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My First drive (as driver) with Dr. @Chaitanya D Although I have attended some fantastic drives lead by Dr. Chaitanya, it is my first time to have been on the drive as a driver and it was even more thrilling...☺️ The drive was around the pink rock to bumpy🤪 big red area. Along with its technicalities and super soft bowls, it was even more challenging today as the area was just so churned up because of the previous long holiday and altogether made the experience bumpy but still so amazing😄... Thank you so much @Chaitanya D for your super lead...👍 Special thanks to our sweep @Vanessa8580 ...we were so happy to have you today..☺️ Thank you to our great second lead @Islam Soliman and also to our CF @Yousef Alimadadi ... Well done to the whole team...see you soon...

If you intend to lift the vehicle in the desert, you'll need a floor Jack, as a bottle jack is not stable enough unless you weld it on a kind of platform. When buying a 2T floorjack go for the JZX brand available in Dragon Mart or the YATO brand from Speedex. You will only be lifting a portion of the car so a 2ton jack is sufficient. A 3ton is of course better and more stable but extremely heavy to take in your car and carry it around in the dunes.

Trip Report: Driving to the starting point itself was quite an adventure as it was very foggy with very less visibility , especially after exiting off Al Ain road. Thank you every one for turning up on time and starting the drive as scheduled. We drove along the sabkhas to enter a slightly technical terrain , with very poor visibility. But as it was getting brighter by min it was very much manageable. All did well here to get into the long range dunes of Faqa where we started some nice side sloping and ridges. It was here that one of the cars had a pop out in a soft bowl with poor access to the chassis and the LCA covered by the tire. We tried out bit to sort it there ,which was not working as the jack was not lifting the tire enough. Had to pull it out onto a flatter area where it could be fixed easily. Thanks to @Luca Palanca Falsini for doing this perfectly and safely. Even though the tire was fixed but it was found to be leaking along the rim edge and after a chat with the driver, we decided to exit. Driving back we had few refusals which were sorted quickly and some tugging needed as we entered technical terrain again. While doing this the tire with pop out was maintaining the pressure and hence it was amended to continue the drive, but with caution that at any point there is an issue then the exit would be tricky. Thankfully it was all fine till the end, and as a lead some decisions are always tricky. Personally I/We never wish any driver who signs up would exit for things beyond anyone's control, until it is under control. We did out bit going back into the long range dunes that Faqa has to offer, skirting along AD border and winding back onto the Sabkhas taking us to Solar park exit. For the time we drove, it was fast ,exciting and with lot of long ridge rides which was the best part of this eventful (If I can say) drive. You all showed great control of your cars , even for first timers like @Rizwanm2 who did really well. We exited after a slightly longish drive , exercised our driving capabilities in some terrain which had everything on offer . Most importantly we went all in and we were all out safely. @Tamas Hoffmann excellent second lead and well managed to get out of refusals. You were quick to respond for my rerouting advises which was great @Rizwanm2 did wonderful for his first IM drive. You will only get better as you drive more and stick to basics. Well done @Nizam Deen did well except for some instances with refusals and some needed tugging. You have a great car to drive and conquer terrains @Mehmet Volga loves this area - Lisaili/Murquab and Faqa. Never seen him shy of signing on these drives and it was great to have you this time. Well driven my friend @Tero Vallas again gets better quickly and it is indeed a treat to see how well you were driving. Even after the Liwa drive, your enthusiasm was nothing short. Fantastic @Anish S surfed his Pajero , great control in all areas and hardly any issues. Well done buddy @Luca Palanca Falsini quite impressive how quickly you have mastered off-roading and recoveries even in tricky situations. Thanks for all the help you offered @Jorge Stepniak Felippe, @Jun Zamora and @Jeandre Bezuidenhout - the wrangler boys, hardly heard on radio and absolutely no issues. Great to have you on any drive - full of energy, enthusiasm and involvement. Special thanks to Jeandre for a perfect sweep. At some areas I was driving exactly behind you after taking a loop and it was great to see you handle perfectly even on churned tracks. We at Carnity advised you all to have ABS /Traction kill switch on IM drives as it is very important in soft sand. Please disable your airbags as even on slightly higher side inclines your airbags (especially the side or curtain) can pop out . Get your tire pressure set to a level which is suitable for your kind of driving and your car dynamics. If you are not sure ,start with 15 PSI and go down . The quicker you get to the correct pressure for yourself , you will start enjoying the drives more than fixing pop outs. While this is all great learning and a must for any offroader, we can get better every time as we all try to do the same. Enjoy your week at work, Cheers!

