the first things to fail in your car is an aftermarket accessory, as many car owners buy the cheapest quality of car accessory for the sake of price only. If you are really lucky, it will simply stop working, but if not it can cause the other car component to fail to cause the fire or shutting off the car completely for smallest of internal short circuit. Always stay away from rock-bottom cheapest accessory as it might cost you the whole car. Go with a trusted brand, model and spec that has been proven in the market. Do your research before installing them, for what all additional changes/upgrades you should be doing to support that accessory. For example, if you plan to install 3000 watts music system with amp and woofer, battery upgrade is a must or at least test your battery. Same for additional lights or other electrical stuff that you plan to install. It's always best to discuss your build plan with car experts to seek the best advice like here: Help needed in car audio system selection. It's a prime example of how to research, discuss and then build any aftermarket car accessory that brings you great value and peace of mind for years. MUST READ: How to correctly use the Car Fire Extinguisher Types of extinguishers that are out there to stop a fire in your car

Superman is back from his vacation and invites all intermediate level drivers to sign up for this drive. It is going to be fast paced, fun and full of thrills as I have been missing in action for the past 3 weeks. Area 53 is the most versatile area in the UAE offroading scene, that offers beautiful tall rolling dunes with plenty of opportunities for side slopping, ridge cutting, and long hill climbs. Any Fewbie who have already had 15 or more drives is also welcome to join. We may promote few fewbie drivers to Intermediate level after this drive, if there driving skills are at par to match the pace. Promotions based on driving skill set is just the "one aspect" of the grading structure, they also need to follow other points: Level of drive: Fewbie+ and above When: 4 July 2019 Meeting time: 10:00 PM, the convoy will move sharp at 10:15 PM Where: Badayer Shops at Nazwa, before Madam R/A GPS Coordinate: https://goo.gl/maps/GMrTGmx4J5L2 Plan: Night drive through the Pyramids - Area 53 - Iftar bowl - Super Bowl (maybe) What to bring along: Evening snacks - whatever you like with little extra to share, water, liquids, smiles, stories, and enthusiasm. Approximate finish time: 3 AM Please RSVP the below calendar event

OR one can can use that big like clock thing right in front of the drivers face to check speed

THanks Gaurav, it sure has lot of interesting things.. the off road club and the events seems to be the best part, never been interested in that in the past, but just looking at the event details and planning and all that sounds fun.

ok then i am in. super exited!!

Welcome Pradeep, Im sure you will enjoy lot of car talks and debate and sometime just stupid car stuff As you mention, crossover do you have any specific use like mall goer with tons of boot space, 5/7 seater, more head room if you are tall etc.

There are many good things to learn. You dont need to learn this one believe me

Turkish is a tricky one for an English speaker because the some of the alphabet is different and the bits that are the same are pronounced differently. I can speak some phrases but I can’t read or write it properly. Same with Arabic, Hindi, Urdu, etc I just pick up things from listening to people but if you gave me a book in any of those languages I couldn’t read it. English, German and bullshit are the only things I’m fluent it.

A good friend of mine has a 2015 Pathfinder, in a recent talk he told me that the fuel economy is low in the car about 5 KM/liter.. i was quite shocked to hear that. Any real world experience in UAE? His usage is very low (30K in 4 years). I drove the car today and felt that it was not powerful in the lower gears; i felt that the transmission was sluggish and felt the rubber banding of the CVT. Can this be related to the low fuel economy? The Fuel tank is about half full and the car suggests that it will run for only 160 KM's. Can you provide inputs on this situation? The car is serviced only in Nissan; have tried complaining in the service center once and did not make a long term difference.

I have no clue about the crossovers, they don't interest me. However one of my favourites is the Honda Accord crossover. Just love the performance and reliability of the Honda.

Unfortunately CVT cannot be reprogrammed. The feel of the CVT is one reason for me not to go for a couple of my favorite cars. Thanks to test drives which saved me from this curse called CVT.

It's terrible to hear.. just curious, can this be re programmed or something?

Yup typical CVT even my rental 2018 Yaris felt this way at slow speeds. You let go of the gas and feels like the hand brake is on and creating drag and slowing down the car. Wouldn't roll freely like a regular transmission. Takes some getting used to. But in normal and highway driving fuel economy is out of this world. I would get above 600ks of pure highway driving on a single tank of gas which was full on 70. P.S the car was new with only 30k kms on it so cant say it was old and worn out and acting that way

Its fuelly app

Wow, what app is this? yes, you are right. the car usage is already low and his travel is only between the busy streets of burdubai and karama.. what shocked me more is the fact that the car drove terribly and felt so heavy. yes, thats there... was checking if the CVT thingy is creating a mess..

And how much are they going to charge you for it?

With suck little mileage in so many years I'm guessing he only does small traffic laden start stop runs. Which the can kill the fuel economy of even the best of them

The AJV8 is a super reliable engine supercharged or NA also being used in the 2006 and above range rovers and also easier to work on than the 6 cyl Bits as usual are slightly more than your avg econobox bit there are jag scrappies in shj that can help. Other than that the usual buy the best amd most well maintained you can afford. Although the XR-F is the sporty version and real sweet!

