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As @Xaf says, a flag is as essential a piece of kit as the shovel that everyone should carry with them. For me, it's pretty simple. The flag is a safety item, it protects you and the people around you: so it's not something on which there should be any question about the investment - because if you get hit because someone does not see you, or lost because you cannot be found, the cost will be significantly higher. And, yes, it's quite frustrating stoping every 100 meters because a flay fell off. Refusals, stucks no problem, but because your flag pole is not the Burj Khalifah and became a wilted lilly: no. My flag is fixed on the car. Fullt time. Not that convenient when shopping or you need to put the groceries in the car - but it takes 1 second to set it up when I get to the desert. And one second to take down once we get back onto tarmac. This game is all about choices, of course. Not everyone can have a full time flag - but a full time anchor, yes. If it does not work, don't use it again and again. It's quite simple.

It was a workshop in DIP which I worked with them for one of my hotel project. So they did it as a gift. I have an extra piece with M8 bolt welded. If anyone has a flag with M8 nut in the pole, I can give it.

LED lights, much more complicated as we think. 2D till 8D nowadays, watt, amperes, Lumens, colours (white/ amber), Driving, Flood, Spots, Curved/ Straight. Brands, The higher end brands> €€€€, you pay for reliability, newest technology and compatibility. In a Baja race, the last thing you want, is that a light stops working. This what you pay for. Curved LED bars are in general more expensive than straight bars. (more expensive to fabricate). Colour, amber gives better visibility in fog and dust, this is why you see most of the Can-ams on Thursday and Friday evening in Badayer with amber lights. Lenses, Diffuse, spots, driving/ combo, all different lenses to spread the light to your needs. A light of a certain amount of lumens can be bright for short distance, but won't work for long distances et vice versa. Bars vs Spots, this is a preference, but with a few spots, you have the advantage of adjusting them to your needs, you can play with different lenses. For example the inner ones for long distance and the outer ones for short distance (cornering). A perfect setup would be a bar in combination with spots. So now comes my opinion. Ask yourself, what is the purpose of your auxiliary lights? - Is it for night drives in a group, or are you going to race a Baja, or maybe overlanding by yourself in the future? What I try to say with this, if your light stops working in a group, it will not be a big deal, you will get out of the desert safe. You could ask yourself if it is necessary to spend 4000 AED for a LED bar. - Where can you mount your LED bar, do you want to integrate them in the grill, on the roof, hood, or maybe few spots in/ on the bumper. - Look at other cars and ask other members where they got their LED lights and what they paid for it. Don't buy blind without any knowledge a bar. - There are bars with different lenses on the outside. If you don't want to go with a setup of a combination of spots and bars then this might be the bar for you. Welcome to the science of light.

@Tero Vallas I am sure when you visit this garage they will have a solution for you, just bring the lower part of the flag with you, so they know which thread size they have to make the adapter.

Congrats @Xaf and well written. This is exactly what is the true meaning of a community, where you give back what you have learned. You and Ale have grown at an astonishing pace. Just last December both of you were at the Newbie level and today have become Advanced and this despite almost two months of COVID lockdown. It just goes to show that with a thinking mind and commitment to the sport one can grow at any pace. And, the real learning starts now. I believe it's relatively easy to do things by ourselves, but to get the Newbies/Fewbie to do what we have in mind during a stuck or refusal is a challenge. It gives personally a lot of satisfaction to see fellow members grow to become such good off-roaders. Cheers

I have had a good experience with Toby's light bars available at Dragon mart and through their own shop in Deira Car Accessories side near Hyatt Regency. I had 3 friends I helped getting those lights, they are well priced, not cheap, and as per the feedback they have served well for over 2 years now for 1 of my friend and about a year and a half for the other 2. Hope this helps. However 24 inches means you are going to have it around the front bumper which will give you god visibility in front, if you are looking for a far vision it is better to have a roof mounted one atleast 50 inches.

Hi Matti, Every drive (and definitely newbie drives) will make you learn something. We have seen time and time again that offroaders who join and support the newbie drives learn the skill much faster. A testament to this is @Xaf and @Ale Vallecchi , but also @Jeepie and @Wrangeld, who join every week and give their support where needed. During the newbie drive you have a bit more time to learn to observe the sand, navigate, observe recoveries, and getting yourself accustomed to your car. Well deserved promotion !