@Veedooshee simply put for your first drive as FB+ , you were in total control . Getting out of refusals in some churned bowls and climbing big red were awesome. Way to go 👍

I had an amazing time and I was glad I joined last minute. I really enjoyed the drive and you are a great lead @Chaitanya D It has been a while since a drove a fewbie plus so I really needed to stretch my legs 😁

@Emanuel @Desert Dweller @Islam Soliman pictures in the gallery @Tero Vallas @Mukundan Nair @Nivin @Kailas @Luca Palanca Falsini @Heisem @Craig Finlayson @Foxtrot Oscar

Yes indeed it was fantastic morning and joy to see how helpful Carnity is helping not just the convoy but someone strange in the desert. Thank you for making that decision @Chaitanya D and everyone. As for drive as always it has been pleasure for me and my kids to be part of this community. We had great day full of fun. See you 🔜 on the sand

Amazing drive day with amazing people Dear friends it was an absolute delight , pleasure and honor to drive with all of you today. Such an amazing day with an amazing people full of energy and life thinking of the other with passion and care. A determined spirit to learn, explore and achieve safely. This is a real enjoyment. Dr.Chaitanya @Chaitanya D you were born to lead and you have earned our hearts so humble and considerate to the other. Thank you for the amazing day we shared all of us together. @Islam Soliman This is the third or 4th time we drive together and in any position you were be it sec lead , CF or sweep you have been always the man. Well done today. @Yousef Alimadadi we communicated on the forum but it was great pleasure to catch up today. Flawless golden ring connecting the front and back. @Vanessa8580 thank you for the marvelous sweep with the big blue sweeping the whole convoy that you spared no effort to help and advise. every one did very well and if I want to say something about my self I really loved being in the back stretching my X to navigate such terrain 🚙😎 Until next round enjoy your week and see you soon again in the desert. cheers 👍💪🙏🏻🚙

Thank you for always being so energetic and enthusiastic, it is totally felt on the drive...😊

It was indeed great you and everyone on the drive enjoyed it. Your presence as sweep helped me to enjoy my lead, and when one enjoys what one does it always gets better. It was fantastic to watch you climb to the top of all dunes at big red .