With a title like buying guide, I thought you already figured out on how to buy Jag XF and listing your inputs. Anyways which year and which engine size are you looking for? Which year model is preferable (Price range 30 to 40k) Check classifieds How many kms are ok to consider whilst buying a used jaguar xf Under 100K will be safe bet Any experience on the maintenance and spare parts costs? Very very very pricey to maintain in UAE being a British brand, and anyone touching will know that you have deep pockets Anyways Jaguar makes awesome looking cars and they have a class of its own. So if you are buying for a short time 2-3 years in that 30-40K bracket, then worth a shot. Don't plan to hold her for 10 years.

Fewbie+ yes indeed, you do qualify @Shamil.

i am not sure if i qualify for this pace or not. @Rahimdadbhai and @Gaurav bhai, since you both know my level, do advise if i am suitable for this drive

20 L/100 is def too bad for 3.5 liter NA engine. My 5.0 liter Range Supercharge give 14-17 L/100. My wifey 4.2 liter NA trail blazer gives 15-16 L/100. Is your friend always driving in stop and go traffic like in bur dubai, satwa, karama kind of traffic? Then it explains and if yes, ask him to drive once for long distance and measure the full tank reading before complaining to dealer, so that they have some meaningful data to look and analyze the problem.

I'll take your word for it, then.

They going to rebuild it. It will take 1 week and they are giving 90 days warranty.

I take the Jeep to Hoorani Gearbox Sharjah. Lets see what they will say. We going to learn tomorrow.

At the last drive while driving I encountered a rather nasty dune and hit my car nose down. The resulting damage was not pretty bad but now my bumper and bonnet are a bit off balance. I tried to look up a few garages on the website( I trust carnity’s results more than google) but can’t decide which one is the right choice. All I have to with the car is to put the bumper back in place. Please someone give me a good recommendation.

Example, below garage images shows the paint booth means they do denting and painting job. Get three quotes and see who seems better with pricing, timing and workmanship.

You can go to business listing -> general service workshop -> Filter with Dubai And pick the businesses that has more star and views from the listing page. Open 5 - 10 businesses and go through there pictures and if you like there outfit and it shows that they do denting / painting (in your scenario) then call them and schedule appointment to get estimate. After getting estimate, use Carnity reference to get special pricing (if it helps). https://carnity.com/business_listing/car-services/general-service-workshop?advanced_search_submitted=1&csrfKey=bc06bfd17dddf53727c2d0de69d29045&content_field_30[1]=Dubai&sortby=primary_id_field&sortdirection=desc&record_type=all&time_frame=show_all

I know 3 body shops in Ajman who do quite good work I just take them to all 3 for price then give it to the one who quote less...if you fancy a drive till Ajman then let me know....

Interested, but I have a dynamic schedule with work. The whole month July I wont’t be available on a Friday.

This is the part we always explain to every off-roader that start the tug softly first and then slowly increase the intensity, but it seems that male ego win over the mind (sometimes).

Dig dig dig or use a winch with great caution, supervision and teamwork to prevent the other side lifting up and also do constant shoveling after every inch of move, to prevent sand wall forming under the lower side of the car. Using a tow rope on high dune half way up is either fatal with a harder tug to roll the car or leave the second car hanging with the stuck rope with a softer tug. In such extreme cases you can half / quarter the rope if there is a room to play for second car or join 2-3 ropes where second car safely position himself and have area for back and forth for softer tug and constant shoveling under the tires.

And what do you do if the car is high and/or there is no place for a car to pull from behind or front? like stuck sideways half the way up on a steep and high dune.

I love learning useful phrases in new languages, but Google translate is useless in this instance..

Sorry, not excited, but cautiously optimistic!

I stopped getting excited or rather all senior here stopped getting excited for a reason, as whenever we say we are excited, that thing stall and hit on our face, lol. So, no matter we are very excited but we never use this word until drive finishes.

Thanks @Gaurav, clear now. I'm excited!

Ah the one in Deira is real close to my mates garage.Also drop at Car and Driver worskshop around the corner. They also always have a few interesting cars they are working on.

Any reliable workshops/service station fro Chevrolet cars? For regular service only. No repairs. Since this was one is closed. And it was highly recommended by @Gaurav. Where are you taking your Chevy now @Gaurav ?

Let few absolute newbie express there interest here and we will arrange one of the Friday early morning drive from 3 AM - 8 AM. After September until May, absolute newbie drives are always there every alternate week. Good question @Avinash Vora, looking forward to see you and other new faces on drive.

Al Accad in Al Quoz has closed last week too so I have to go to Deira to get BMW and Mercedes stuff now. Things aren’t good at the minute. Even the big boys are having a hard time.

When you’re learning a new language it’s best to learn the useful phrases first 😊

@Ren13 where'd you get that flag installed for the pajero ? And how much did you pay for it??