Who says you will have 4-5 night drives....? lololol. 4-5 night drives every week X 4-5 months = 16-20 night drives every year. May, June, July, Aug, Sep

I recently bought a light bar for the TJ - knowing that the night drives are on the way and we needed something to replace the cute, but not so effective round spots that were on the car. I bought through Banggood (Chinese website). Not too expensive. Additional charge for the lighting loom, which in the end I did not use because we wired them up to the existing aux light switch in the cabin. Having tried them once or twice in the dark since then (a challenge because the curfew means we were not out after 8pm) they seem adequate. Like most things 4x4. You can go for expensive straight away and buy the 'best' but sometimes the best is not the best for your vehicle. The compromises we made here were that it needed to fit into the car in a way that did not spoil the looks, block the radiator or cause a lot of attention from the police because we are not running with them covered. And, of course, price. If in truth we are only going to have 4 - 5 night drives, an AED 6000 investment in lights felt too much.

I was about to write about it. 😁 I bought mine in carid.com - they have different brands and sizes. The brand I bought is called Lumen. A 30 inch bar goes for 900 aed, Including shipping. They are a bit pricey but they are very bright.

Ridgid and Baja designs are the premium brands, but they are quite pricey. I’ve heard the brand Auxbeam is decent, and looks more affordable. https://www.amazon.ae/Auxbeam-Waterproof-Off-road-Military-Equipment/dp/B00T9GBWYE/ref=mp_s_a_1_4?dchild=1&keywords=auxbeam%2Blight%2Bbar%2Bwith&qid=1590549166&sr=8-4&th=1&psc=1 Having the Chinese branded ones all year round on the car will limit their lifetime. That was one of the reasons I went for the magnetic pads.

Bumping up an old post. Just wanted to know some good LED Light bars that are available in the market at a reasonable price. I am in the look out for a 24 inch LED light bar, so some suggestions and recommendations are much appreciated.

Hi @Xaf it's good that you brought this up. Hope I'm not the inspiration for you to start this topic 😜. I had tried the above AOR suction cup and the Dragon Mart magnetic base ideas without any success (not to mention a loss of the magnetic base along with the flagpole at the end of a ride). Finally I heard about Marshal Motors garage through @Shamil that can custom make a mount according to the vehicle. Now my AOR flagpole fits there perfectly. It just costed me 100AED and one hour of my time.

I would not buy only based on the type of LED. A 5D would not necessarily be better than a 3D. You need to look into the Lumens delivered per watt used and the color temperature, I would get something with a color temperature between 5000K to 6500K. Less than 2000K: gives off a dim glow of light, similar to what you might find from candlelight; best for low-light areas where ambient illumination is welcomed 2000K-3000K: gives off a soft white glow, often yellow in appearance; best for living rooms, dining rooms, bedrooms and outdoor spaces 3100K-4500K: gives off a bright amount of white light; best for kitchens, offices, work spaces and vanities where task lighting is needed 4600K-6500K: gives off a bright amount of blue-white light, similar to that of daylight; best for display areas and work environments where very bright illumination is needed 6500K and up: gives off a bright bluish hue of light, often found in commercial locations; best for bright task lighting

Nice article below on this topic: https://keepsmilingpowersports.com/blogs/news/what-s-my-light Beware that as per RTA they should be covered when driving on road. Due to road noise and wear and tear, i chose to make them removable by mounting them on rubber magnetic pads and the cable goes to an outlet plug which I put in the engine bay. Takes me 5 mins to install or remove them and they stay in perfect shape. Mines are from Eyourlife, à Chinese Amazon brand. Probably still 3D from what I noticed, but nevertheless happy with the results.

Don't forget to plan before hand where you gonna stick it first as there is no meaning in getting a 50 inch bar and having a 24 inch space in the bumper....

