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@Varun Mehndiratta thank you for scheduling this exploration drive; it lived up to my expectations, with lots of challenges in a new terrain. other than couple of minor refusals, 1 pop-out (and 1 minor pop-out for my car), we used our shovels 3-4 times; well this was expected as the sand was soft to super-soft. the whole convoy was well supported by @Looper + @Ranjan Das which made our lives easy, meaning that we could focus on the drive and enjoying the sand. @Amr Aydin @Gok Krish @Santoso Marjuki @Imran Kashif @Jessica Lambert thank you for joining this drive; the Jeeps were doing a great job making my life more difficult to follow your tracks. Hats off to @Jessica Lambert for your 1st IM drive - keep it up. As Varun mentioned previously, please check with the Prado gang to understand how you can get the kill-switch installed or simply disabling the air-bags. Thank you again for making this drive a memorable one; i look forward to @Carnity scheduling more drives in this area. Enjoy your week.

Thank you so much to @Varun Mehndiratta for a really awesome day out on the sand. When I first RSVP'd and saw how strong the rest of the convoy was, I was a little worried that I would be like the little sister slowing her big brothers down 😄but thanks to all your support I was able to learn and enjoy without too much stress. Especially with @Looper behind, who I think has been forced to rescue me more times than anyone else in this club, I felt more confident 😆 As directed by our leader, I will upload the pic of my diagonal cresting incident. Don't try this at home kids, only expert cresters can manage this 😎 @Imteeaz @Santoso Marjuki @Looper I second @Varun Mehndiratta's comment on the pop out fix- F1 pit stop crews have nothing on you guys! Definitely one of my favourite drives ever. Thanks again. PS: I have reached out to the Prado gang for advice on the air bag issue. I wonder if I could just disable the beeping somehow so I could still just pull the fuse for the airbags. Let's see!

Ok. This is an old thread but wanted to share my experience. In my last drive in Al Saad, as i was climbing, I heard a loud thump from the rear and found that the topmost leaf spring just cracked in half Replaced the leaf springs nearby and took it to my mechanic for a check up and identify the issue. The leaf spring that broke wasn't rusty, it looked solid. Turns out the rubber padding between the leaves had turned hard (not brittle) and rock solid and literally became a hard object between the leaves and were stressing at the contact point which ultimately cracked the leaf during a bump. So, rubber between the leaves is a good idea to stop the squeaks but they need to be replaced time to time and not let them become hard. I am currently running them stock (without the rubbers). Don't care about the squeaks but I cant handle another breakdown in the desert. Once the leaf spring cracks, the rear axle slides to the back of the car and the wheel touches the fender. Good luck with that if you don't have @Asif Hussain and @Jona in your convoy. FYI @Chaitanya D, @Foxtrot Oscar, @M.Seidam, @Tbone, @Rizwanm2, @Zulfikhar Naiyar@Ashutosh Garg@Chinthaka Ruwan, @Brendan White , @Xavier Treasurer, @Janarthan, @Mukundan Nair

Congratulations @Davie Chase and @Looper for successfully completing the second session of leaders lead with flying colors. As you all have learned the art of leading while navigating your way with GPS, now it's your chance to get ready for the ultimate test of skills. You will be learning the basics of leading in the desert in three different sessions: Advance sand reading, plan your lead, plan your exits. Use navigational software for selecting the right course of the path. How to plan and scale the lead and recoveries in the most grueling terrain. In this third session of leaders lead you will be leading through technical dunes with the help of off-road navigation app or device. And also learn to scale up or down the drive level difficulties as per convoy response. Prepare and mark these basic points and you will be required to reach any one or few of them: Entry and Exit Lisali camel track Lisali Fort Lisali technical dunes Murquab technical dunes Faqa long range dunes Faqa technical dunes Mark few play area in and around Lisali, Murquab and Faqa area. Mark as many sabka, flat track or easy exits in case of emergency. Mark fencing or restricted area. Drive Details Level: Selective Advisors only - @Looper and @Davie Chase When: 25 March 2023, Saturday Meeting time: 2:00 PM, (Sharp, without any exceptions) Meeting Point: Al Lisaili - https://goo.gl/maps/UDzJ7FKT2Aq5HcyFA Type of Car: Any proper 4x4 with front and back tow hooks and 8-10 inches of ground clearance. Approximate finish time: 6:00 PM Please RSVP on the below calendar:

@Varun Mehndiratta Update from the Prado Gang: American cars have sensors on the side that trigger the side airbags, whereas Japanese cars have swtiches that activate the side airbags on actual impact. So it seems it's not going to be an issue with the Prado (inshallah!)