Trip Report: Foggy mornings and cool weather is a perfect prelude to start your joy ride, especially in Tawi Nazwa/Pink Rock/Big red area. We gave about 15 min extra time considering the fog and the darker situation with poor visibility. All drivers arrived well in time and ready to go. We did a quick debrief and started our foggy drive with lights on. Thank you Vanessa for the numbering and radio checks As soon as we started to enjoy the light getting better and the dunes becoming more visible, I heard a car honking and driver waving at me. We drove towards him and he was seeking if we could help as his friends car had a tire pop out from what I understood. Driving towards the other LC which was crested- probably revving and doing sand splashing, the tire was not popped out but ripped off from the wheel. We had a chat and decided to help them, which is something we all at Carnity are never shy to do. I tugged the car out onto flat and we all changed their tire in quick time, thanks to everyone for the amazing team work. After spending some time here , and the light getting better we continued our drive towards pink rock. Quickly getting onto the top, playing there , before we had four cars in a super soft bowl considering the long weekend churning all tracks. Ashok , and Veedoshee did some amazing self recovery and maneuvering to get out of that bowl. Thanks Vanessa for some fantastic advises , and Islam for tugging me when I got stuck trying to see what was happening. We drove around pink rock, headed towards Big Red which was in and out of bowls like a roller coaster, bumpy of course considering the million cross tracks. Everyone drove so well here that there was absolute Radio silence for almost 45 to 60 min before we took a break. We were at Big red in decent time safely, and played here doing climbs, tall sides and some criss crossing. You all drove really well that we could make it to Big Red ,even after losing time at the start. @Islam Soliman was a perfect second lead, awesome team man and a perfect tamer of his beast Yukon. Great to have you on any drive and thanks for all the support. @Ashok chaturvedi much improved , great driving in and out of bowls. You did really well to oscillate, get momentum and out of the soft bowl at Pink rock, great work Sir @Veedooshee for her first FB + was simply awesome. Great control and some great self recoveries, very energetic as always and full of enthusiasm. @jodha singh shekhawat you have a great car which can be pushed further safely as you get more used to it. You did really well without any issues and sticking to basics.Well done @Yousef Alimadadi did a great job as center forward, and there weren't much instances where he had to come out to shovel /tug. Thank you for all the support. @Abu Muhammad driving a controlled monster was seen having a great time, especially at Big red. I absolutely love the roar of the V8 climbing the dunes and ruffling sand. @Piotr Kolodziej enjoyed the dunes approaching big red area. Controlled driving and maneuvering, considering he was at the back.Well done buddy @Mohamed Seidam did great being at the back of the convoy. Some nicely managed self recoveries , fantastic communication and acknowledgement. Climbing Big red on the X was a treat to watch, well done @Vanessa8580 was late addition to the drive as support , and I must say she was amazing at it. Always getting in quickly to help and advise anyone who had an issue and great to see the energy you bring on any drive by your presence. Thank you so much. @Lucky sAm and @Tariq Carrimjee you missed out on a great drive, but hope your issues are sorted. Take care Enjoy your week at work, to come back again next weekend. You are advised to apply for promotion if you have completed the required drives and have the necessary gear for the next level. Cheers!

Perhaps a bit taxing as I decided to drive with Ajay Shekawat (he has acquired a jeep but landed in Frederic group) we drove near all the night starting from Dubai at 1 am. On reaching Liwa we kind of slept for 1hour+ in the car only. It was an awesome drive quite challenging at times. My Pajero is tiring and shall be replaced yet it managed as much as it could. What amazes me is the expertise and energy of Rahimdad sir, I think he can drive even a boat in the desert.. he actually took the wheel once and drove my car in situation I found absolutly requiring a winch. The drop in temperature has made the sands powdery loose and cars simply sink flat to the belly. Our lead and support were fabulous always ready to help out. Thanks everyone and look ahead to be on the drives with you.. God bless and be safe.

It's been a pleasure to see how you drive and have been constantly getting better , well done 👍

Wow what a nice report of the drive .. looking forward to some good drives with @Chaitanya D Dr ...in this lovely season

As @Frederic mentioned in the desert the bottle jack is very narrow and does not give a good base, very unstable. Thus a floor jack of 2 tonnes should be sufficient. You are not going to lift the complete 2.5 tonnes at any given time. But make sure you're on as flat a surface in the desert before jacking the car and get a jack board as your base.

I have noticed this black pan takes significant scratches from off roading. While we all advise and use the front bash plate , once we start doing more offroading its better to install a transmission protection plate also (basically an extension of the front bash plate to cover this black ATM cover and further ). Generally it is advised for wadis, but safer for sand driving too

If its leaking better get it change soon, if not its completely depending on the bump size. Many car ATF sump has edge bumped, its normal. If its too big bump then its critical to change as it will reduce the ATF required quantity. Magnetic strips or circles are loosely placed on the sump bed to hold any metal shaving that has absolutely no co-relation with bump or its size.

Chaitanya, sorry I had a tyre puncture. Tried filling air, but seems valve is damaged. Was fine till last evening and today morning again the air had leaked. Sorry for the same. Tariq.

@Chaitanya D I am extremely sorry to say can not join today's drive, I have got some medical emergency.