Welcome to the COVID 19 "new normal" lifestyle with restrictions and precautions for everyone safety. Moving forward and respecting authorities guidance all desert drives will be done under strict control. No Gathering | No Briefing | No BBQ | No Eating Together | No Touching | No Hugging MUST READ: Not following these rules and precautions = Not allowed to drive. We are only allowed to drive through the desert, as we are driving on the road now. So we will only do the desert driving just by sitting inside our cars at all the times and leave the drive without socializing or coming close to each other. Just like before we like to continue our desert drives through out the year, but this time we need your immense support to understand the strict control and to help everyone follow them all the time. For members who are fasting, they can break their fast discreetly and convoy will be stopped during that time and until they offer their prayer. How to maintain "STRICT" Social Distancing Meeting point will be set slightly (100m - 200m) inside the desert track. So, that you individually deflate your tires on the tarmac before reaching the meeting point. While deflating tires, stop cars 10 meters away from any other car. Drive signup on calendar will be closed on Thursday morning by 9 AM. Convoy numbering and briefing will be posted here on this drive post before 6 PM on Thursday. All participants need to read & acknowledge the briefing by clicking "Totally Agree" reaction Switch on your radio when you reach the meeting point on the set frequency advised by the trip lead in the critical briefing here. Once everyone reach to the meeting point, everyone stay inside the car at all the times. Trip lead will do the roll call, convoy numbering recap, critical briefing over the radio. Any suggestions or issues will be discussed over the radio too. You can also speak to other members through the radio only. So please make sure that your radio battery is fully charged. Once all set, trip lead will start the drive as before. Refusal and Recoveries with Social Distancing Every drive will have 1 lead Marshal and 1 or 2 supporting senior members/crew. Whenever there is a stuck or refusal, only Marshal / Senior Member / Crew is allowed to handle the situation. Everyone else including the stuck car driver, stay inside the car - AT ALL TIMES. Marshal / Senior Member / Crew is only allowed to step out to access the situation and do the recoveries: They will wear mask and gloves at all times when they are outside their car. They will try to help self recover through the radio guidance. If not they will use required recovery gear and do the needful (shovel, tug or winch, as required). If at any time Marshal require help, then only you are allowed to step out by wearing face mask and gloves at all times. Drive completion and inflation Now, there will not be any gathering or sitting down together for food-break like before. Once drive is finished, after reaching the tarmac, everyone is requested to move away 50-100 meters before starting their inflation. For drivers having no compressor, can head to the near by fuel station. If drive is ending at a place where there is no fuel station near by, then trip lead will inform in advance so that drivers having their own compressor can join only. Now Strictly no more sharing of compressors, radio, shovel or any recovery gear, at any times. Mandatory things you require to attend the drive Face mask - at least TWO face mask is needed in case one get damage or fly away. Disposable rubber gloves - at least two sets are needed. Wear face mask and gloves at all the times, when you are out of your car. Carry plenty of hand sanitizer and object sanitizer (spray). Use your sanitizers generously, whenever you step out to help or recover. Sanitize your hands before getting back into your car. Sanitize your recovery gears, if you have used them. Fully charged radio - without any excuse - No radio = No drive. Shovel - Must for every car, to do little self recovery Safety flag - Must for every car, like before Compressor - If joining the drives that is ending far from the fuel station. Mandatory precaution that you need to take at all times Do not step out of your car UNLESS/OTHERWISE advice by Marshal / Senior Member / Crew. No shaking hands, hugs or touching each other. No sharing of food, drinks or recovery tools. If you are not feeling well, please stay at home and take a lot of rest. If you have travel in last 14 days, then please do not attend this drive. If you feel unwell during the drive, please let trip lead know so he can plan an early exit. Not more than 3 pax in a car and if all 3 aren't living together, then they should wear the mask inside the car too. Drive Details Level: Newbie and above - NO ABSOLUTE NEWBIE ALLOWED. When: 29 May 2020, Friday. Meeting time: 7:00 AM (SHARP - Without any exceptions) Action Plan: Morning drive till about 10:30 AM Meeting Point: Mahafiz - https://goo.gl/maps/n9Hfccra6uQaaGqh9 Type of Car: Any proper 4x4 with front and back tow hooks and 8-10 inches of ground clearance. What to bring along: Loads of water, snacks (for yourself), smiles, face mask, rubber gloves, enthusiasm and willingness to learn. Approximate finish time: 10:30 AM End Point: ADNOC Station - https://goo.gl/maps/hGg82AoRqUjn73WA8 LIMITED SPOTS AVAILABLE: Limited to 12 cars only. RSVP will close on Thursday - 9 AM. 1 Lead Marshal + 2 or 1 Senior Members + 9 or 10 Members. If the RSVP is full and you wish to join, please mention your name on the drive thread to add on the waiting list Latecomers will be returned back - without ANY EXCEPTIONS. Members without RSVP will be returned back - without ANY EXCEPTIONS. Please withdraw your RSVP, if you aren't joining, so your spot can be taken by others. Repeated no-show members after RSVP will have their account suspended for a month. PLEASE RSVP ON THE CALENDAR

