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@Rahimdad not a story I knew and exceptionally moving to read. Keeping the flame alive is something that can be deeply personal and in your case deeply inspiring. It's the little things we do in life that make a difference. Big gestures make a splash which everyone notices and forgets. Small gestures repeated, again and again, like a smile to someone or a sincere thank you to the attendant standing in the bathroom you just used change lives. These actions that cost little more than a bit of time and thought have so much impact. Your acknowledgement of your brother is just but one of the thousands of small and large actions Rahimdad that we all feel from you and are blessed to which to be exposed to being in your company. You are for sure, our Superman, whether we see the T Shirt or not. And knowing the story simply makes you more so...

Members often ask me why I wear Superman T-Shirts, or are fascinated and start calling me Superman, or say they are Marvel fans. So the question stands as to why I adorn Superman T-Shirts on drives. As you must have realized from my graying beard I am an old timer and I am influenced by the 1980s as I was in my teens then. One of the shows and movies that I really loved to watch was Superman, an alien who uses his powers for the good of mankind. At the time Superman was played by an actor and director who went by the name of Christopher Reeve. He unfortunately had an accident on 27 May 1995 when he broke his neck and paralyzed him from the shoulders down, and he depended on a ventilator to breathe. From his wheelchair, Reeve returned to creative work and lived life to the fullest with stride in every step. He was an activist and after his accident also lobbied to start research for neck and back injuries and started his own research centers and also tried to better the insurance coverage for people with disabilities. Christopher Reeve died on October 10, 2004, at the age of 52. When I started off-roading my younger brother who suffers from some ailments which can be life threatening at times first wore the Superman T-Shirts for our drives. He continued driving with me off-road for about 3 years before the doctors told him he needed to stop or else he would be aggravating his condition. Although he loves off-roading and misses the times we have spent together in the vastness of the desert he hung up his boots. He is and always will be my original Superman. Most of the Superman T-Shirts you see me wear are from him as a gift to me, and I wear those T-Shirts with pride knowing that nothing is impossible. So although I can never be Superman, I like to carry that symbol to reassure myself that anything is possible. You only need to have a will to live life to the fullest no matter what comes your way. Although the Superman T-shirt does not make me physically strong, but it gives me the strength to carry on with life no matter what challenges lie ahead. This is my story for why I wear the Superman T-Shirts, i would love to hear from all of you what you believe in, your stories and what makes you what you are today and how you would like us to see you in future.

Good afternoon Winter Break adventurers. Tomorrow's drive will see us gather along a track, just outside the village of Margham, where we can deflate and prepare ourselves and our cars for the morning's adventure. Margham offers some nice and sometimes tricky dunes , the intention is to play around here before we then head to Lisalli where we shall traverse some technical areas and also play amongst the long sloping dunes. We should cover around 40km, and there should be plenty of opportunity to practice some ridge riding and criss- crossing if the sands and of course the convoy allows. Here is my proposed convoy order: Angela @Foxtrot Oscar Black Xterra Lead @Ahab Shamaa White FJC 2nd Lead @Jose Martin SWB Pajero No.3 @RaYan E Pajero LWB No.4 @Craig Finlayson Grey Wrangler CF @bassel el rafei Landcruiser No.6 @Malachy McGrogan F150 No.7 @Gaurav Soni Pajeto LWB No. 8 @topgear White FJC No.9 @Brette Black Cherokee Sweep We will be using radio channel 1 (one) See you all tomorrow , arrive before 8:30am and @Craig Finlayson will deflate your tyres whilst @Ahab Shamaa serves breakfast rolls and cappuccinos.

.... couple months ago I was driven in my own “broken” vehicle by some one whom I consider the true inspiring booster for what I am now in the desert at a time that i had no clue in sand driving and I will never forget that as long as I live ... and here we go the time comes to return this favor for driving someone else back to safety couple days ago ... this is life in its simplest form or as how I perceive it ... and for @Rahimdad whom I came to know afterword is by all means our hero in heart and action . You will always be our Superman even if you don’t where his shirt ...