@Craig Finlayson awesome pictures , I liked the night camping setting colors 👍

Thank you Carnity for providing newbie such as myself opportunity to be able drive in the Liwa dunes. The drive helped in many aspects such as planning for such long haul off road drives for me and preparation that went into participate. Qudos to all the members of the convoy as they supported each other in the drives. A big thank you to the marshals and the senior members- @Srikumar @Vanessa8580 @Pancho, V of the convoy who were the safety net and instilled confidence in us that we could do it! Again, got to learn a lot about my own driving, the desert, the car and people. The final ascend to the top of the Moreeb dune which challenged us mentally, the skill and the machine, rewarded us generously with confidence and sense of achievement! Besides the driving also 1. A new place added to my list and probably one on the top for a re-visit 2. Learnt about possibilities of camping in the desert.

Alhamdulillah ‘ala salamatik ya akhee @Zed. I am sad to find out about this and also I thank you for sharing your experience so we can all learn and let this be a lesson for me first and foremost so we should listen to our leader’s advise before things go bad at least try our best InshaAllah. Once again Thanks Allah azzawajal that your are okay which is most important.

What an incredible experience this was. I was only a passenger to @Desert Dweller 's second lead and could see how difficult this terrain was. One small slip and you were in danger of being trapped in one of the many huge bowls with the softest sands. It is to @Emmanuel 's great credit that none of us fell victim to this unforgiving monster of a desert. It is even more exceptional when you consider he must have been exhausted after @Craig Finlayson kept him awake all night crying because he was scared of the dark.

My Prado is is around 2.5 ton and comes with a bottle type jack. Do I need to have a floor type jack and does it have to be over 2 ton rating? I notice that the 2 ton floor jack is advertised most frequently and is also compact compared to the 3 ton one. In addition, as I don’t intend to lift the whole car but rather a portion of it, is the 2 ton one sufficient or is it unsafe? Await good advice!

During the recent major service at Toyota, my Prado was diagnosed with ATM pan damage. The service agent said that there isn't a leak and it is a small dent but advise me to have it taken care off. As the agency repair means high labor cost and will not repair but replace the pan, does anyone advise me to get the pan repaired through a dent repair mechanic? Personally speaking it doesn't seem a big dent and I feel like leaving it as it is but don’t know the internal structure of the pan i.e.if any internal part exists that may have got damaged too and lead to future issues. Note: The agent placed a doubt in my mind about having the dent repaired as he said there is a magnetic material at the base of the pan so they only replace the pan.

These posts are inspiring to complete the required drives and assements to get to FB +...

Yes

What is ATM pan? Do you mean ATF - Automatic Transmission Fluid pan?

Hi Srikumar, I would like to join this drive,please advise if can join though have done one but would like to practice more.

Dear friends Drive RSVP is closed Below is convoy numbering We will use Chanel 1 for radio coms 1. Chaitanya - Black Xterra 2. @Islam Soliman - Black Yukon ( 2nd lead) 3. @Ashok chaturvedi- Golden Pajero 4. @Veedooshee- Silver Pajero 5. @Lucky sAm- White Patrol 6. @jodha singh shekhawat Silver Wrangler 7. @Yousef Alimadadi silver Pajero- Center forward 8. @Abu Muhammad - White Sequendra 9. @Piotr Kolodziej- Blue FJC 10. @Tariq Carrimjee - White Wrangler 11. @Mohamed Seidam- White Xterra 12. @Vanessa8580- Blue Pajero ( Sweep) Make sure you arrive on time and prep so that we start driving on time. Flag, Radio and shovel is a must ,without which you will not be allowed to join for the drive. See you tomorrow morning

@Chaitanya D, I do confirm

@Chaitanya D Thank you, Confirmed from my side! See you in morning

Thanks @Kailas. @Lucky sAm you will.be added to the drive do you confirm??