A sincere request to not venture out to the desert or Wadi alone. Also a word of caution to anybody heading towards the wadis during the rain, it is very unsafe due to the threat of flash floods. https://m.khaleejtimes.com/uae/sharjah/video-four-people-found-dead-in-sharjah-as-floods-swept-wadi

Man what a messed up cooling fan system you car has a hybrid of electrical and mechanical. Well if it is working variable now that means it's fixed. I just lightly skipped through the video and it says engine is close to overheating and 265F which is almost 130C so 105C is well within normal operating range. Also at 100kph 115C seems normal to me. Fan shouldn't be working anyways at this speed because radiator is getting cooled by ambient air passing over it. Engine fan is it there to provide extra airflow it when your car is stationary or moving slow and not enough is air moving through the radiator. Because a mechanical fan robs quite some horses from the engine so moving at highway speeds is just adding extra stress on your engine if it is also turning the fan. AC switch has nothing to do with this. It controls the condersor fans which helps the AC cool. If you AC is cooling fine then there is nothing wrong with it. BTW is you temp needle going up when it's all 115? Car gauges are calibrated to show normal temp between the entire range of normal operating temp. For example it would show normal from 80 all the way up to 125. Because that range is considered normal engine operating temp Because of it didn't your needle would always be dancing up and down. Because when you stop tem starts to climb when you start moving it starts to go down when you push your car it starts to go up again. As you might have seen in the obd readout

American's of Carnity

Congrats @Xaf. Very happy for you and truly well deserved.

There was a qualifier there ... IF ... Yes, I intend to get full use for my investment.

Thank you for producing this good video brief.

My 2019 Prado came out with (light) flag and hole in roof rail.

Congrats @Ale Vallecchi it has been an absolute pleasure driving with you guys. I addition to being a good driver, you bring so many ideas to the table. It's wonderful to see such contribution both during and after the drive. Cheers.

Thanks Xaf. I really appreciate your comment. You're too kind. Yes, the FJ is stock. And I did have a problem once with my front right shock, so that's why I try to take it easy, especially on bumpy patches. I figured that before I put some money in the car (and will for sure, at least for the shocks) I ought to learn how to drive it. Plus I enjoy my drives so much that sometimes i prefer to relax and look at the dunes, before attacking them 😊. I guess I like to show them my respect. But as you said, driving styles should be different and yet compatible, so that everybody can learn from each other, as we have together in the last few months. Thanks again, and congrats to you as well. Your love for flying shows also in the desert ✌

Must watch before the drive

Must watch before the drive

Nope. It's only to show you're an offroader.

Its the type of lens that spreads the light generated by LED Cree bulb. So as you move from 3D to 6D a small Led bar would generate more light spread than a lower number LED light bar. In Toby's i recently saw a single line 24" or 32" (dont remember the exact size) 6D light bar which generates the same amount of light spread as my current double line 52 " 5D led light bar. But before buying check where you plan to mount the light bar in your car and get the desired measurements and then go shopping. Also, get a proper wiring with a switch + fuse installed

It's only brightness is the main difference and that itself MATTERS a lot I got a dinky light for below bumper (maybe 3D or 4D) without knowing this and didn't felt any big difference. Then I got the 6D for the top and that made a huge difference that I can see 100-200 meters clearly

Try the Toby shop in Dragon Mart. Apparently Toby is a good brand and they sell all kinds of light bars at reasonable price. They also have a shop in Deira market opposite Hyatt Recency near Naif Road.