Well done @Varun Mehndiratta ! Keep the exploration alive, this is what the real fun of offroading is all about !

Dear Sand Sailors Thanks for joining in for this exploration drive today. Being an exploration drive, I am limiting my report to some facts and feedback on convoy, leaving it to you all to share your thoughts on terrains and experience. So kindly let us know your genuine, unbiased opinion about drive experience, terrain and your perspective on if it’s worthy of on road time we spent to reach to location - so as to enable us at @Carnity to assess this location for next season. Drive Report Razeen is one of the darkest area in UAE and on a cloudy night, passing through the empty roads, next to a correctional premises was in itself a thrill for me. I had been to the location almost an year back and had at back of my mind a possibility of access issues etc. So I reached the location around 20-25 earlier to ensure we don’t have any last min logistical issues. It wasn’t to be and with whole convoy on time, we started with the first ray of sunlight (a faint one though with the cloud cover still on) at 630am. For first 2.5 hours, we explored dunes in Razeen. As was expected, sand was soft to super soft, ridges super sharp, dunes not so regular and a bit of vegetation adding further to challenges. While we had our fair share of regular refusals and few stucks (including mine), overall the whole convoy did amazingly well as we sailed through the place at a pretty good pace of around 22kmph. Special shout out to @Jessica Lambert. Honestly, though having been on drives togather, I knew about her driving skills, still I thought choosing Razeen for 1st intermediate drive was a bit of a bold move. She really proved it that it’s not a risky or bold move if one is confident about their skill. 💪💪👍👍 At around 930am, we had two options - - Spend another hour exploring Razeen (with well spread out dunes waiting to be explored, was very much dooable) and exit around 1030-11am. - Take our exploration further and move towards Watbha canal. Togather as convoy, we opted for Watbha exploration. Never been on this route, we relied on Gaia and we were in for our fair share of surprise. Sand was powder soft and dunes super tricky - felt like wide spread out long range dunes of Faqa have been zipped in togather to form a technical area of Qudra. We had continous refusal through the ln of convoy - starting from me to the end of convoy, including our lone pop out of the day. However, with good camaraderie at work and supporting each other, we managed to hit the final sabka at 11am, having travelled another 30Km. @Imteeaz @Santoso Marjuki @Jessica Lambert and @Looper that was one of the fastest pop out fix that I have experienced, very well done. And @Amr Aydin you were just brilliant as SL through this patch - with continous struggle to find right lines, I had to readjust multiple times and you executed it brilliantly. At end of Sabka, we went through the ln of Dafrah PV, the biggest PV in Abu Dhabi. With access controlled, to reach the canal, we had to retract a bit however by 1130am we ended the drive at the Watbha canal (thanks @Looper for support in finding the right location). Overall we drove 79Km at moving speed of 24Kmph - brilliant for the terrain and exploration drive. And to top that our ascent through the drive was just short of 1Km mark (958m to be precise) - a good reflection of steep climbs we did. Thanks all for your patience and all the support through this adventure. @Ranjan Das and @Gok Krish a brilliant drive for both the Jeep and thanks for your support during refusals and stucks. @Imran Kashif apart from couple of refusal early in drive and a tricky stuck you in general had a very good drive. Being SL on exploration drive isn’t easy you managed it pretty well. Please find better soln to fix your radio though. @Jessica Lambert you were simply amazing today - a few refusals, pop out at end of an extended drive can happen with anyone of us at this level. 🤩🤩. Please check on the options to switch off airbags in your car.@Waqas Parvez @ASAD., @Gaurav @Frederic and other Prado drivers at @Carnity request your advice on topic - due to warranty obligation kill switch I understand isn’t an option. We took off the fuse from box, however it led to warning beep sound in the car. Please share your thoughts. Thanks again for joining in and looking forward to hear your thoughts about drive, terrain and overall experience through this new location. Picture of thousand words. PS: with open top, half doors I needed a similar shower (can’t post that pic 😀😀)

Today I decided to give a try to one of the recommended ways to solve this quite annoying issue that many Xterra owners know (at least the regular off-roaders) : to apply lithium between the leaves. I used this 20dhs spray bought at ACE. Basically, you have to lift the car (with the system that will let the wheels free), use a screwdriver to create a gap between the leaves and add the grease in between each pair + on the sides and different mountings. When we took the car down, the miracle had happened. Not a single sound ! I drove back home with my windows opened, crossed humps at good speed : no more squeaking. Now let’s see how long it will last but so far it’s working. Previously I had tried everything except taking off the suspensions and clean them : w40, diesel, placing a rubber between the leaves... None of those had any effect.