Central diff-lock (technically) will help in climbing tall dunes. Only in HLC (High-Locked) NOT in LO gear. In reality the marginal (fractional) advantage might show or not depending on the same line you take with exact same speed in both attempts. Taking about faya attempts, here. At times I do climb tiny bit higher with central diff-lock on and at times, I don't. Even when I do its by few meters only and not any substantial gain.

Thats what we call an upgrade. 😅

topgear @topgear Archibald Jurdi @Archibald Jurdi Probir Mukherjee @Probir Mukherjee Vijaysekhar @Vijaysekhar Salarios @Salarios DANIEL NOGUEIRA @DANIEL NOGUEIRA paolo dassi @paolo dassi Veedooshee @Veedooshee Goutam @Goutam And our waitlisted drivers: @Gaurav Soni @MUHAMMAD Kashif RAZZAQ @Anvar Sadath Bekal Thanks for signing up for this drive. Rule 1: If you are intending not to turn up at the last minute, please do it now instead. As you see above we have at least three drivers looking to join the drive at the moment, and I will be disappointed if we get 'sorry the dog ate my car keys' excuses on Saturday afternoon because someone says you cannot come. Rule 2: Teamwork. Looks like there will be no other seniors on this drive so we will all need to pull together to get through if there are problems. I see a few familiar faces on the drive and will hand out the responsibilities later in the week. Special call out, however, to @Salarios - it's been far too long buddy. Rule 3: This is an unpredictable route. We pass a gas line from the gas plant and close by a property, where we need to be a little quieter on the radio than ususal so we may need to reroute and end up somewhere else completely than planned, or get there much quicker. But tha's all part of the fun, no? Rule 4: Equipment, don't bring a pea shooter to a gun fight. If you have a spoon instead of a shovel and your car is in trouble, don't be surprised when you have to use it to dig yourself out. At Fewbie level we really do expect that everyone ahs sorted out their equipment and (a personal bugbear of mine), flags!!! My flag does drop to the side a bit, but it does not fall off. Make sure your flag does not fall off. PLEASE. Rule 5: It's a fewbie and we will drive like a fewbie as long as the convoy can manage. That means we will be moving faster, will be takign more challenging routes and will be driving through technical dunes on which you need to be concentrating or you will soon be axle deep in soft sand. It's going to be fun because this are is one of the last around us that is not totally covered in tracks from other drives (or at least it was two weeks ago). That's about it. I am looking forward to the drive because it's a great convoy and I know that all of you want to have a fun last drive of the year. See you soon in the sand.

Good point clarified @Rahimdad @Atif You shouldn't use rear diff lock for any climbing or driving. However you can safely use center diff lock for climbing or even on normal desert driving where you constantly need to negotiate hard with cross tracks, steep sudden climbs etc. for better grip and stability. With central diff lock ON engine power is getting equally split in front and rear by 50:50 without locking any wheels, so you can also safely turn freely while central diff lock is engaged.