Apologies @Zed for late comment. Everyone has made awesome points and all are valid in there own way of approach. My request to view 30 secs prior was in an attempt to see and observe the attitude of lead car, which @Anish S has indirectly pointed above. Let me elaborate more on that now. I have seen this happening all my life that when friends, family and colleague plan a drive then everyone running with a ego battle to prove a point to one another over their cars, car mod or drive style supremacy. I myself did this exact same behavior when I was new in offroading to an uncle who use to pester me on every family event that you kids don't know offroading and we have seen and done enough. So on first drive to prove my point I was knowing or unknowingly driving like a maniac without considering his LWB against my SWB and on his every refusal I was wondering where he has been driving to have such glorified tales in every party. Same happen few times with my office colleague and after that I stopped going with all my friends, family and colleague to not to get into ego battle. Point here is I personally don't know your lead, but from his driving style he was totally unaware that he had Y62 in his convoy and still he was attempting to break a single use crest almost every time and that too from a very short distance which will make a struggle for Y62 to cross. Secondly from above video crest entries and exits was of Intermediate level and not at all of Newbie or fewbie level. On the dune you rolled over, wrangler in front of you has a refusal and you think u were distracted but I feel if wrangler had a refusal on a "SINGLE USE SOFT SAND CREST" then you had a zero percent chance to make it. In my humble view (no disrespect intended) you kept on fight with mother nature on soft sand crest to prove some point and then it was too late for you to steer downward and due to sand wall already in place of left tire resulted in rollover. Even when you have failed to prove your point, if you would have left the gas, you would have had a nasty stuck, but that could have been much better than a roll over. For future, if ever you still wish to drive with same or similar friends you should be able to gauge their driving style in first 5 mins and if its same as above, then adjust your driving to consider Y62 LWB and weight. When I had Land Cruiser LWB in such drives half of the crest, ridge riding I use to skip knowing my vehicle limitation and boat size length. I'm really glad that you are fine and that is the most important, as cars are just a piece of metal that can be repaired eventually. Take it easy have fun and drive safe.

Liwa through my eyes. My respect too all who joined us in Liwa after all the challenges. The testing for Covid19, driving around 350 kms on road each way, crossing the border into Abu Dhabi, being prepared to travel light and yet have all the essentials at hand. I remember seeing and hearing about Liwa and getting scared, preparing myself for that pilgrimage every serious off-roader ultimately makes. It took me 2 years to muster up the courage to say yes I'm ready to take on what Liwa has to offer. There was a strange feeling in my stomach when I first laid eyes on those huge dunes, a feeling I still get today after several trips here. Firstly I thank God Almighty for giving us such a beautiful terrain and thank Him again for giving us the means to experience it from the inside. My sincere respect to all who signed up for @Gaurav bhai dream to take all levels into and out these awesome but fearful dunes. I have to thank each and every senior off-roader from our club to pitch in and support in every way possible. @Gaurav, @Srikumar, @Frederic, @Asif Hussain and @Emmanuel thank you all for your wonderful leadership. @Wrangeld, @Jeepie, @Vanessa8580, @Desert Dweller, @Foxtrot Oscar, @Brette, @Lorenzo Candelpergher, @Tbone, @Janarthan, and @Pancho for a support without doubting that we could get everyone participating through the toughest terrain known to mankind. Atheist in our region. @Asif Hussain who led our team from the front, thank you for your careful planning to successfully complete an entire set of dunes to trying our best and making it on top of Moreeb dune for an amazing moment to be with the entire Carnity team. @Ahab Shamaa I have liked you from your participation on the forum, but meeting with you in person I've fallen in love with you brother. Your second lead was perfect and allowed us to avoid any difficulties. Plus your winch once discovered was a huge blessing and worked well throughout except when we needed it for you. We only used the tow rope to recover the winch. Keeping a cool and calm head in times of difficulty allowed a clear thinking which avoided any disasters. @Ashok chaturvedi your Pajero made it all the way to the end. It might be a bit old and tired, but processes the heart of a lion just like you. Liwa is a scary terrain, but you and your Pajero marched on and survived to come out stronger and happier the next time around. @Sinol I saw you throughout the day and you might have started weak. But you kept up with the convoy and the challenges Liwa has to offer. You learned and progressed and felt more comfortable as the drive progressed. It was a pleasure to watch you grow in a day in a terrain which can easily throw you off your ride. You even surprised me towards the end as you crossed over some really difficult sections all by yourself and with good control. @Brette you have a new pronunciation to your name by the end of the day. Your courage, positive energy, willingness to help and all without coffee was commendable. You never tired ostensible, atleast you never showed it as you were rushing everywhere as and when required. @Arda Yagcioglu you managed the whole terrain without any help. It was a treat watching you coming through the toughest of patches with a lot of confidence. Why it is special is it gives the support team to pay more attention to those who require it. Your patience through situations where we needed to assist certain drivers is highly appreciated and helpful in so many ways. @Archibald Jurdi with his awesome Wrangler was a treat to watch specially handling his manual gear as he scaled some of the highest dunes. You needed the minimum of assistance and self recovers yourself from a very soft pocket with a little help from a friend. @Francois Germishuys made it to Liwa but still finds it difficult for us to pronounce your name. I hope I finally got that right. It was a great pleasure to have you ride just in front of me. I loved to watch you drift whenever there was an opportunity. You are not only a very capable individual who is ready to help whenever required, but great company as and when I had the opportunity to chat with you. After 12 years of thinking sand rails don't work, you have changed my mind as on 3 - 4 occasions you've proved me wrong. Well done. Even though at one point I had you flying across the FJ. But a well timed help and concentrated effort my long time misconception of the sand rail has been broken. I had the most wonderful time with our convoy and would not trade it for any other for a wonderful Liwa experience. My pics including @Ahab Shamaa in his cliff hanger have been added to the Gallery.

