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I remember those hot summer vacation days when I used to go with my father to the workshop where I would get him the tools which he would ask me to bring while he would be working his magic under the car to make that car back in working order sometimes the light wouldn't be working or sometimes the battery wouldn't be charging and other times it wouldn't even start I used to see people of all walks some in kandora some in pant shirt and others in kamis salwar but all had one thing in common they had some sort of problem with their cars I used to see how people would be happy when they used to come and collect their cars when it was done It was one of my fondest memories that my father would call the hotel guys to bring Pepsi or Coke and tea for him and we used to sit and enjoy that while he sweet talked to me about which car I liked and loved to drive when I grow up Seeing back I understand that my father is a man of steel tirelessly working sometimes late into the night while I would be home sound asleep providing us with everything we needed Now that we have grown up and I can really see that I can never take his place yet all I can do is try...

Big love to all our fathers, grandfathers, uncles, and all the people who taught us what we know. My father started his life as a mechanic too but progressed to running the garage after a couple of years, long before I was even a sperm or a dirty thought in his mind. I grew up in the mountains in Ireland. If you weren’t into football, there wasn’t much else to do. And I hated football. So I got into cars. Scrap cars were cheap so I used to buy what I could afford and race it round the fields until it died. My father showed me how to repair them. We built a few go karts together and he taught me about engineering and fabricating custom parts. These days he’s more likely to call me and ask me about computer diagnostics for his car, but without that man, I would have never got to the level where I am now.

It's a great tribute to your father and to the mechanic or workshop owners who literally bring smile and satisfaction to every car owners with their magical hands. It's a very dependable profession who help car owners when they are distress, fix their cars to perfection (only professionals) which in turn take care of the car owner and their family. Car repair or maintenance industry is highly underestimated here with the influx of cheap and replaceable labour, that leaves them without any actual appreciation - most of the time. Instead, people fight to cut every single dirham from poor man bill and happily get themselves ripped at the dealership.

Enjoyed every bits of this drive, Special thanks to @Srikumar@Rahimdad and others who helped me out to sort out the Pajero LWB bumper issues 🤐 It was a bad stuck for me at the very beginning that literally took good amount of time, effort with few trials from the back and front to pull out the pajero from the soft sand, then after was able to hold on to the convoy's momentum till exit without any stucks but with 1-2 refusals !!! 🤩 😆 A big round of applause and appreciation to @Gaurav@Emmanuel for the interesting convoy track lead from start till exit !! Excited and look forward to join the next drive, hope the rear bumper guard plate that I have installed and the front bumper lip trim should give me a better approach angle especially in the technical dunes 😎😋 See you all soon !! @Rahimdad Enjoy your holidays !

If you’re smart about it and know the market and import/export costs there is money to be made. American muscle cars sell for buttons here. People buy them and don’t know what to do with them. They then lose all their value. I know people who make a decent living buying muscle cars here and then ship them back to the states. If you’re going to buy stuff like tiidas and corollas you’re going to lose. You need to be smart about it, know what you’re buying. I used to buy auction cars all the time at home. Sometimes you get lucky, sometimes you end up with a ball of dung. Buying muscle cars and shipping them to the states is a win win situation. Americans are crying out for these cars do your research. This is only my advice

What do you intend to do with it/them. Personal use or flip them for profit? One that is sorted out then I can let you know what's the deal. I personally haven't bought from Emirates Auction because the price always sucks because towards the end people have no self control and end up over bidding for what the car is or going to be worth. I do have a friend who did biy one from Emirates Auction and it was a real run around to get the papers of the car, as some cars are being sold under court orders and they don't help you at all in this and you have to do your own run around to get the papers

Some people don’t understand engine temperatures. I would quite happily run an engine up to 150 degrees if it had the proper coolant. Temperature isn’t an issue when it comes to engine cooling. I see so many people shit their pants if their temperature gauge reads 95 and they think they need a full rebuild. Running hot and overheating are 2 different things and I don’t think most people here understand the difference. Just because your temperature gauge hits the red doesn’t mean you overheated. Overheating is when the coolant boils. It creates air bubbles in the system which creates hot spots, which is why gaskets fail, they expand at different rates. I would have no problem running an engine to 150 degrees with waterless coolant. Running hot and overheating are 2 different things

Not wanting to start an argument here, but did you actually rinse the sediment under clean water, and found grains of desert sand? Or did you just squeeze the sediment between your fingers and found the sediment to be granular? This is an important point since pure silica (sand) will not discolor the coolant, so unless you have been kicking up sand that contains clay particles (that would certainly have discolored the coolant), the coolant should have remained clear. But, @desertdude makes a good point. If there was a lot of sand flying around the engine bay just at the point when the cooling system sucked in coolant from the expansion tank, some sand could conceivably have entered the tank through the overflow tube. In my experience however, granular material in expansion tanks sometimes sticks to a magnet, in which case it is rust. If it does not stick, it is obviously not rust, and likely to be the result of chemical interactions between different types of coolant in the water, and/or reactions between coolant mixes and some metals in the cooling system- most notably, some aluminium alloys in some radiators. @Barry, also makes a good point- waterless coolants eliminate all of these issues, and although it is more expensive than regular coolants, their overall performance and protection levels are miles ahead of anything you can mix with water.

