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Thank you guys for signing up and It was a fantastic day for off-roading, and I'm sure you all had as much fun as I did. We started our drive at 7.20 a.m., a few minutes late due to the sunrise, and it was a fantastic drive. Our original intention was to start from Faqa, behind the police station, but we had to change it due to covid regulations and the risk of crossing the border by driving too close to it in case of unanticipated events. My plan was to get to the solar park through Muquab and Lisali if time permits,or else to exit via Murquab or Lisali . You guys, on the other hand, were amazing today and drove to perfection. We traveled approximately 65 kilometers in 3 hours and 34 minutes at an average moving pace of 24 kilometers, and we could arrive at our goal in 4 hours and 20 minutes with all our breaks in between. I believe we got the most out of the terrain, and I enjoyed how colorful you made it. Every driver in the convoy gave it their all...amazing job, guys. We had to cope with a few refusals, stucks, and a pop out, and thanks to @Thomas Varghese for your help with the heavy jack..😜. Thank you for all those beautiful pictures man 👍👏. With you and @Charbel in the convoy, I realized it was worthless to try my photography talents,But still stried a few clicks. Thanks to @Ranjan Das for a fantastic second lead and for your valuable feedback and suggestions on the track. Thanks to @Matt.T for a well-executed CF role, and to @Alexander Alcala for sweeping us all safely to the end and for sharing your experiences at Chile desert🙏.. Thank you @Charbel for feed back on the drive and it was a pleasure to drive with you. The other wrangler boys @Anoop Nair and @Pacific ..you guys were at your best today and it was nice to see you having fun. @Amir Amiriit was nice to see you and you managed your beast wonderfully today..it was not an easy job taking it through those technical patches .. well done buddy. @Ahab Shamaa..it was a pleasure meeting and driving with you after soo long.. as always you were great. Thank you guys and see you soon. some Pics in the gallery..

Thank you friends for joining. Was really good to have this drive today, despite being busy with tracks. We somehow managed to make a lot of climbs, and moved for about 58 km. It was a shovel and rope free drive. All stucks and refusal were self managed, thank you @Peter Hager and @Vaibhav for supporting us, and going the drivers whenever required. @Waqas Parvez you were a perfect SL. Pleasure to meet you for first time @Omar ElGamal and @Morshedi , amazing driving capabilities. @Bruno Finel @Ahmad Shaker @Trekado good to see you again. Below our drive info and track. Look forward to meet again in sand. Take care, and good week ahead Hisham

Congratulations @Mark D for reaching the Fewbie Level with Carnity Offroad Club. Looking forward to seeing you growing further and helping others to learn the art of offroading in a safe environment. Please make sure your Carnity user profile is always updated with all the latest Emergency contact details. P.S. Trip lead might deny your participation if you don't have required off-road gear. FEWBIE Drives Attended (Indicative) Minimum 5 Newbie drives are required within last 3 months for Fewbie promotion. What you'll learn Basic dune and sand reading Self-recovery techniques Shoveling at right place Crawling out of difficult situations Blip Blip - Coordinate steering and gas control Basic side sloping and hill climb Basic ridge riding and criss crossing Basic control over technical dunes Slightly faster pace desert driving Ability to manage stuck/refusals with radio Learn to control and avoid fishtailing Never fight or challenge gravity Skills required Enthusiastic and positive attitude Willingness to learn and help others Presence of mind and attention to detail Car Worthiness Any 4x4 vehicle with low range gearing Suitable approach and departure angle Off-road gear required Safety flag, tire deflator, tire pressure gauge, shovel, fire extinguisher, medical kit, radio (walkie-talkie), air compressor. Drive teamwork Manage second lead and sweep positions upon request Intuitive and proactive to support Trip Lead Observe recoveries and offer help, when needed Drive Joining Join Newbie and Fewbie drives Forum participation Active participation on the forum Share drive experience + feedback Share drive pictures in the gallery Post trip report after the drive

