Leaderboard

Thank you @Gaurav for guiding me through the Newbie drive lead training—what a truly memorable drive this turned out to be. Taking over the lead just as the rain, wind, shifting sand, and thunder all came together made for a challenging but rewarding experience. I’m really glad to have shared it with so many of you. A big thanks to @J-P L and @Andrew John Melvill for stepping up to lead the recovery and working through the pop-out. You both worked brilliantly as a team. It was a nasty one, with a lot of wet sand that needed to be cleared multiple times. In the end, Gaurav’s tango maneuvers and the 50 PSI bounce tip did the trick and helped get the last part of the convoy out safely. Have a great week ahead, everyone, and stay safe!

Sorry to hear this, @khurramm From what I understand, there’s no accident involved here, so no accident report will be issued and insurance is unlikely to cover it. Warranty typically won’t cover this either, even on a new car. US-spec side airbags in off-road conditions are a known grey area and can end up being an expensive issue for the owner. Since the airbags have deployed now, once everything is sorted, it’s worth checking with an RTA passing center whether the vehicle is allowed to be driven without the side airbags. For dune driving, reinstating such an oversensitive system may not be practical. With the main frontal airbags intact, you should still have baseline safety. When you check with RTA, try to get their confirmation in writing. That way, you’re not relying on inconsistent verbal guidance.

Hi @RiiX, you can definitely use a suction cup as @Frederic mentioned but finding the right pole size and suction cup to accommodate for it could be challenging. Moreover , the last thing you want is sand seeping though that suction gap and you risk losing the flag and cup altogether. I went with the permanent solution where they bolted a small bracket to the OEM roof rails and u can just mount and quick release the flag pole whenever you want . They placed it in the way where it’s hidden and looks super flushed just like @JC_E mentioned. So far for me I didn’t experience and dents or issues with the bracket on the OEM roof rails. feel free to ping me on WhatsApp and I’ll share more details on the garage. +971504801972 good luck and looking forward to seeing on the sand

Hi @RiiX Welcome to the club! The first question to ask yourself is whether you want a permanent solution or something removable. I initially went with a tube clamp attached to the roof rails. It worked for a while, but the rails on the 250 aren't round or square, so the contact surface is poor — mine failed after a few trips. A lot of offroad shops offer a workaround for this: a piece of flat iron bent to wrap around the roof rail and bolted into place. It's the most common solution I've seen. If you go this route, make sure the mount is rigid and solid — I've seen a few 250s with dents pressed into the roof from mounts that weren't up to the job. What I ended up doing is bolting a piece of flat bar directly into my roof rack. Much sturdier, and I haven't had any issues since. Happy to answer any questions you might have!

@Ale Vallecchi thank you for organizing this trip. @Aser and @J-P L thanks for your advice. It was interesting trip and great learning experience. Thank you all. See you next time.

Hope all works out, sound like they have given you quiet the run around… good luck and pls share an update if insurance will pick this up, for future reference. all the best Seb Ali and all thanks A lot for the for the interesting drive, here a few pics I think collectively the biggest tires we had ever seen …

Thank you guys for today’s drive. Here are my video footages from my insta 360: 1st hour https://cloud-fra.insta360.com/share/fra/3A6C8r3y1c4X5U432049988608/player fewbie climb https://cloud-fra.insta360.com/share/fra/3M6B8C3I1L5d4x307127045120/player Crossing pink rock https://cloud-fra.insta360.com/share/fra/3n6l8w3d105G1d8b8748746752/player Rain https://cloud-fra.insta360.com/share/fra/3f658V342S1F0z4k2805952512/player driving in rain https://cloud-fra.insta360.com/share/fra/3464823A2T4u9F0i6686877696/player

DRIVE DESCRIPTION Need a quick mid-week night drive? Interested in having a nice sit down tea/coffee before inflating and heading home? If you answered yes to these questions, thanks to @Luke K P for allowing me to open The Coffee Club Dubai Chapter, this drive will be the 2nd time. We will be doing a short drive around Al Qudra on Wednesday night. We will stop the convoy towards the end of the drive, and make some coffee and tea whilst looking at the sky and chatting (45 minute break). Don't forget your chair! MUST READ AND COMPLY Environmental Policy Offroad Flag Guideline Two Way Radio Guideline Off road Driving Etiquette's Emergency details for all off-roaders Off Road Driving - Roles & Responsibilities Convoy Off-road Drives - Safety protocol during emergency alert DRIVE DETAILS Level: Fewbie and above Meeting time: 19:30 (SHARP - Without any exceptions) Meeting Point: https://maps.app.goo.gl/KeHXFFPaghkqGFBH6 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: 22:30 (10:30pm) P.S. Only join if you have a compressor to inflate your tires after the drive. LIMITED SPOTS AVAILABLE This drive is limited to 10 cars only. RSVP will close on Wednesday - 15:00. If the RSVP is full, you can add your name to the waitlist, once someone drops, you will be moved to the RSVP 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

Was away from all drives for quite a while due to modifications, which are almost done. This will be a great way to test and fine tune the suspension. See you soon @Ishak

Glad to hear your ok mate 👍🏻👍🏻

@Ash S. @JC_E might be able to help you out.

Hi All Hope you all continued to enjoy the drive today. Just an update. I called 999 post the side airbags deployment and after reaching the entry point. They directed me to SAAED for traffic who refused to show up since there was no accident or external damage involved. They redirected me to 999/nearby police station. I first visited the nearby Dubai police station who then directed me to Al Hayer (Alain) Police station. After a few phone calls they directed me to the Alain traffic department (closed today) and guided me with some specifics. Meanwhile I have raised the query with my insurance. I guess being Sunday things are a bit slow. I hope Gaurav does not read this!😁 Thanks @Ale Vallecchi and the rest of the convoy for all the support See you on the sand sometime hopefully soon! @Ale Vallecchi I tried to play with my account profile settings but could not figure it out. Will try to check with someone on the next drive. I really enjoyed the drive today before my exit. Thanks for all the support again

Thanks Herman, really glad you enjoyed it, was a great morning out and the weather made it even better! Was actually really nice to have a small group everyone chipped in and we all had a good time. really hope to see everyone on a drive again soon

Thanks @Mark B for this wonderful drive, the changing weather gave the desert (as well as the cars) another look and changed the sand texture, loved the pace and swooping lines throughout the drive. Thanks for showing me the lines@Krinesh, thanks @Bjoern for sweep and conversation, and thanks @Myrko for filling my mirrors with that cool Defender. Hope to see you all again soon!

Not mine!