Another exciting and fun drive. I must say, this being my 3rd night drive, I am slowly beginning to get a hang of driving in the night as I found it a bit challenging at first. I would like to take this opportunity to say that us newbies/fewbies are surely learning a lot under the tutelage of the marshals - @Gauravbhai, @Rahimdadbhai, @Srikumar and @Emmanuel - Thanks for your support and patience. It is truly and highly appreciated.

A very well written and heartfelt tribute.

Trip report - hard work. Reached the meeting point to see everyone was briefed by Gaurav bhai and ready to go. Weather took a pleasant turn to a nice cool breeze and with a cresent for a moon we had to rely mainly on the lights on our cars. With 10 cars in this area it was always going to be challenging, but thanks to the direction chosen by @Gaurav bhai we were not facing any slip faces. Some of the crests were razor sharp and our skills and concentration had to be just as sharp to take on this terrain. We started off with some small technical dunes and the ropes were out from the moment we entered the first dune. Slowly but gradually we made our way towards the more open area and medium sized dunes. This area was fast paced and enjoyable. We did some side sloping, ridge cutting and kept on moving at a good pace which for me made up more for all the small technical dunes around. After some awesome dune bashing the last part again saw us managing some very small and technical dunes which kept us on our toes. The ropes were out again as we helped each other out to keep the convoy moving. This got us to a nice spot to switch off our cars and enjoy our snacks with a cold drink. @Javier M left us at this point but his contribution during the drive is highly appreciated. After the break it was time to exit and although it was the matter of crossing just one dune, but no ropes were soared for this exercise also. Once we reached the road we inflated our tyres and headed into the sunrise to reach home and grab a well deserved nap. Thanks to all who made it to the drive with lots of patience. With a 20 days break for me, I'll be seeing you on the other side of these 20 days break. Until than adios.

I don’t intend to do anything, actually, I am just curious. Is it (or can it be) a good option to buy a car for personal use ? Or even for export ? Has someone in Carnity ever tried it ? Non damaged

Are we talking damaged cars or non damaged.

Explain on both scenario, I'm really curious to know as few times I watch these auction and didnt find any way to come out with a good deal. I even tried the sellanycar dealer site by keeping a deposit and still didnt find anything lucrative tbh. Just borderline OK. It all started with my own use, then jobless friend jumped in with free time and cash but no knowledge on cars, so I thought of helping him but never got lucky. Later he got the job, then I collected my deposit back.

@treks makes a valid point. I too have my doubts about it being sand in the system. For one grain of sand to get sucked into an overflow pipe is something, for a handful of sand to get sucked in is something else. The only way you’re going to get loads of sand in the expansion bottle is if there’s a big hole in it and sand is constantly getting kicked up around it, in which case the bottle would be leaking coolant everywhere. Waterless coolant is the way forward. I would put it in everything if the customers were willing to pay for it but they don’t understand, they just chase the smallest price. It’s simple to use but you need someone who knows what they’re doing. I’ve only seen it used in uae maybe 7-8 times and every time it’s been me who used it. First the system is flushed with a special fluid which removes every trace of water from the system. Then it’s filled with waterless coolant. The flushing fluid isn’t a big issue because you can filter it and use it over and over. Then you have the issue if you ever take the car to one of the small roadside garages, the “mechanics” won’t understand it and will properly top it up with “red coolant because it’s the best”. It’s all the little things and bits of knowledge like this why I charge 3 times more than most mechanics in Dubai. If you want to save money in the short term, go to rashidiya, if you want to pay a little bit more and save money in the long term, come to me.

