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Big respect to you @Srikumar and @Gaurav. I’ve seen the videos of traffic in Indian cities and it must take chromium clangers to drive through that. I would rather set myself on fire.

So that's a NO then, eh!

I will be driving a fortuner and I'm new to off-roading. I will make sure the tow hooks are fine

At the car inspection !

@Barry you surely need to travel to India. There drivers honk for every possible reason and even if the road is clear they still honk to just ensure that no one comes in the way.

Maliha - Kalba Desert is a very good learning ground for absolute newbies for their first time desert driving thrilling experience. If you have already driven in sand before then you can learn more from experts having decades of offroading experience in the UAE. This area offers a good mix of playable long set of dunes and broad ridge to test your off-road control. Drive will start with detail briefing, followed by 2 hours of driving in sand dunes and then break for refreshment over a feedback and assessment session for each offroader. After the break, we will head to the Fossil Rock enjoying the beautiful climb and amazing landscape of the desert sand and mountain in one place. The other side of fossil rock offers a picturesque view of vast desert from top of the mountain, making a perfect selfie spot. All first timer absolute newbie drivers will receive a detailed briefing before the drive starts to learn the basics of desert driving, techniques and etiquette. They will also receive the safety advise, recovery procedures, best practice and debunking the myth of desert driving. Newbie briefing will end with an individual advice on your 4x4 vehicle gearing, tire pressure, traction control and SRS options to enjoy your first desert drive thoroughly and safely. When: 24 January 2020, Friday Meeting time: 6:45 AM, the convoy will move at sharp 7:00 AM Where: Adnoc Petrol Station on Maleha Road GPS Coordinate: https://goo.gl/maps/ye28yTnTSYr Level: All levels (Absolute Newbie and Newbie). Type of Car: Any proper 4x4 with front and back tow hooks and 10 inches of ground clearance. Plan: Drive, train and enjoy till about 11:30 AM What to bring along: Loads of water, snacks, smiles, stories, enthusiasm and willingness to learn. Approximate finish time: 12:00 PM - (much before Friday prayer) Friday Prayer Mosque: Maleiha Mosque - https://goo.gl/maps/fqXy8Q5tmLck9jER6 MUST READ: First off-road drive checklist Off Road Driving - Roles & Responsibilities Off road Driving Etiquette's Off-road Convoy Rules Off roading - Everything you need to know Please RSVP on the below calendar.

I can’t speak for the whole of China, but the few major cities I was in it was very civilized. Hardly any honking.

I guess its something to do with size of population on any given road. In 1970-80 with few thousand cars in UAE, no one was honking here in Dubai and not much red lights were there. I'm in Dubai since 2000 and remember reaching Internet city in 10-15 minutes from Bur Dubai. Now with 5 million cars everyone at least honk here almost daily. Now imagine with 300+ million cars in India. @Frederic how is China? Do they also honk a lot?

They got a bad reputation in the past because of one bad series (pre 2007). After that, they seem to be dead-on reliable, and definitely more pleasing than these horrible CVT things.

Yes fewbie on same time, sri will be posting it shortly. Afternoon, I might post an Intermediate drive, waiting for the ministry of interior approval.

What are the strangest things you have seen on the roads in UAE? I recently saw a guy in a convertible Mercedes SL with a hookah burning away in the passenger seat. The driver was sucking away on the pipe, driving without a care in the world. Live for the moment bro?

I remember playing with this car in Gran Turismo. Once you had one of these no one was able to beat you. Packing 2 (that's right 2) 1,590cc engines. Each four-cylinder engine is able to deliver 450PS. It was built to function at its best for about 10 minutes. Below you can checkout a very detailed article about the car. http://www.speedhunters.com/2014/04/twin-engined-monster-suzuki-escudo/

I have seen people Stopping car for meeting and greeting or may be gathering for chit chat on the last line of roundabout without any issues. This is common in Alain. once we are on the last track,We are screwed.

Second one is the best answer, lololol.