As the proud (former - for some reason my wife thinks it's hers!!!!!) of a TJ and also an SWB Pajero, here's my contribution. If I had had the money and could have found one that was unthrashed, I would have gone for the SWB Prado or the 4800 Y61. As it turned out, I could afford a Pajero or a Jeep and so with one jeep in the family already, I decided to go for something different. Why the Pajero - mine is a 3.8, and while it suffers from the dreaded 'upchage at 5200rpm' problem, that does not really become an issue too often because this thing has so much power that you don't notice. It's less direct than the Jeep. Translate that how you want - you can say as an alternative that the Paj is comfortable on an off road, and it's pretty much as capable. The Jeep runs on Gelolandars at around 9PSI and the Paj on street tires at 12.5 - so the Jeep is a bit more capable because of that, and being more rugged gets broken less. The body work on the Paj is plastic, so bits get broken a lot easier than the steel of the Jeep. Mechanically - the 4.0L on the Jeep feels indestructable as is the gearbox. It can take a hammering and come back for more. The Paj, less so. As an SWB both are a much of a muchness. I don't yet have any mods on the Paj, so it suffers more on ridge riding and crossing crests than the Jeep. A back plate will fix that. Truth is they are different sides of the same coin and I love them both. If I want a day out hitting the dunes and going straight up and down to my heart's content, I would take the jeep. It's fun and cheeky and can do stuff that I am not sure is capable in other cars big os small because you don't worry when it is under pressure because all that will happen is that the engine will overheat. With the Paj, I love driving to and from the desert in air conditioned comfort where i can hear myself think. I love the composed way it approachs the dunes and is unflustered by anything. Some days after say a newbie I am sort of questoining if we really went out into the desert because it was so comfortable and we never went over 2000rpm When it gets hammered, however, I feel for it because it seems to be saying, ever so gently. Please take just a little bit more care of me. I am tough but not that tough and yes I am small and prefectly formed but I would really like IronMan shocks and then I will really show you what we can do.

Hey @Niki Patel, what a post! I’m not talking about your content, but rather your organization and pragmatism 😀 I wonder what you do for a living 🤔 Reading your post makes me wanna take a tour of our FJ to see how everything is tidy and well organized 🤣 In any event, I am by no means a guru, a savant, or even a wise and prudent man. I’m simply a sucker who uses his credit card to buy stuff for his car 😂. @Rahimdad quickly figured out that I’m a poser and simply referred to me as an FJ owner 🤣 Regarding the maintenance, I’ve been following the service intervals suggested in the owner’s manual. Even if I’m going off-road more than once a week, I don’t shorten the time between service visits. I do however, quite frequently (once week after off-road trips), blow out the dust/sand out of my air filter and check all my fluid levels. These Toyotas are designed to take a serious beating. There are FJs out in the world with a million+ kms on the odometer, that are still going strong 😀 Having said that, you’re still in the honeymoon phase I guess; and your extra care is understandable. Pretty soon you’ll be reaching out for the duct tape when you notice an oil leak under your car 🤣 On another tangent, if I get a slot on @Ale Vallecchi Saturday RAK drive, we’ll finally be meeting in person my Cruiser Brother 😍 Finally, @Ale Vallecchi, @Pickey Singh, @Niki Patel, @Heisem, @David Ortells, @Piotr Kolodziej, @Najeeb Mohammed, we have to come up with a cool name for our FJ band 😀 Yalla, yalla! As @Foxtrot Oscarwould say 😀 See you guys on the sand!

Is it useful to have a locked differential when climbing a high dune? This was mentioned by one Carnity member when driving his Patrol up on the second attempt when he was successful using a locked one. Prado offers only a central diff lock so how much difference is it to the Pajero’s options? As per my understanding in a locked differential the torque would wary so as to transfer to the tyre with the maximum grip i.e resistance thus it should be more effective.Am I correct? However, I don’t know if locking it while side sloping would be detrimental.

This drive is organized in full compliance with the COVID19 guidelines. We expect every member that joins this drive to go through below information and and strictly follow these guidelines in order not to jeopardize someone's health, and to ensure we can keep organizing these drives safely. MUST READ AND TOTALLY AGREE: COVID19 Precautions MUST READ AND TOTALLY AGREE: BAN POST Two Way Radio Guidelines Every Offroader brings his own radio, programmed to the frequencies described in below advice topic. We will not share spare radios or program your radio on the drive. If you need assistance in programming the radio, post a topic on the Carnity website with your questions and we will help you out. Make sure your radio is fully charged. It will be your only way of communication while driving. Before buying, please carefully read below advice so you are informed properly on which model / cost / shops... No radio = No drive. It is an essential tool and you should make sure you bring it on every drive and learn/practice how to use it. MUST WATCH: NEWBIE VIDEO BRIEFING Drive Details Level: Fewbie Plus(At least 5 fewbie drive must be done previously) and Above When: 25 Dec 2020, Friday. Meeting time: 6:30 AM (SHARP - Without any exceptions) Meeting Point: https://goo.gl/maps/gkiXa2X7M9csnji36 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: Iftar Bowl, we may go further according to convoy response. P.S. Only join if you have a compressor to inflate your tires after the drive. LIMITED SPOTS AVAILABLE: Limited to 10 cars only. RSVP will close on Thursday - 9 AM. 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 BELOW CALENDAR EVENT