@Gaurav @Tbone @Janarthan @Srikumar @Pancho @Vanessa8580 Thanks a lot for this wonderful drive! Indeed, it was a bit scary in the very beginning but soooo exciting! It is truly unforgettable experience! The whole convoy drove really well! And shoveled even better! Great team work! While I'm working on the photos, you might want to check the full drive video from my camera! 45 minutes of pure driving, standstill moments were cut out. If you open the video on the YouTube itself, you will be able to navigate through some timestamps. @Srijith Gangadharan awesome pics! Thanks to your friend!

Thanks for posting this Dr @Mohamed Seidam. I think this was already posted earlier. From my point of view the car for some reason stalled as I cannot hear the engine at the point the FJ starts slipping and thus I feel he did not have steering as well. Really sad.

Drive Report I find it extremely difficult to describe the experience Liwa brings: alternating between awe and respect, to fear for the unknown, exhilaration when we’ve crossed a monstrous dune range with the whole team, but also sadness when we have to exit a team member that was performing well and had his adventure cut short after few hours. As i mentioned in the briefing the same morning; this terrain brings extreme challenges for senior experienced off-roaders, let alone for members who started off-roading only a few months prior. I might have scared you all beforehand but i think after this kind of drive you’ve all come to understand the trepidations i had when we started to climb the first massive dunes and we realized there was no way back. I had a fantastic second lead in @Wrangeld who had a busy day together with his sidekick @Lorenzo Candelpergher . We shoveled and winched and eventually made it all out in time to meet up with the other Carnitees at Moreeb. To be honest: ALL of you massively exceeded my expectations that day, from @Yasas Dharmadasa and @Athula Dharmadada never giving up, @Ranjan Das taking the Discovery to undiscovered places (unfortunately that came with damage), @Lucky sAm @Lorenzo Candelpergher @Malachy McGrogan and @Abu Muhammad navigating their massive beasts through this terrain which deserves massive respect, and @jodha singh shekhawat bringing a new 4x4 he bought that same week. @siddharth maheshwari was in his element and took the terrain without much hassles. We managed to cover 48kms in this unforgiving terrain, which is simply amazing and I am so proud of all of you and thankful for showing up and giving it all you had. At the last climb towards the backside of Moreeb time was running a bit late and suddenly I saw and heard @Asif Hussain his convoy doing the last kms by road which was a brilliant idea and we followed in suit to make sure we had time to meet up with all the other convoys in time at Moreeb. Thank you all so much for joining us and I hope you will strap on the shoes for the next time we are taking on Liwa again ! @Ranjan Das I hope you made it back home safely and plz keep us posted about the Discovery. Take care and see you soon again ! https://www.relive.cc/view/vdvmQE2Njxv