We request every member that joins this drive to go through the below information and strictly follow these guidelines, etiquettes and responsibilities. MUST READ AND COMPLY Offroad Flag Guideline Two Way Radio Guideline Off road Driving Etiquette's Emergency details for all off-roaders Off Road Driving - Roles & Responsibilities DRIVE DETAILS Level: Newbie and above When: 25 March 2023, Saturday Meeting time: 3:00 PM - Sharp (Without any exceptions) Meeting Point: Dropped pin https://maps.app.goo.gl/dfHCX2RNXkDK7SH19 Action Plan: A relaxing, smoothly flowing drive, set to discovering the natural beauties of the Al Marmoon Presevation Area, capped by a few minutes of yoga, conducted by one of Dubai's top wellness professionals. The Yoga practice will be a Newbie level one, so easy and relaxing. Bring your families if you wish. Approximate finish time: 6:30 PM 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, enthusiasm and willingness to learn. Mandatory off-road gears: Tire deflator, tire pressure gauge, compressor, walkie-talkie radio, off-road flag, shovel, first-aid kit and fire extinguisher. LIMITED SPOTS AVAILABLE This drive is limited to 12 cars only. RSVP will close on Thursday - 8 PM If the RSVP is full, you can add your name to the waitlist, once anyone drops, you will be moved to the RSVP list. RSVP will close a day prior to preparing a convoy 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 BELOW CALENDAR

Thanks @Varun Mehndiratta.. looking forward to drive with u more and explore new areas and new challenges. for sure more drives = more videos 🤗🤗

Congratulations @Ahmad Nerat enjoy the next level, looking forward to see more Tik Tok drive videos from you.

"Any guidance what is normal life of these bushes in Lc200 which has never been driven off-road? Secondly, could this wobble be because of wheel bearing (no noise though) or lower arms (no clunking or sound even); that I should prioritize to change?" Bushes will wear out over time. Driving offroad will accelerate this, but a 10y old 4x4 will definitely have wear and tear on the bushes (rubber wears out due to heat and mechanical stress). I would advise to start with replacing the bushes that show wear and tear. Wheel bearing i think is less likely as these have a long life span (300,000+kms).

Appreciate if someone can shed light if this body shake could be caused by Bushes of Lower Control Arm or Ball-Joints? And can I replace bushes or ball-joints without changing the full control arm?

Congratulations @Misha Puskar enjoy your new level 😀

I encourage our generous Marshalls to organise more drives in Badayer @Hisham Masaad, @Ale Vallecchi, @M.Seidam, @Varun Mehndiratta, @Frederic, #all day or night we r ready 🫡🤠🤠

Wow, XTerra's parts availability is even better than Land Cruiser's 😅 But Leaf Spring has been used since horses carriage times, and its simplicity makes it used in industrial trucks...since Sanaya is industrial area, maybe now you have a truck-grade heavy-duty Leaf Spring now 😁 So now we know how to fix it next time, add extra Leaf Spring and 2 Axle Stands to the cargo as precaution if driving FB+ in Abu Dhabi 😂