People shouldn’t be so scared to talk about mental health issues. It’s no big secret to anyone who knows me but I deal with being bipolar every day and I’m still dealing with mild schizophrenia from years of taking lsd and mushrooms amongst all the other crazy shit I did before I came to uae. I wouldn’t change it because it shapes who I am and the way I see the world. I have a good wife who understands me and is very patient with me when I’m being crazy or unreasonable and having someone like that to talk to when things are rough makes life worth living. Social media like Facebook, Instagram etc is a cancer that affects people in ways that they don’t even realise. Sometimes I’m on the train and I see rows of people with their face glued to their phone just scrolling up and down the same few Facebook posts and I think to myself, you poor bastard, you don’t even know. Nobody has a perfect life and social media isn’t an accurate reflection of real life. People usually only post the best of the best stuff. I know people who haven’t got 2 washers to rub together in their pocket and are living on rice, sleeping in bed spaces, but if you looked at their social media accounts, you would think they were living the Dubai millionaire lifestyle. I deleted all my social media accounts a long time ago, it just wasn’t good for my head at all. I recently signed back up to Facebook for work purposes but I ended up deleting it after 2 weeks. Some people might think this sounds paranoid but my phone was listening to me and relaying the information to Facebook. I was getting friend recommendations for people I don’t know, have no connection to and had literally only spoken to for a few seconds. I was getting ads for things I had never searched online for but had been talking to people about. The internet is an amazing thing. There’s so many websites, so much information, so much to learn, but some people only revolve between Facebook and instagram and maybe a google search here and there. Social media mobile data packages only compound the problem. People are being encouraged and rewarded to visit these dross sites. Give everyone free access to Wikipedia instead, it would do a lot more good in the world, or maybe getting people to stick to social media is a good way to create subservient citizens instead of creating free minds.

I’m not 200% sure but I think it’s the user called ksenia on dubizzle. He sells home and car hifi from Onkyo, Alpine, and other upscale brands. Try once on 052 916 3215 and check if he has stuff available at the moment. He’s located in Tecom.

Long time no see @jibransayed. Donated 100 points. The last I heard 5d was the latest and brightest with a rumour of 6d already being out. If you can get 6d and the wider the better. Check the measurement of your roof and get accordingly. They have some known electricians there who can fit it too. Make sure to fit it on a bracket with at least an inch from the body and make sure they do not reflect off the bonnet or you'll be blinded.

@Avinash Vora the season never ends on Carnity. See you soon.

Happy Vacation. Will miss superman.

I have had 2 5.7 Hemi Jeep Commander. A 2006 model which was under warranty which was an absolute amazing ride and loved it, but sold it as soon as warranty got over. The second was a 2008 model which was out of warranty and paid through my nose for the repairs and it never had a trouble free day. I would recommend to pay a little extra to get something newer under warranty. But be prepared to loose a lot of money and time when you want to sell it again as very few people willing to buy these.

All I know about Dodge in UAE is that they have notoriously bad resale value, and I guess that's why you are getting a good deal. Having that said, bad resale value is a sign of car model or manufacturer who time everything with warranty and the car breaks more than often as soon as the warranty period runs out. Secondly, bad resale could be because of expensive parts or difficult to work mechanics. Do bit more research on these pointers or wait for someone more knowledgable here to advise.

If you clean the bottle, it will just turn brown again. You need to do a full coolant system flush with a proper flushing agent then rinse all the flush out with clean water, bottom to top. Dishwasher tablets are great for this. If you rinse tip to bottom, the water doesn’t get into all the galleries and you miss some. Bottom to top means the whole system is filled and all the crap gets washed out. Be 100% sure the coolant you’re putting in is the proper stuff. Don’t listen to the parts shop monkeys, they will tell you this colour is better than that colour when colour has nothing to do with it. You can get extra corrosion inhibitors like Fleetguard DCA4 to add to the system. They don’t sell them in normal car part stores but a decent truck and plant parts store should have them. Personally, I would just switch to a waterless coolant like Evans. The engine runs a few degrees hotter but it will never overheat and you won’t have any more corrosion problems because there’s no water in the system to boil and no water to cause oxidisation.

Jokes apart, these Lexus front black plastic humongous grills look soooooo cheap and empty that I have no words for it, let alone the fish-face shape is even weirder.

Yes, it is just an annoyance issue and no performance has been impacted. After a little while, you will develop an ignore mode on this little noise, that comes while braking or slow-moving when car nose moves up and down. It's not noticeable on highway. The entry model is quite capable and doesn't come with diff lock. The offroad version comes with diff lock, but again then there will be a trade-off that you are buying a car that has been previously abused in the sand. If you can find an offroad version that is not been in sand regularly, that will be your best choice by paying little extra (if you have to). If offroad version been on rocks and wadi's then also it's acceptable, as abuse of rocks and wadis can be easily identified by underbody damage by lifting the car. You can't fry the engine, gearbox and 4x4 in rocks much unlike in sand revving at 6K rpm every week.