Congratulations @Davie Chase for reaching the Fewbie Plus Level with Carnity Offroad Club. Looking forward to seeing you growing further and helping others to learn the art of offroading in a safe environment. Please make sure your Carnity user profile is always updated with all the latest Emergency contact details. P.S. Trip lead might deny your participation if you don't have required off-road gear. FEWBIE PLUS Drives Attended (Indicative) Minimum 10 Fewbie drives are required within last 6 months for Fewbie Plus promotion. What you'll learn Advance dune and sand reading Advance recovery techniques Rocking and crawling to make path Learn to flatten/compact soft sand patch Self recovery from crest Advance side sloping and long hill climb Advance ridge riding and criss crossing Advance control over technical dunes Slightly faster pace desert driving FULLY control and avoid fishtailing Never fight or challenge gravity Skills required Enthusiastic and positive attitude Willingness to learn and help others Extremely attentive and focused while driving Car Worthiness Any 4x4 vehicle with low range gearing Suitable approach and departure angle Bash plate and skid plate protected Off-road gear required Safety flag, tire deflator, tire pressure gauge, shovel, fire extinguisher, medical kit, radio (walkie-talkie), air compressor. Drive teamwork Manage second lead and sweep positions upon request Intuitive and proactive to support Trip Lead Observe recoveries and offer help, when needed Drive Joining Join Newbie, Fewbie and Fewbie Plus drives Forum participation Active participation on the forum Share drive experience + feedback Share drive pictures in the gallery Post trip report after the drive

A fabulous drive @Shaaz Sha, thank you for making even the small mundane dunes look challenging right from the word go. The first 45 mins ensured that we were all awake and paying full attention. Weather and the sand condition of course helped but nothing takes away from the fact that everyone drove well making the drive fluid and thoroughly enjoyable. It was very classy to see how, despite of not having any long climbs and sidies, you led us through an intense and enjoyable drive. thank you. @Charbel, @Anoop Nair, @Matt.T, @Pacific, @Amir Amiri, @Thomas Varghese, @Ahab Shamaa, @Alexander Alcala, it was nice meeting and driving with you gentlemen. Hope to doing it again soon.

@sertac thank you for the amazing drive with an amazing cold morning. The drive was really an amazing ridge riding party, hope we do this again 🙂. @Karthikeyan Govindarajan thanks for your support as second lead, @Mehmet Volga and @Looper thanks for your support as CF and Sweep.

Thank you @sertac for a wonderful drive and @Mehmet Volga for the support. It was an interesting experience for me at the end, behind all the long wheelbase monster of cars - while I was following the track left behind by the convoy in front of me - many a times I was just surfing in the in the churned-up sand. Thanks to the recent weather - the sand was quite firm, and it was easily drivable for me, otherwise if it were any other time, I am sure I would have had to take all alternate route for much of the way I was driving and would have had tough time. @Karthikeyan Govindarajan, @MMansoor, @James Thorn& @Mohamad Anwer it was great driving with you guys. See you soon in another drive.

Well done dear @Shaaz Sha actually that was my initial plan but in the reverse direction Lisaili to solar via murqab and Faqa . But this wouldn’t be possible without passing a high tech parches at the outline of the buffer zone. Alternatively Qudra completed my intended spunk of three different areas with a terrain of their owns.

@Shaaz Sha another great drive with you today. The first half was full on and certainly sharpened the mind and muscles but the convoy wasn't phased. The 2nd half was a little less manic but we didn't slow down and the few stops and/breaks were well timed. We had only a couple of refusals all day, 1 pull and one small digging incident. The pop out near the end was a bit random but quickly dealt with. Good 2nd lead from @Ranjan Das and sweep from @Alexander Alcala. Thanks for the photos @Thomas Varghese and @Charbel. See you all in the sand