I dont drink bro.. but you are welcome for a coffee ... hahaha

Woohoo! That’s a great decision ya’ll made 😀 Thank you @Ale Vallecchi and @Gaurav for accommodating us 🙏🏻 @DANIEL NOGUEIRA, both convoys will meet up at your place for drinks after the drive 🤣

Dear Desertnauts Considering the enormous number of wait listed members, it has been decided to re-open the drive, and accept up to 22 Newbies and above. The convoy will then be split in 2, with the legendary @Gaurav leading the other group. Therefore, I have added all those waitlisted to the drive. @Luca Palanca Falsini, @paolo dassi, @Ahab Shamaa, @Paul Zeitoun, @Santhosh kumar Rajasekaran, @varunmehndiratta, @Bala Krishnan, @AlexPol, @Hisham Masaad, PLEASE REMOVE YOUR NAME FROM THE LIST, IF YOU CHOOSE NOT TO PARTECIPATE IN THE DRIVE. Looking forward for the final information before the drive, in the next couple of days.

Every car manufacture do and try different power splits like 60:40, 66:34, 70:30 based on the engineering for power and fuel efficiency. As many use 4x4 for mountains and trailer load etc. Whenever you engage central diff-lock in all vehicles (to best of my knowledge) it create a 50:50 split, increasing the chances of countering slippage (loose track) or struggling in sudden steep hill climb without enough momentum.

To have a clear picture, open diffs means that each wheel has different power depending on how your vehicle requires it, so in the instance of going in a circle, the tires on the inner side will rotate fewer times than the tires on the outside of the circle. With open diffs the vehicle in case of stuck gives more power to a freely moving wheel and takes away power from the wheel which is stuck. When you apply the difflock the vehicle provides the exact same power to all the wheels irrespective of whether they are free or stuck. This helps us to create a little movement when stuck, which allows us to rock the car until we have enough momentum to come out of the stuck position. Try turning a circle with the difflock engaged, you will feel one side of the vehicle skip as all tires are rotating at the same speed. I would personally not recommend to climb any dune with the difflocks on, on a straight up you may engage the diffloc as @Gaurav bhai put it in high gear and not low to get a little assistance, however if you are unable to make it to the top turning from the height with locked diffs can have a lot of load on the shaft of the vehicle. So stop and reverse back all the way. I would not at all recommend doing sideys with the difflocks on as some amount of steering is required to manage any sidey. @Gaurav bhai's Pajero is special and has both rear and central difflock, it is from an era when Pajeros were ruling the Dakar and most of the technology made it to the top end models. The newer Pajero only 3.8 liter version comes with rear difflock only. Central difflock locks from the middle thus giving each tire the same amount of power. Pajero with the rear difflock means it only locks the rear wheels, which means the rear wheels power is equally distributed. However I would highly recommend using difflocks in case of stucks only and not while doing other maneuvers or climbs. For climbs I would recommend you give yourself and your vehicle some time. We normally approach a big climb or play area after doing some desert driving, even if all the readings show normal there is some heat trapped somewhere which kind of eats into the power. While you are waiting for your turn open the bonnet of the car, switch off the engine for a while. Check your tire pressure, as after about 1 hour of drive you might have gone up 2 or 3 PSI on tire pressure. Adjust your tire pressure. Open and inspect your air filter and make sure it is clean, just gently tap against your tires to make sure any dust is off. Start your car and try to climb, it will give you much better result than just using the difflock for an easy climb. If I remember correctly @Atif bhai the last time we were at Faya you took it head on and succeeded, there is no comparison to making it to the top with just the steps as I have described rather than putting unnecessary toll on your car components. You cannot beat me at being a loser as I can never climb up Faya or Iftar Bowl straight up, that is why I choose to make myself some cheat routes.