Set the budget first, so that you end up with a fair comparison and not like many buyer start from 50k and then end up buying 90k car. Tiguan is compact SUV vs Touareg, so space wise Touareg wins. If daily kms fuel usage is not of big concern for you, I would suggest Touareg any day, being proven through the test of time unlike Tiguan or any other recent release. Also, Touareg is a VW flagship model, so chances of cheap material or timed spare parts will be far less. Last but not least, whichever option you buy, make sure its well serviced and if its with full dealer service history then its worth more in its value, so you can buy at premium (worth it). German cars are good for first 5 years in GCC, then next 5 years are totally dependent on how well they were taken care previously (not forgiving like Japanese and US marque).

Go for a Touareg with proper service history. They are great cars but lack of proper maintenance really kills them.

Go for the Touareg although not a big fan at all. Driven it a lot and not impressed with the drive feel or quality. Much better than Jap or Korean SUVs in the same class but nothing to write home about. Also it's been around longer and more common than the Tig so more bits and bobs around new and used and probably cheaper. But get the best one you can afford because like all German cars when they are running they are great but when they raise their legs up in the sky it can be a real PITA and you don't want to be buying someone else's lemon

Which year model you are eyeing and for what exact purpose will it be used? Of course daily drive (can't be off road) but how long you drive daily? Have you set the max budget yet? If not do that first before comparing.

Yup yup yup I remember this from GT on PS 1

Why I am feeling we gonna have a tough fight at Moreeb this year, oops next month.......!

I had heard before that Indian cars had upgraded horns because of excessive usage but I always thought it was an urban myth. Anyway, it's an old article but you learn something new every day. https://jalopnik.com/audi-is-designing-extra-loud-horns-for-india-5896859 It's borderline rude to honk at someone in Europe unless its an emergency and the roads are generally peaceful unless you're driving like a dick. I found it crazy when I first came here how much people honk at each other but its something you learn to ignore. If someone decides to have a mental episode and lose their mind and ruin their own day, that's their problem not mine. I'll keep driving nicely and not ruin my day.

I'm not really sure to be happy for Hummer (Iconic brand) come-back or be sad to be back in an electric avatar this time! Although it's still a story, but sound quite real and relate-able when they are preparing for super bowl commercial. https://www.caranddriver.com/news/a30473542/hummer-returns-electric-gmc-pickup-report/

Hi Need expert advice in buying used VW Touareg & Tiguan.

Ah this happens In Ireland a lot. 2 idiots decide to race horse and carts down a main road. The police are scared to touch them because “they’re an ethnic group”. Google irish traveller fights. They aren’t ethnic, they are a bunch of inbred hillbillies. Apparently if you’re inbred enough you are an ethnic group. Check out big joe Joyce on YouTube. I’ll dip my hands in petrol and beat the shit out of you. These people are the scourge of our country but the videos they post online offering each other out for a fight make the shame worth while

I've seen two horses in the middle of the road in traffic trotting away as if they are meant to be there P.S : not mounted police

Between 2014-2016 Daily i drive from SHJ to RAK - so it will be daily driver Budget is not set

@Tbone I have noticed you have signed up on both the Newbie and Fewbie drives. Which one are you attending? Accordingly please sign off from the other drive.

Hi @Rajeevan Vickneswaran, @Denver Martins, @Michael sammy, @Gawie Herholdt, @balaji0007 Welcome to Carnity Off-road Club. Could you please share the following details: Which 4x4 vehicle you will be driving? Do you have any previous offroading experience? Ensure that your front and rear recovery points (tow hooks) are in good condition.

Hello folks, I'm new to the UAE and looking for recommendations for good independent LR specialists in the Dubai area. Ideally the kind of folks who can actually still fix and repair stuff and not just fit new parts and charging arm and leg (the last service at Al Tayar came to a whopping 4K AED for a basic 65,000km service!). There is a knocking sound coming from the front suspension when applying brakes or going over speed bumps, and this is becoming progressively louder and more prominent. I suspect it might be worn bushings and need to get this inspected and repaired. Thanks.