Congratulations @Joji varghese for reaching the Fewbie Plus Level with Carnity Offroad Club. Looking forward to seeing you growing further and helping others to learn the art of offroading in a safe environment. Please make sure your Carnity user profile is always updated with all the latest Emergency contact details. P.S. Trip lead might deny your participation if you don't have required off-road gear. FEWBIE PLUS Drives Attended (Indicative) Minimum 10 Fewbie drives are required within last 6 months for Fewbie Plus promotion. What you'll learn Advance dune and sand reading Advance recovery techniques Rocking and crawling to make path Learn to flatten/compact soft sand patch Self recovery from crest Advance side sloping and long hill climb Advance ridge riding and criss crossing Advance control over technical dunes Slightly faster pace desert driving FULLY control and avoid fishtailing Never fight or challenge gravity Skills required Enthusiastic and positive attitude Willingness to learn and help others Extremely attentive and focused while driving Car Worthiness Any 4x4 vehicle with low range gearing Suitable approach and departure angle Bash plate and skid plate protected Off-road gear required Safety flag, tire deflator, tire pressure gauge, shovel, fire extinguisher, medical kit, radio (walkie-talkie), air compressor. Drive teamwork Manage second lead and sweep positions upon request Intuitive and proactive to support Trip Lead Observe recoveries and offer help, when needed Drive Joining Join Newbie, Fewbie and Fewbie Plus drives Forum participation Active participation on the forum Share drive experience + feedback Share drive pictures in the gallery Post trip report after the drive

@ZULFIKHAR NAIYAR I have a feeling the squeaking sound comes from the rear leaf springs. Probably your rear leaf spring bushes have cracked or worn out. These bushes are not available OEM and you have to replace the entire leaf spring for the bushes. You can also purchase the aftermarket neoprene bushes from Dobinsons which are even better than the OEM rubber bushes. The cost of the bushes with the replacement labor from Dobinsons would be 400AED if you don't fall for the aftermarket greaseable shackles which they will try to promote @ 175 a piece. You can also check the shocks for leakage and for drives in our club you only need the stock Bilstein shocks. If they are gone you can buy them from Arabian Auto which I'm not sure if its there in stock. The Offroad version Bilstein shocks are the non adjustable 4600 which Arabian Auto is selling for 1800 for all 4. You can purchase the adjustable 5100 series Bilsteins from Amazon probably for about 2000 AED. Whenever you make a purchase from Arabian Auto never be shy to ask for a discount which they will extend upto 55% of the cost price. Regarding the engine mount, its a usual practice to replace them probably every 6 months as they are prone to crack fast. Gear mounts last much more. Another thing to check in your Xterra are the front suspension bushes of the upper control arm and the lower control arms. The bushes don't come separate as OEM part and you need to change the entire control arms which will cost you around 2000 AED to change both sides. Would be good to check the tie rod ends, the ball joints & the axle boot when you do an inspection of the front suspension. My advice - I never replace the control arms and buy good aftermarket Thailand made bushes for the upper and lower control arms. The best advice I got from my friend @Shaaz Sha who owns a good XTERRA as this costs me only less than 500 AED. Whether OEM or aftermarket these control arm bushes never last more than 6 months when you bash your car in the sands. Always buy the OEM ball joint, tie rod ends and axle boot as duplicates don't last a month. Before you take the XTERRA to the sands observe the engine temp gauge if it rises more than the 1st line after C during your stops at traffic lights or when you are crawling through traffic. This is made obvious to us as the AC condenser cuts off and you will feel hot inside the car. The AC resumes to work once you gain momentum. This is the tell tale sign of a failing fan clutch. REPLACE with OEM. You can buy from Arabian Auto for 600 AED or Nissan original from spare parts shop for 400 AED. Change your air filters before you take the car to the sands. Make it a practice to clear the air filter box once your sand drive is over. Be sure you close the air filter box properly after you clear it of sand (Need to learn it from a mechanic). Saves a lot of gas if you practice this. Good idea to keep a MAF sensor cleaner in your glove box and clean the sensor after 5 to 6 drives. Also check the rubber hoses which connect the air filter box to the inlet manifold plenum and the hose which connects the throttle body to the air pipe. If they are hard replace them. Again OEM hose is not available and you have to buy the entire assembly for 2000 AED from Arabian Auto. You can get both the aftermarket hoses only for 100 to 150 AED in Amazon. This is a very critical part which if neglected will kill your engine if it breaks while driving in the desert as it will suck in all the dust right inside the engine. Replace them if you feel the rubber hoses have become hard. Also please check the brake pads and the brake rotors as this is an 8 year old car. The spark plugs, the ignition coils etc etc. Hope I have covered most of the routine maintenance of the mighty XTERRA in this write up.