Looking forward to seeing you all tomorrow morning 😀

I recall hearing the 2012 wrangler was bad for the “death wobble”. Which was apparently the most extreme year for the wobble. The website below covers other years and other issues but nothing overly concerning that can’t be fixed or hasn’t already been recalled and fixed. https://www.motorbiscuit.com/never-buy-a-jeep-wrangler-from-these-model-years/

@Rahimdad, I clearly remember you was not only Superman but also real superhero in one of the technical events helping everyone.💪🏻💪🏻💪🏻 I never forget that trip😊😊😊

One clarification. We were using a towing strap (not kinetic) to extend the reach of the winch. Also my jeep was anchored using the tree protection strap (not kinetic). The winch is a Warn 12.000 with synthetic rope. Therefore the break risk was minor. Next time I would use a snatch block to double the winch power to 24,000 lbs; use the blanket to put some weight on the winch line and; secure the connections with additional soft shackles. But in general, I am very happy with results and the team spirit that we put in the rescue operation. It was a great learning opportunity for all of us.

Drive Video

If it was to pull @Ahab Shamaa legs you are forgiven.. 🤣🤣🤣🤣 I can teach you some take downs as well... hahaha No worries, it didnt hurt my feelings... I'm just not a fan of Japanese cars anyway.... and FJs ... 😜😜😜😜😜 Angela @Foxtrot Oscarcalled me in the radio just before the climb asking if I was ready, you heard it, I was just confronted, and I pushed it all the way up... hahaha I want to go back to that area, that drive seemed amazing for my V8 to climb...

Thank you @Rahimdad for taking the time to reply and rightly comment that’s it’s better to be safe and spend a few extra aed than be sorry. I am one of those people that reads manuals (even the ikea ones) ... I am hanging my head in shame!... sadly I rarely understand what I am reading but carry on as it makes me feel smarter. appreciate you adding the FJC gurus and Gaurav to give me further council. With the weekly drives I suspect I will hit the 5k milestone by Jan/feb so just getting prepared. hope I get to join one of your famed drives very soon! Touched and humbled by your story about your brother and the Superman tshirts! Look forward to seeing you again very soon.

I got it out yesterday with the help of a tractor to pull it ... the steering box just locked, I'm already changing it, tomorrow will be ready, and it will be with me in the sand next weekend ... 👍😁🐪🐪🐪

Dr @Chaitanya D your second point on the second set of instructions, if you cannot secure with another car, if you have some heavy equipment like a spare tire you can secure the car by sticking it behind the rear wheel to avoid slipping back. Just a thought, hope it helps.

@Rahimdad Japanese like patrol has exactly the same electric power steering (EPS) and probably others as well... we use it in extreme conditions, and it was not supposed to happen what happened unfortunately...

Thank you @Frederic and @Mukundan Nairfor the enjoyable drive. It's a real pleasure to finally meet you Dr. @Frederic. I say Doc because we have a superman @Rahimdad, an Ibn Battuta traveler and story teller @Ale Vallecchi, a witty adventurer @Wrangeld, and a real legend @Gaurav. I'm still a newbie and haven't met all the marshals yet. But over the last few weeks, seeing you all kept me speachless. You are very scientific in your approach @Frederic. Your how to videos, detailed guides and informative briefings remind me of a qualified university professor. Thank you for all your contributions to the community. I've uploaded more pics to the gallery (jeeps are naturally photogenic ) . See you soon inshallah.