Al Saad - Asif Hussian What should have been an epic drive but was cut short by vehicle issues. Al saad and @Asif Hussainwere both a first for me and I went with less expectations. The weather was 15 degrees at the starting point which was a nice surprise. We did a quick briefing and entered the sand. 5 mins into the drive, my mouth was wide open looking at the size of the bowls and Asif Bhai's lines. I was grinning every 2mins and mentally repeating to myself "It's gonna be an epic drive" , driven more with Asif bhai's promise of an amazing play area at the end of the drive. The whole convoy shared this passion and were executing the climbs and side sweeeps in a smooth fast paced manner. About an hour into the drive, I heard a loud thump when climbing and thought it was the rear bottoming out. Continued climbing a couple of dunes and then i heard a whirring noise from the rear. Stepped out and was greeted by the rear wheel touching the fender. My heart sank at that moment and I informed on the radio that i needed help. Quickly, the convoy came together and assessed the situation. Looked like an exit I cant say enough thanks to @Asif Hussain@Jona @salim @Abdul Basit Khan @Zed @Pascal @Joseph Rajuto have spent more than 1.5 hours to fix my car and take it out. The ingenuity to come up with a hack to get the car out of the desert is commendable. With whatever odds and ends we had, @Asif Hussain and @Jona came up with interesting ideas to fix the car which would put many accomplished auto mechanics to shame. Finally we came out of the desert with my rear axle cursing me. It was held together with ratchets and straps Once out, I literally had no idea on what to do and @Abdul Basit Khan was my knight in sining armour. We booked a recovery and @Abdul Basit Khan took me to Sanaya and got a mechanic that replaced the part in 10mins flat. We had a hearty lunch and sped back to Dubai (Or atleast i did, I had to ditch him on the highway and sped off as I was late for a family commitment). Blacked out at 8 pm and woke up at 7 am . The sleep wasn't enough . Taking the car to the garage today to check for any other possible damage. This shows the true spirit of carnity. Obviously I felt very bad that the other couldn't enjoy the virgin dunes of al saad but everyone made sure that i did not feel low and were chipping in with their support and kind words. Endearing of @Asif Hussain to check with me the next day on the status of the car. The whole convoy drove brilliantly and were climbing as if there's no tomorrow. @Zedwith his new beast took care of music for me. The hemi sounds too good bro. A couple of more drives with the jeep and you're gonna leave the LC in the garage itself. @Jona we were at the end and had a lovely banter looking at the guys in front. Your ideas to fix the car amazed me buddy. Thank you for everything. @Asif Hussain I loved the area, the route and especially the calm and composed manner in which you dealt the situation. Lets go to al saad again please with the same convoy. It will be my redemption! Until next drive guys. Stay calm and check your leaf springs (if you have any)

the Blue track is the one @Ranjan Das referred to from our previous time there. It was a fantastic drive worth all the effort of driving back after my Saturday evening LL2 and camping. The weather was fantastic and the drive was one for the memorials. I normally don’t like to drive windows down due to sand etc., but yesterday I couldn’t drive with windows up. It was so much better. I didn’t get the memo about what makes Razeen infamous, in my books though @Varun Mehndiratta made it famous.

thank you @Varun Mehndiratta for leading us through the pristine dunes, the beautiful side of, as i came to know yesterday, the notorious Razeen area. Yestarday's was my second drive in the area - i enjoyed the first one helmed by Lorenzo so much that i had to join once you posted. Everything about the drive was perfect - the wonderful sunday morning, a relatively short convoy, the exciting lines taken by the wonderful lead - couldn't have asked for more. @Imran Kashif, @Jessica Lambert, @Looper, @Santoso Marjuki, @Imteeaz, @Gok Krish and @Amr Aydin it was nice meeting and driving with you guys - thank you and wish you a great week ahead. (beautiful weather and as @Looper mentioned, "perfect one to roll down the windows and enjoy"!)

Thank you @Frederic that answers my question perfectly. I'm looking forward to supporting Newbie drives (If I meet the requirements of course ) I do see the reasoning behind higher level drives not needing the support, and I totally agree. Lucky for Team Carnity shovel is my second name

Great to see your commitment @Benjamin ! After you have completed those 10 drives, you become eligible to request to join the support team if you feel that you want to progress further and become a supporting member, which in our language is a senior member that is willing to help others and finds satisfaction in teaching others on how to become confident off-roaders. After requesting your promotion, we will first internally assess how you have progressed until now (are you a team-player and ready to help out during your drives, or you prefer snoozing in the car with snacks while others are shoveling away)... 😁 Apart from being a team-player, we also look for mature people who can remain calm and can be a gentle guide to our Newbies and give them comfort and reassurance so they are at ease, just like you felt on those first couple of drives and got the confidence from another senior member or support team member. In our opinion, Fewbie+ and Intermediate drives need little to no support (except perhaps for LIWA drives or similar more demanding drives). The reason is that we expect from that point onwards all members of the convoy know their car, skills, and should know how to self-recover. There is no real challenge in supporting a high-level drive but trust me the challenge to support a low-level drive can be immense and that's exactly where we want to see people rising to the occasion. Having said that, i do know that during high level drives there can also be numerous challenging stucks and recoveries, but these are more technically challenging, and do not compare in the same manner as teaching a Newbie how to self-recover, or guide him calmly and with a friendly smile even after consecutive crests and stucks (we do enjoy these things and any future lead of us should find satisfaction in teaching others). Hope this clarifies your inquiry