Thanks Guarav. My Landy is a 2014 LR4 SCV6 Thanks desertdude

Oh yeah totally forgot about that. Now has gotten a Merc G Wagen all electrified

https://www.kreiselelectric.com/en/blog/kreisel-electric-and-arnold-schwarzenegger-present-the-worlds-first-electrified-hummer-h1/ Arnie got his Hummer converted to electric four years backs.

Too late to the SUEV ( just made a new word, maybe I should copyright it) game Rivian and Bollinger already there first

Found these two LR boys in business listing here:

Which LR is this and which year model? Depending on that I can advise that you actually need a LR specialist or not. I recently sold Range Rover Supercharged and my experience with Al Tayer was same as yours and when looking for minor service from LR specialist it become 2k instead of 4K. Having said you can still shave off lot of cost if issue is confirmed of bushing or mountings (I doubt), then you can get the original OEM parts from Gulf star with free delivery and get it change to any decent workshop near your area instead of LR specialist adding marking up 20-30% on parts and with double the labor cost.

Try Capital Auto in Al Qouz a lot of guys from the LROUAE go there and always have good things to say about them.

Posting images in the gallery but this line-up deserves to be on the drive thread too. Amazing turnout and wonderful drive. @Wrangeld your trip reports are awesome and like Rahim Bhai said, they paint the perfect picture for those who missed the drive.

Unfortunately I had to miss this one and will have to miss the two next drives as I have a professional training on Fridays till the end of Jan. Really looking forward to hit the sand again... (thanks for asking)

Is there a higher level planned for that day?

Allow RHD cars in Dubai, so I can buy actual Pajero EVO. Allow different engine swap, so we can have more fun without guilt. Allow all modifications (of course quality ones) so we can mod cars to our heart desire. I'm sure next day, they will fire me after those three changes, lol.

I came across same stuff, as people who remove, clean and reuse same fabric with new foam charges less as oppose to who use new fabric with new foam. So get the same quote from all guys to compare and ask them to show sample cars or car pics of the job they have done. If done by amateur, it might spoil the interior and it might sag again soon.

@Frederic and @Gaurav, Thank you for your input. I have read your response on that topic. The price I got over phone from 2 shops in Sharjah is AED 500-600 for complete cloth replacement. There is another shop which my garage guy recommended and he is asking AED 250 for the same job (not sure how he could offer it in half the price).

This sagging roof liner is VERY common in German cars and second common in US cars, I rarely seen this in Japanese cars. I had same issue with my Cayenne and took it to Sara Auto Care for proper job (1600 dhs) for alcantra replacement. You are lucky that its fabric and it will be lot be cheaper. I tried few DIY stunts of cutting open and spraying 3M glue, than using liquid paste fabric adhesive but none of them actually worked because the foam used inside has gone so bad that with touch of adhesive it simply crumble and fall inside the liner. If I put too much glue, big spots were visible from underneath and after 1 day it will sag again. It was a terrible idea for DIY and I wasted lot of time and money for experiment. Root problem is the foam used inside is not strong enough to hold GCC heat and that's why it decomposes after few summers. It was very very common in Porsche, VW, Merc, BMW as sara auto guys showed me several images of the similar job they have done.

If the headliner fabric came loose from its foam core, then you could indeed use a kind of 3M adhesive spray, but i am afraid it might bleed through it as mentioned in below topic. This seems to be a common issue with the previous Accord models too: https://www.driveaccord.net/threads/whats-a-good-way-to-fix-a-sagging-headliner.39011/

I think it would cost you approx AED 150-200 in Ajman to get it replaced. If you want to do it yourself this is a good video

@ Frederic, no sunroof brother; I have attached pictures now, you can see it. Its fully DRY and in perfect dry condition.

If you don’t care how it looks you can stick it with bison kit or spray adhesive. The advantage of using new fabric is that it’s clean. When you reuse old fabric it’s impossible to clean the old residue off so you will end up with little lumps and bumps where it was stuck.