What I learned from driving with @Carnity off road club is that I don’t go beyond my vehicle capacity and my own skills. If in doubt the first attempt I do it to explore and the second I boost it confidently.

LONG TREKS – OBJECTIVES, PREPARATION, AND MANAGEMENT (Part 2) As anybody can guess, one of the most critical ingredients of a successful desert exploration is water. In order of importance, the need for water is for drinking, cooking, car maintenance, and finally, washing. From the physiological point of view, once a person looses through perspiration approximately 2 liters (or 2-3% of its body weight in water), she/he starts to experience loss of concentration, fatigue, dizziness, and general discomfort. So, replenishing your body’s reserves of water is a must. Perhaps few know that there are optimal times for drinking water, to maximize absorption. Locals know well what are the ideal water drinking times: in fact, if you notice a Bedouin or a Tuareg’s habits, they would drink water only in the morning and in the evening, without takin countless sips during the day. What they take countless sips of, during the day, is tea. With lots of sugar. This forefather of energy drinks resets the body’s dehydration gauge. That is, simple water passes rapidly through the system, reducing its benefits mostly to cooling the body, while sugared tea gets processed more slowly, providing a deeper and longer lasting hydration of the cells. Of course, one still needs water to make tea, so the requirement for water in terms of supplies will not change. How much to drink may vary depending on the season. Also, the first days of the trip may also require more water, as the body adapts to the drier environment. All things considered, in general we calculated that each person should need 3 liters of drinking water per day (these may be reduced to no less than 2 liters in winter, or upped to 5 liters if trekking were involved), while on a daily basis we accounted for a usage of 2 more liters for cooking and brewing tea, plus 1 additional liter for washing/shaving (even though this consumption may be reduced by using wet towels to wash), and, finally, another 1 liter for potential car maintenance. That makes a total of 6 or 7 liters per person each day, just to be on the safe side. So, for 12 days out in the desert, a group of 14 people will require a supply of almost 1,200 liters of water. WATER REQUIREMENT: Done. Next chapter – Fuel supply. We only used to get a little anxious about the need to refuel when the gauge in our cars started reading “Kilometers left: --------“. Since Cafu appeared on the UAE scene, we do not even have to worry about that. Now, imagine a 2 (or 3) week drive, 1,000 km from the nearest Cafu truck, and fuel, once again, becomes a major concern. At this junction, knowing your vehicle’s fuel consumption comes in handy, to establish your requirements for the whole trip. Let’s start with the assumption that a Land Cruiser normally goes just under 6Km with 1 Liter of gasoline, in city driving conditions. Add some extra consumption to account for driving on sand: let’s say a benevolent 5Km/Lt (or an equivalent of 20 Liters to cover 100 Km). Under these assumptions, and considering the cars we were using (Land Cruisers 70 Series) were equipped with a dual tank, their 130 Liter capacity would last for Kms 650 (130 Lt/20 x 100 = 650). Adding to this calculation the fact that the cars will travel with a full load (4 passengers plus gear and supplies) and keeping a minimum safety margin (one never wants to be running on fumes), let’s say each full tank will be good for 600Km. Therefore, planning for a 1,500 Km trip means that each car would need to carry approximately 200 Liters of extra fuel (to be on the safe side). That’d be 10 jerry cans of 20 Liters, to be stacked on the roof rack. Clearly quite a load to carry, which would force the group to greatly streamline their luggage. Thankfully, regardless of how remote some of the locations we would pass seem to be (and actually are), they happen to find themselves along major trading routes. Originally, of salt caravans, and pilgrims on their way to Mecca; nowadays, salt is still traded along these lanes, but other commercial goods are motor trucked across the Sahara, from Central Africa to the coast of the Mediterranean. So, thankfully, Bilma, Dirkou and Arlit are either equipped with proper gas stations, and, more likely, with refueling points, where gasoline is pumped out of barrels. Considering that our two refueling points, Bilma and Arlit, were respectively 550 Kms away from Agadez, and another 600 Kms away (Arlit from Bilma), we were able to carry “only” an extra full tank worth of jerrycans. Incidentally, water can also be resupplied at the same locations (which they also happen to be oasis), so that the load of water tanks needed for the whole trip could also be reduced. FUEL SUPPLY: Done. Next chapter – Kitchen and camping equipment.