Thank you Gentlement @sertac@Mehmet Volga@Looper @Karthikeyan Govindarajan for a great adventure, the wet compacted sand surface made our cars behave differently , however, with the amazing weather and scenery, it was an unforgettable outing that I will always remember. Thank you to the rest of the small group 😊 ☺ 🙂 🙏 Mohamad

congratulations @Davie Chase well deserved ...well done

Congratulations with your ride ! Sure you will love it !

Congratulations @ZULFIKHAR NAIYAR for finally finding your offroad vehicle The first step you need check /replace all fluids / lubes . the next step get your bash plate fixed initially you can check the engine/gear mounts and if in good condition no need to replace them right now . Look at the tires if it’s validity more than half way probably better to change them to A/T high profile tires once good for all fir the next two years average daily driving and weekly off road regarding specific garages I am afraid we are not promoting anything like that in here and any decent reputable garage can do the job for Xterra Cheers seidam

Hi All, Very useful post. Could see all the Xterra gang is on this thread.. I finally ended up getting an XTerra 2014 OR version recently. With all the above mods being suggested, can you also please suggest which garages specialize in Xterra modifications or checks. I'm sifting through some of the old threads to gain more info on this. The one I bought does have a squeaking sound and I'm not sure if I need to get the shocks replaced. Also, read in some thread by @Foxtrot Oscar that engine and gear mounts need to be checked for used Xterra's - good pointer, thanks. Is there any garage/specialist in Dubai where I could get things checked out as well as eventually getting the required mods mentioned here? Thanks in advance.. Thank you again @[email protected]@Rizwanm2@Zixuan Huang - Charlie for all your recent feedbacks

Thank you @M.Seidam.. before the start i thought we might come across and say hello some where in murquab or lisali.. or at least at the end.. but then i saw ur message of extending the drive.😄

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 strictly follow these guidelines. MUST READ AND TOTALLY AGREE: COVID19 Precautions Mandatory Safety Requirements Ban from Carnity Off-road Club Two Way Radio Guidelines Drive Details Level: FEWBIE and above Meeting time: 7:00 AM (SHARP - Without any exceptions) Meeting Point: https://maps.app.goo.gl/iNBWBDhifP9xfUvD8 Just exiting the ADNOC gas station at Qudra's Last Exit, before reaching the roundabout. Action Plan: On a track well tested with Fewbie Plus and above, we'll venture in a beautiful, little driven area, with plenty of local flora and fauna, where long range dunes alternate with technical areas and open sabkhas. We'll be surprised to find the remnants of abandoned farms, where date palms were grown, with many surviving trees still popping out of the growing dunes. The drive may loop backwards, toward Qudra/Solar Park areas, or stray toward the exit closest to Ghantoot (still well within Dubai's territory) along the Sih al Salam Road. 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: 11:00 AM P.S. Only join if you have a compressor to inflate your tires after the drive. LIMITED SPOTS AVAILABLE: Limited to 10 cars maximum. RSVP will close on Friday - 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. Members that do not confirm the terms of the COVID requirements will be removed from the RSVP list. 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

This was real fun. Thanks @Hisham Masaad, your instructions helped me alot to get out of all the refusals I had. Thanks @Waqas Parvez@Vaibhav for the great support. Looking forward to more exciting drives.

Hey @Rob S ! I agree on the cosmetic part and love a bold wide stance on any 4x4. For me personally during self recovery I always stick my head out of the window and observe my tyres so I can crawl out of the situation. Having the wheels sticking out of the fenders helps for that. Basically if you decide you want to change the rims, you can indeed go for an offset of 0 or even negative (depends on the original ET value). Just be careful that your tyres are not rubbing too much against the fenders while off-roading. When you are up to change rims, you can visit a tyre shop and ask them to fit one of the rims on your car before deciding on the correct offset. Once you have a lift kit, the rubbing wouldn’t be an issue anyways. If you fancy keeping the original rims, then wheel spacers are a good option. (H&R spacers are great). A 2 inch wheel spacer will give a nice wide stance. Original rims are very good quality and much better than going for cheap Chinese rims. So when you do get rims, try to go for a known brand and not a replica or rip-off.