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

Hello everyone, I had an overheating problem last friday on desert drive. So I took the car to workshop and I want to get your opinions before I give a green light for any work or replacement. There are two things I realized so far; 1- Blowing Noise When I usually give gas or accelerate, I hear a loud blowing noise along with the engine noise coming from the fan. I assume, it is because the fan is working on a high speed. However sometimes it stops doing that. So the fan working on low speed I presume. I recorded a video when it stops giving that blowing noise. The technician says, one of the cable in the sensor was cut (I believe the one ECM uses to read speed of fan) Therefore fan was working in full speed all the time. He says he repaired the cable and it varies now.... Might be true but I'm still not satisfied with the answer. Because sometime even the engine is hotter then usual -say 105 degree-, blowing noise doesn't come... It should work with max speed at that heat shouldn't it? 2- Increasing Temperature on Highway I had a test drive with the technician and OBD connected. After half an hour while I was driving with 105km/h with AC on, heat gauge started to raise up to 110degrees. At that particular time readings on OBD were; - Engine RPM: Somewhere around 2000rpm - Desired fan speed: 840rpm - Actual fan speed: Close to desired fan speed. 840rpm for fan is almost the idle speed for fan when the AC is on. That is strange. Technician says, he needs to change fan clutch and AC pressure switch. I am not very sure changing these 2 things will sort the problem. Can anybody tell me whether this is true or not? BTW; there is no fault code on OBD regarding fan at all. WhatsApp_Video_2020-05-27_at_11_50_34.mp4

Welcome to the COVID 19 "new normal" lifestyle with restrictions and precautions for everyone safety. Moving forward and respecting authorities guidance all desert drives will be done under strict control. No Gathering | No Briefing | No BBQ | No Eating Together | No Touching | No Hugging MUST READ: Not following these rules and precautions = Not allowed to drive. We are only allowed to drive through the desert, as we are driving on the road now. So we will only do the desert driving just by sitting inside our cars at all the times and leave the drive without socializing or coming close to each other. Just like before we like to continue our desert drives through out the year, but this time we need your immense support to understand the strict control and to help everyone follow them all the time. For members who are fasting, they can break their fast discreetly and convoy will be stopped during that time and until they offer their prayer. How to maintain "STRICT" Social Distancing Meeting point will be set slightly (100m - 200m) inside the desert track. So, that you individually deflate your tires on the tarmac before reaching the meeting point. While deflating tires, stop cars 10 meters away from any other car. Drive signup on calendar will be closed on Thursday morning by 9 AM. Convoy numbering and briefing will be posted here on this drive post before 6 PM on Thursday. All participants need to read & acknowledge the briefing by clicking "Totally Agree" reaction Switch on your radio when you reach the meeting point on the set frequency advised by the trip lead in the critical briefing here. Once everyone reach to the meeting point, everyone stay inside the car at all the times. Trip lead will do the roll call, convoy numbering recap, critical briefing over the radio. Any suggestions or issues will be discussed over the radio too. You can also speak to other members through the radio only. So please make sure that your radio battery is fully charged. Once all set, trip lead will start the drive as before. Refusal and Recoveries with Social Distancing Every drive will have 1 lead Marshal and 1 or 2 supporting senior members/crew. Whenever there is a stuck or refusal, only Marshal / Senior Member / Crew is allowed to handle the situation. Everyone else including the stuck car driver, stay inside the car - AT ALL TIMES. Marshal / Senior Member / Crew is only allowed to step out to access the situation and do the recoveries: They will wear mask and gloves at all times when they are outside their car. They will try to help self recover through the radio guidance. If not they will use required recovery gear and do the needful (shovel, tug or winch, as required). If at any time Marshal require help, then only you are allowed to step out by wearing face mask and gloves at all times. Drive completion and inflation Now, there will not be any gathering or sitting down together for food-break like before. Once drive is finished, after reaching the tarmac, everyone is requested to move away 50-100 meters before starting their inflation. For drivers having no compressor, can head to the near by fuel station. If drive is ending at a place where there is no fuel station near by, then trip lead will inform in advance so that drivers having their own compressor can join only. Now Strictly no more sharing of compressors, radio, shovel or any recovery gear, at any times. Mandatory things you require to attend the drive Face mask - at least TWO face mask is needed in case one get damage or fly away. Disposable rubber gloves - at least two sets are needed. Wear face mask and gloves at all the times, when you are out of your car. Carry plenty of hand sanitizer and object sanitizer (spray). Use your sanitizers generously, whenever you step out to help or recover. Sanitize your hands before getting back into your car. Sanitize your recovery gears, if you have used them. Fully charged radio - without any excuse - No radio = No drive. Shovel - Must for every car, to do little self recovery Safety flag - Must for every car, like before Compressor - If joining the drives that is ending far from the fuel station. Mandatory precaution that you need to take at all times Do not step out of your car UNLESS/OTHERWISE advice by Marshal / Senior Member / Crew. No shaking hands, hugs or touching each other. No sharing of food, drinks or recovery tools. If you are not feeling well, please stay at home and take a lot of rest. If you have travel in last 14 days, then please do not attend this drive. If you feel unwell during the drive, please let trip lead know so he can plan an early exit. Not more than 3 pax in a car and if all 3 aren't living together, then they should wear the mask inside the car too. Drive Details Level: Newbie and all above - NO ABSOLUTE NEWBIE ALLOWED. When: 29 May 2020, Friday. Meeting time: 4 PM (SHARP - Without any exceptions) Meeting Point: Tawi Nazwa Farm: https://goo.gl/maps/zL4pr8XAuFF4BPCx5 Type of Car: Any proper 4x4 with front and back tow hooks and 8-10 inches of ground clearance. What to bring along: Loads of water, snacks (for yourself), smiles, face mask, rubber gloves, enthusiasm and willingness to learn. Approximate finish time: 7PM End Point: 2nd December Cafeteria https://goo.gl/maps/7yJRP9Q73Y9kM1mY6 LIMITED SPOTS AVAILABLE: Limited to 12 cars only. RSVP will close on Thursday - 9 AM. 1 Lead Marshal + 2 or 1 Senior Members + 9 or 10 Members. Latecomers will be returned back - without ANY EXCEPTIONS. Members without RSVP will be returned back - without ANY EXCEPTIONS. Please withdraw your RSVP, if you aren't joining, so your spot can be taken by others. Repeated no-show members after RSVP will have their account suspended for a month. PLEASE RSVP ON THE CALENDAR