A truly inspiring story, yes I did wonder the T Shirt it did look good on your expertise in the desert. I do hope your brother is equally proud of you..Blessed be.

Nice to hear about the background. Hope your brother remains in good health. The title definitely suits you based on your offroad skills!

@Rahimdad Great to hear from you the story behind superman. We all love the real superman in you when it comes to off roading.

Hi (again) As a new Toyota owner and new to using a 4x4 for its intended purpose, off-road, I need a little advice from my fellow Toyota Owners with regards service intervals. I am trained over the past 9 years to service my car annually (as I never previously hit the mileage milestone) and with a service pack never really read any documents as it was a matter of a reminder being sent on SMS and pick up the car a few days later. My car: FJC 2020 (registered October 31st this year) 4 year service contract Averaging 2k per month KMs so hitting service schedules much sooner than planned Added to this a reasonable % of this mileage is done off-road I know I need to call the dealership for a number of these asks below however their service departments isn’t exactly responsive so as I wait thought I would ask our community: Advice needed #1 according to the Owners Manual, if you are using the car regularly on dusty road then the service interval for a few items are adjusted (brought forward). ASK # 1 – Does a weekly desert drive qualify my driving/car as having ‘regular’ off road use? #2 above is a screen shot from the owners manual that details the items that need to be done earlier if using off road regularly ASK #2 – have any of you fellow Toyota owners with a service pack, bothered to use the included service for this maintenance? Would it be a waste of that service entitlement as I only get 7 (covering 4 years) ASK #2A – if you fellow service pack owners advise to keep the included services for the main milestones (every 10k KM) then do you simply go to an: Independent garage and have the filter and oil replaced + Prop Shaft greased and tightened OR do you pay the dealership tax and get that task done at the dealership to not risk any void warranty? OR just buy the Toytota official Oil filter and have the work done offsite/independent #3 and ASK#3 – any FJC owners able to advise me on any items to watch out for / have looked at as I now take the car weekly into the desert and it being only a few months old? I am following the guidance in the forum to check fluid levels prior and post drive (oil, coolant, power steering and brake) I have done 3K KM so far and the oil on the dip stick looks as good as new and the fluids haven’t shifted at all (good news I guess) Thank you in advance

@DANIEL NOGUEIRA, Coffee? I was hoping for some Caipirinhas on the beach 🤣

Yes, tomorrow is finished... was a simple issue, just needed a new part...

https://www.toyota.co.nz/about-toyota/toyota-news/2010/2009/new-prado-conquers-on-and-off-road-terrain/

The Prado has a central diff lock only. I am not sure if the torque is split 50:50 as I overheard someone say it isn't but as I said I would mostly use it either in a completely stuck or as you indicated "negotiate hard with cross tracks" . However, if the central diff doesn't lock any wheels i.e. if front set is completely in air would the torque be available for the rear set? I am finding it hard to imagine the working of the central diff lock so need to see it in practical use sometime. I do grasp the point about rear diff lock or front diff lock though.

Central diff-lock you can use it any time and take turns too (not only on straight incline) as its locking the central drive shaft for equal front and rear power split without locking any wheels. But don't use rear diff-lock for normal driving.

Both @Gaurav Bhai and @Rahimdad Bhai have good advice and if at all I try using diff-lock for climbing a high dune it would be on a second attempt and only if going up straight. I also feel it might not give too much of an advantage. So best is to keep the diff lock usage mostly when getting stuck.