Hi @Niki. Of course your support is very valuable and appreciated. Will sign you in. Thanks a lot.

Congratulations @Davie Chase well done 👍

Congratulations @Davie Chase

Thank you @Trekado for the photos. @Bruno Finel was really good adhering to the instructions, which is very important in such situations. On the hand, watching car from out is very useful, assessing the matter and work accordingly. Well done guys 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻

Thank you all.. will explore if any options in Umm Ramool.. Looking forward to driving with all of you soon

congratulations and welcome to Xterra gang, @ZULFIKHAR NAIYAR. very good choice 2014 offroad version means you are unstoppable from now on.. 😁 im afraid we are not allowed to mention specific garages here. as @M.Seidam any popular off road garage would do. if you join Xterra mafia UAE facebook or watsapp group you will get more info.

@Hisham MasaadCan't forget your instructions for this situation it was tricky one and i learned alot watching you handling this!! 👏👏 @Bruno Finel Well done budd!!

Thank you @Hisham Masaad for the amazing drive. Looking forward to meet you in sand again. @Vaibhavwell done mate 👌

@Hisham Masaad Thank you Hisham for this Amazing drive, I really enjoy it, Your instruction in self recovery was remarkable, would love to drive with you again 😊 @VaibhavThank you for your immediate support.

Thanks @Gregoryfor your feedback you drove fantastic today .. yeah I forgot to switch back to 4WD button .. but trust me it wouldn’t be the case in solar park part as it was the softest sand and I would know. However in Qudra the sand was slightly harder 😅 . this coincidence proves that deflated tires is the king in off-roading especially sand and I always drive on 10 PSI and warmer conditions even 9 😉

@Shaaz Shayou never fail us to pull out exciting and challenging drives. at some point i felt like racing in autodrome 🚘 😀

Hi @Ale Vallecchi happy to offer support on your drive if you would require/value. Pls feel free to move me to the manage tab else happy to stay on the wait list

Congratulations @Davie Chase! Well deserved

Thanks @M.Seidam for the enjoyable drive today..... Great weather and company for the drive, with varied terrain and sand conditions. I must say my favourite part was after crossing (the road) into Al Qudra - where the sand was drier and the pace quicker. By the way, congrats on managing to negotiate the Al Qudra dunes/terrain in your 2-wheel drive Xterra 🤣😂 Imagine what you could do if you used the 4-wheel drive option. Some pics in the gallery. Looking forward to the next one! 👍