Very sad to see. This has been mentioned time and time again but unfortunately still these things seem to happen.

I have the Hanma lights from Dragonmart too, paid 450 AED for a 22 inch light bar which is mounted on my front bumper. Along with some side mounted flood lights for 270. Both came with a 2 year warranty. They run beautifully!

Hello, I have previously joined to newbie level off-road drives for 3 times. However, I am new member in Carnity so my participation is not allowed to this drive. I have all necessary equipment and familiar with the rules. Also, I joined 1 newbie and 1 fewbie drives with Carnity already, as being guest in my friend's car. Can I join to this drive?

congrats Matti! Matti in Dutch slang means friend

Thanks Gaurav, have registered for Mahafiz - Sharjah. But the event says no Absolute Newbie, hope thats ok ?

There are three newbie drives, please join them fast before they are full Al Qudra - Dubai Mahafiz - Sharjah Tawi Nizwa - Sharjah

Congratulation, you deserve it @Ale Vallecchi

Thanks for sharing your experiences, these are valuable. Makes me thinking of returning the products and trying something else, which you guys have suggested in this forum. I think I begin to focus already now, without driving with flag any single meter, whether flag mount stays on or not. That's for sure wrong point of focus. It just makes you vulnerable to driving mistakes. I am driving Prado (2020) without roof rails. Any good ideas to fix the flag to Prado ?

For some people it works, with others it keeps falling off. Thats why I started this topic, to share the experience....

Thing is there is no one size fits all solution here, specially since most SUVs now come without gutter rails which I personally used a long flexible CB radio antenna with a gutter mount clamp base. I had success with a double suction handle from dragon Mart ducttaped with a similar antenna. But I didn't it didn't look cool enough to me so stopped using it. More SUV have roof rails or hidden under plastic tabs locks to mount roof rails so people should be looking for ways to do something with those

@Foxtrot Oscar welcome to your own individual ID. Dr @Chaitanya D congrats on your new desert toy. Welcome to club X.

Thanks gaurav and sri We gonna need these for upcoming night drives....

@Srikumar can you explain some basic differences between 3D 4D 5D & 6D ??