This is our old buddy who is selling the car due to persistent overheating issues

Automatic vs manual, the discussion will never end. Automatics in my honest opinion for the desert would be more easier to maintain than a manual purely because despite how many ever years you have driven manual on the road, in offroad you will burn through a couple of clutches till you get it right. And each original set including labor can set you back by approx AED 2000 - 2500 depending on what all parts are changed. Having said that, the guys who drive a manual would always vouch for it as it gives them more control on which gear to be used at what moment. Plus with self recovery, a manual would beat an automatic any day as they can easily be rocked by pressing and releasing the clutch. In automatic, as long as you have a proper '1' gear then you should be fine. Wranglers are definitely more fun to drive compared to the Pajeros but since they are normally abused, to get a clean one needs a bit of searching. But the number of options or upgrades for a Wrangler are endless, and while I personally dont endorse all of them, some of them are really nice. Plus the parts are quite easily available either locally or from the US. The negative of the Wrangler is that they can be a can of worms and you need lots of patience to get it desert ready (which can take a bit of time). Wrangler TJ : Till 2005 (TJ Model) - 4.0 i6 engine - 5 speed auto / 4 manual - Awesome car if you can get it clean Wrangler JL : 2006 to 2011 - 3.8 V6 Engine - Reliable engine but has some heating issues and the engine is not powerful enough Wrangler JL : 2012 onwards - 3.6 V6 Pentastar Engine - Powerful but earlier year models had a knockings issue after 100K km, but in newer models this problem has been fixed Pajeros are definitely more reliable in terms of all their components. And its relatively more easy to find a clean vehicle as they are quite a few that are 100% driven on the road. But you need to stay away from the 2008 - 2011 year models as these cars have an upshifting problem. In the Pajero a 3.8 SWB should be a very strong vehicle as it not only gives you the added power at high RPMs, but also has the rear difflock. Regarding the death wobble, thats a common problem in all solid axle cars and not specific to a particular year. That happens when you have worn out bushings or tyres. I had it during the first year of my XJ where I could bring the entire traffic to a standstill once they saw the death wobble. But once I changed all the front bushing and steering linkages plus tyre I have not had the DW in the past 3 years.

Hi Ale, looks like my Jeep needs more work and won't be ready by the boxing day. Kindly remove me from the waiting list. Wish you all a wonderful drive, Mary Christmas and a happy new year!

Merry Christmas and best wishes @DANIEL NOGUEIRA 🌷

@sertac is leading a convoy to same area this weekend

Bravo @DANIEL NOGUEIRA 👏🏻 I think your V8 is a beast 😍 That first climb was a testament to it. Superman @Rahimdad,one piece of Kryptonite coming right up 🤣 And you call me naughty 😂🎅🏻

@Niki Patel im impressed that you have bothered to read and post from the owners manual, it a bit rare. Its always better to be safe than sorry. An early oil and filter change is not really going to have any negative effect on FJC, buFJgetting late in a service can have a bad effect. A dumb a$$ once said oil and filter is cheaper than your engine, sadly he was correct. A few extra Dirhams spent every six months will only protect your investment. I would rate a weekly drive as regular off-road. If you have a respectable and reliable garage who can do the job for you, you can buy the original engine oil and filter and get it done outside. This should not void your warranty, I'm sure @Gaurav bhai can shed more light on this subject. I will let the FJC owners take over from here. Off to you @Ale Vallecchi, @Ahab Shamaa, @Pickey Singh and more i can't remember.

@DANIEL NOGUEIRA please don't mind me, I was just pulling @Ahab Shamaa legs and did not mean to hurt your feeling. Ram is one of my favourite trucks and I true hope for a speedy recovery. See you soon buddy.

Hello @Arman. Thanks for raising your points. We will not need any particular gear. This an area with mostly sand, and virtually no rocks, as we'll exit just before reaching the line where sands subsides and the mountains rise. No mountain related equipment will be necessary. Furthermore, there may be some small flat pans with some residues of dried crust, but they should be mostly dry and dusty. Cannot guarantee that your underside will remain clean, but certainly it will not be encrusted. See you on Saturday.