Do you know your roles and responsibilities while off-roading? Offroad driving is one of the most famous adventure activities in the UAE. Everyone during the offroad drive is always nice and very welcoming to help each other. Due to the nature of this extreme and adventurous motorsport, sometimes things do get unpleasant and everyone involved needs to know their roles and responsibilities clearly. Desert worthiness vehicle: While off-roading every vehicle get pushed to its limit and for this reason, every off-roader needs to maintain, check and fix vehicle problem before every drive. Follow your owner's manual schedule maintenance for extreme driving (harsh environment) intervals and not standard road driving intervals. Preventative maintenance will save you much hassle and time in the long run. We are not mechanics - As much as Carnity trip lead and support offer the first level of vehicle assistance when things go wrong, but they are not mechanic and no one should rely on that emergency support to avoid any maintenance. We are not an Insurance provider - In case of an accident, please follow the UAE road accidents procedures and check with your car insurance company about off-road coverage and recovery plan (if any). We are not a desert recovery company - If your vehicle breaks down during the drive, Carnity trip lead and support will try as much as they can to help, but their vehicles aren't tow trucks to recover a dead vehicle or partially working vehicle out of the deep desert. There are professional desert recovery companies like AAA to assist you and take full responsibility for not causing any further damage while recovering a non-moving vehicle from the desert. We will never leave you alone - In case you ever need to leave your vehicle inside the desert to arrange insurance or recovery, then Carnity trip lead and support will drive you down to the nearest tarmac exit. Mechanical Damage / Failure: Every offroader is responsible for his/her own car failure/damage. Especially in the offroad use some minor long-pending issues might amplifies due to the off-road stress and it should not be blamed on anyone other than the owner of the car. If you have any remote doubt that something might fail in the upcoming off-road drive, then please get that fixed first and then join for next week's drive, rather than taking chances and/or increasing the existing damage. It's always a good practice to join a newbie drive first after some crucial repairs or maintenance to test your vehicle again and then join the Fewbie drive and then Intermediate (as per your off-road rank eligibility). Breakdown log reporting: Every trip lead is reporting the vehicle breakdown after the drive. Occasional breakdowns or accidents are totally acceptable, but repeat breakdown of the same vehicle will not be appreciated. Please look into repeat vehicle breakdown seriously before it becomes a concern for everyone. Two cars involved in an offroad accident: Please decide on the spot, whose fault it is, and report to the neighboring police station for appropriate green and red paper for repairs. Most insurance companies don't cover offroad damage so please make sure if you drive expensive 4x4 with comprehensive insurance, please check your offroad cover properly. Take a lot of pictures and videos of the accident site as Police always ask for this and also save the coordinates of the location as sometimes police like to revisit that area to verify the accident. Single car damage in offroad: In case your car flips or rollover or have any impact damage, take a lot of pictures and videos of the incident as Police always ask for this and also save the coordinates of the location. Tow point failure damage: Every offroader is responsible for their own car tow point strength, integrity, and load taking capacity. If your car tow point fails during "ANY" sort of recovery and damages the other offroader car, then you will be liable for all the damages including the car, driver, and passenger bodily injuries. To avoid such a situation always recover gently and gradually increase the intensity of the tug. If you still suspect that a lot harder tug is needed use the support strap, dampers, or sandbag to secure both ends of the tow rope. Damage while recovering: As much as every trip lead and support are trained to prevent the damage while recovering any vehicle, but the ultimate responsibility of any damage while recovering lies with the owner of the stuck car. Scenario 1: In some cases when your car nosedive in the sand pocket, the front bumper damage is already done, but it becomes visible when your car gets fully recovered out of the pocket. Scenario 2: While recovering a stuck car by a tug, if the stuck car doesn’t stop early enough after the recovery and hit the recovering car, then the stuck car owner is at fault and liable for all damages involved. Lubes / Spare Sharing: Many offroaders do carry a lot of spare fluids, oil, coolant, and other spare parts for emergency situations. If your car breaks down and someone offers you their spares or lubes, have the courtesy to pay or replace that in the next drive. Offroad Gear: Every offroader is 100% responsible for his/her own off-road gear, tools, and equipment and should know how to use them safely and how to take care of them in terms of regular maintenance (if any). If you lend your tow rope to someone, it's your responsibility to make sure that it doesn't have a knot. If you lend your metal shackle, brief that person to unscrew the last round so as not to get stuck. If you lend your jack, either stay around to see if it's placed on flat ground to not bend or brief them properly. If you lend your toolbox or tools, you need to make sure it's used as intended and they don't break. If you winch someone, you should know your winch capacity to do the recovery safely. If you lend your compressor, make sure it's not overheating or wait for it to cool down. Shovel, flag, radio, etc. is also your own responsibility & share it at your own risk. Off-road Promotions: As per Carnity Off-road Structure every off-roader has been assigned an off-road rank based on your driving skills, vehicle capability, and overall attitude towards off-roading. These promotions, ranks, and structures are in place to make sure that everyone is completely safe including you and your vehicle during all off-road drives. Due to safety reasons, there is zero-tolerance while promoting offroaders in Carnity off-road club. Once anyone applies for the off-road promotion, the request goes to all trip lead with who you have driven to access your off-road progress. Mostly all promotion requests are accepted immediately. For some, we request them to do a couple of more drives with the feedback in which you need to improve. Please accept and respect this club policy to help us maintain a safer off-road experience for everyone. Emergency details for all off-roaders: Please fill up all Emergency details here and also take a print out to keep the same in your glove box. It is mandatory for all off-roaders driving with Carnity Off-road Club.