I agree with @desertdude. With the turbo off roading will not be easy in sands where you need low end torque. Plus at the price tag I'd rather go for something cheap and modify it ever so slightly to give me what I need.

At 3000rpm. It's not a diesel! Turbocharged gas engines most of the torque lies in the upper rpm band. And 210hp also in the higher rpm bands. So with such a big heavy pickup with huge tyres you'll be pretty much struggling most of the times to hit the power band unless you get big clear run ups without any ruts

Well looks like Ford following the footsteps of Raptor bringing down V8 - 6.2 to V6 with twin turbo. Hope they don't fall in Range Rover mindset of keeping RR with 3.0 and when sales dip they brought back the V8. For 64,000 Euro = 264,000 dhs this Ford Ranger raptor must be good. Running 33 inch BFG must be dead heavy for dunes with 2.0 litre having 210 hp and this big body.

If you go for an Xterra (happy owner speaking here), have a look at this thread above. My advice: look for the post 2008 models, third generation, the latest year you can. On those cars the year is more important than the mileage - bear in mind that an Xterra can go to 400-500K if well taken care of. Of course you need to ask a mechanic to check the car before you buy it. I personally drive an « X » model, which is the basic and cheapest one. I just added a skid plate and a light bar and for me it’s just fine.

Modifications are definitely not required when you start offroading. A stock and proper 4x4 should do just fine. You can do the mods after you understand thoroughly what the vehicle can and cannot do. In the budget of 25,000 you can get a good condition Xterra which would be capable as well as reliable. Jeeps are fun to drive but they get abused a lot and reliability is not their main forte. I do drive a Cherokee XJ and though it has initially troubled me I love it completely as it's a simple car and I enjoy doing self work on it. But reliability is an issue. Regarding getting the vehicle checked you can take it to any known mechanic who can do a thorough check. I am not aware of any mechanic in Dubai, maybe someone else on the forum would know.

Wrangler TJ with a 4.0 litre engine is a very capable car in stock condition. Also, you are in the right season to buy an off-road car as the offroading season is over and you can get a good deal. Few points from my side: 1. Buy a vehicle which is as stock as possible. 2. The 4.0 litre engine is bullet proof and you should not have issues with it. But regarding the automatic transmission, transfer case, etc. are things that need to be checked. 3. Try to get a GCC spec car. Try to find out the accident history of the car. Some cars have been in rolls or flips. 4. And you definitely will have to keep AED 5000 aside to get a full maintenance done and all fluid changes. This depends on your budget. If you can mention that you can get some good advice.

A fair chunk of change? Daylight robbery, more like...

Air filter, plugs and pads should be changed on condition, not age. Different people have different driving styles therefore the parts wear differently.

It's not dangerous as in you will die if you don't change it. However, if the belt breaks, you could end up with a bigger bill, repairing bent valves etc. The belt might break or it might go 200k with no problems, there's no guarantee. Cost should be 1,500 or less. If you change the belt, it is a good selling point. If you don't, the buyer can use it as a bargaining chip.

And than there are a lucky few to find @Barry who does quality work at less than the Sharjah garages would charge you.

I would want to change it every 80k or 3 years, whichever comes sooner. The mitsubishi timing belts are perfectly fine. When it comes to spurious belts, gates is the only brand I trust. Chinese belts may be fine, they may not but usually you get what you pay for. An extra 50 dhs for a quality belt is nothing compared to maybe 1500 dhs for head rebuild if a cheap unknown brand fails. Cost just depends on which garage you choose but again, you get the quality of work you pay for. A more expensive garage is more likely to clean things and put them back together properly whereas a cheap garage is more likely to just stick silicon on everything to hold it together.

Hahahahaha yes @ameen. Im still adjusting. Sometimes I call my parents back home on Sunday morning and ask them why they are still in bed and not at work!

When you change the timing belt on those engines you should also change the tensioner, tensioner pulley and idler pulley. It's not a difficult job to do but it's time consuming. The alternator, steering pump and AC compressor need to come off. If the bottom pulley is overly tight, you'll also have to take the radiator out to make room for the air gun.

Hi Team, Need your advice on buying, Dodge Durango 2014, RT. the vehicle has done 93,000 KM, asking Price is Aed 60,000. I am too tempted to consider the ride seriously because of the price. not sure how these dodge are on reliability. i am currently driving an 2008 Camry. Can you guys give me few advice if i really should go for the Durango. i normally use the car to commute from Sharjah to Dubai for office, and occasional long drives to Fuj or Khorfakkan. not a desert guy, may be will try out with Durango. Reasons to consider Safety Space, Price, Hemi engine, which works as 4 cylinder and on 8 only when needed, making it more fuel efficient.   Request your advices.