Hi @Carnity I've been reading and interpreting the requirements to join Team Carnity and I'm looking forward to further aid and improve my skills and reliability after my intermediate promotion. I'm a little turned around on the requirement after completing 10 drives as an intermediate. If I got a role as a support member is there a series of examination processes to ensure I'm fit for the role? as I'm reading other comments here and it seems to be somewhat the case. Also, another quick question. after the promotion I presume Support starts at just supporting Newbie and Fewbie drives, but what's the requirement to support higher level drives? such as Fewbie + and intermediate? Thanks for any replies I'm just interested and excited to potentially join Team Carnity as an active member as I will be heading into university soon in Dubai

2 days before, I installed new tyres Bridgestone Dueler HP Sport from Sand Dance tyres. Now road noise is totally gone but the main issue of wheel shake still exists. I would say it became more prominent now after changing tyres; not sure what is the relation. Driving at 90 or 100 KMPH on highway, I feel wheels wobbling/shaking but not on steering. Front lower control arm bushes seems slightly worn; not sure if replacing bushes only will do the job or I should replace the full arms. Any guidance what is normal life of these bushes in Lc200 which has never been driven off-road? Secondly, could this wobble be because of wheel bearing (no noise though) or lower arms (no clunking or sound even); that I should prioritize to change?

Friends, I actually got my vehicle steam washed and greased (normal yellowish color grease) on 6 fittings/nipples on Drive Shaft 2 weeks before. This was because I read that dry u-joints or Slide Yoke could also cause vibration. But strangely, I feel a but more vibration now when I drive over small highway bumps and car feels uncomfortable and shake for a second as if all corners of vehicle aren’t in sync with each other. Any advice if this could be due to over-greasing and where can I get my car (in Shj or Dxb) to remove extra grease and re-grease all points with high-temperature recommended grease with proper grease gun? My mechanic recommends blames Dunlop AT22 tyres DOT 2020 and suggests to change these with Bridgestone or Michelin. Though I hear road noise with tyres and these are unevenly worn specially rear ones, but I don’t think this is purely due to tyres only; so my thought is to fix mechanical issues before tyre change.

@Frederic it has done 215K KM. @Gaurav It has always been driven on road; never used in sand. Not sure if it is possible for wheel bearings (wheel hub) to get loose without any noise of play in them while inspection? Or is there any other important suspension part left unattended in the above list of parts I already replaced?

I’m also facing same Choww Choww sound. it’s irritate me a lot. I never applied greece but after every wash i applied WD40. i thought i found the solution but after my last drive it came back. so today i came to know that Greece and WD40 are the magnet of sand. Plz advise the best cost effective solution.

Yet another possible solution for the dreaded Leaves Squeak Solution: Placing a combination of heavy duty cable ties and rubber between the leaves. (I have used an old inner tube donated by a friendly tyre shop.) Theory, sand won’t get trapped thus no squeak . Reality : time will tell Possible fails: The rubber and cable ties will become worn and be displaced from between the leaves when driving off-road. Cable ties should stay in place, issue is re wear n tear. Process: Wash the leaves to remove sand. Mount rear wheels on a kerbstone or jack up to create gaps between the leaves Place rubber, (fold as many times as you can and push through with a screwdriver.) and cable ties in-between the leaves at both ends. Cut excess from Cable ties. Drive.... So far so silent. However, I will report back after this weekend's driving in the dunes.

Indeed. It’s the sand that causes the squeaking and washing is the proper solution. Grease will mute the sound but it catches the sand even more and traps it and sand in anything that moves isn’t good.

Hello I have Xterra and till now no squeaking sound so far ( three times to Offroad with you fine ppl ) and I don’t know when it will come. but what I do after each sand trip steam wash . regarding grease I feel that the grease will catch the sand particles ( silicon ) and will bind it even harder and makes the squeaking more prominent . ( it’s metal on silicon not metal on metal ) . I don’t know what the lithium had to do do though . best drive save and healthy

Squeaking is back, although very discreet, since yesterday. The lithium grease miracle lasted almost two months, despite weekly off-road drives. So in conclusion : not bad for a 10-20dhs and 5 mn job.

Yes, I can confirm : diesel didn’t work for me.

I'm surprised diesel did not work, that usually did the trick for a pickup I have back home. Then again, we don't have this extreme weather conditions back home.

Good news @Frederic : squeaking sound is back after yesterday's offroad drive. Slightly squeaking though, no possible comparaison with what it was before... You will need a lightbar.

@Frederic It looks like you won’t need lights for our night drives...

I also had the same feeling but didn't feel like saying after seeing your excitement

Unfortunately I've heard this lasts only until you hit the sand again.

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