nutbolt

Hi Guys, It's been almost a month and I am sure everyone of you had a good number of fill ups till now. Do you care to share your extra amount per fill-up per new price....? Secondly do share any other economic changes you must have notice after this fuel price change...?

1. 24 AED extra paying every full tank.
2. My rent notice came up by 12% for 2016.
3. Global downturn and again at risk of loosing my third job in last 2 year.

I agree with afzal on this Peugeot make great cars but for cold countries and not here in Middle East. I had a nightmare of owning one Peugeot in past and it wasn't wow experience at all. Run the show and then knock it off as soon as you can.

Well if its not while hitting the gas then is it hitting the brakes...? Then it must be ABS which is similar like TC safety feature to put brakes in small interval prevent skidding.

Like when you slide downhill and slightly hold the brakes and have that cluttering noise from brake pedal....?

Im no much expert on Toyota by any means, but for offroad yes.

If the sound you are referring when car is slowing down on soft sand and you hit more gas to get out of that soft sand patch quickly and car produces stuttering noise as tires are slipping then yes that's a standard feature and function of traction control. To supply power to wheels in quick short interval to not to let them spin it too fast which which will dig the vehicle in sand.

And yes whenever vehicle losses traction and traction control function gets engage it displays TC light on dash. Does your light in dash is similar to attach one here, as it depends on different car brands.

Very positive and practical thinking Je'h.....! 

I think some brands have electric car already in Dubai, and I was reading few weeks back in news that govt planning to open 20-30 electric charging stations in Dubai. Once that happen, sale of electric or hybrid vehicle will be much accelerated.

Your best bet is with Gulf Star in Sharjah as they have original rims at very reasonable price not like dealer pricing. You can also check with National and Discovery spare parts in shj opposite Gulf star but chances are slim though.

I really don't care about car-pooling and my idea is I will never share my ride with anyone other than friends or family. Not even colleague as it's too personal choice and doing same with strangers is COMPLETE NO. I think what RTA has done to restrict such activity is good in a way for safety and privacy.

FYI mate: http://carnity.com/topic/6231-avoid-a2b-garage

You can try several options mention here in this thread depending on what level of garage and what level garage decoration you like:

Below list is in priority from most posh to messy looks, but all work great with LR including defender:

1. Al Tayer motors (official LR dealer)
2. AAA
3. Gulf Star http://carnity.com/content/business_listing/_/car-services/specialized-service-center/gulf-stars-auto-maintenance-workshop-r406
4. Al Bea (Sharjah)
5. Al Nakhala (Sharjah)
6. Al Rahal (Sharjah) http://carnity.com/content/business_listing/_/car-services/specialized-service-center/al-rahal-auto-maintenance-r159

My advise to deal in such cases that you are stuck is to go with fresh mind to any of the new garage and pretend that you are the new owner of car and don't know what happened in the past. This way garage's can't start the blame game knowing any name specific enemity in bad mouthing their competitor (if that's the case). Deal with the problem, and put the knowledge referred from forums or online world. Garage here is very unexposed to online world and they really get scare when you show off your online knowledge. I did that many times walking down with full print out instruction and pretending "know it all" type of guy from internet knowledge and get the job done with five star service and competence level. If they genuinely get stuck, at least they will consult you in seeking help or advise and you still have a chance to tale educated guess, than relying on some monkey business. These days google is making everyone doctor, lawyers and engineers in minutes so this mechanical know how is not too difficult in reading 5-10 forums and finding the right answer. Wish you good luck and hope you sort out your car soon. Btw which year defender you drive...?

It's a known issue of Discovery that after certain age and you can get this fixed very easily by replacing a U-Joint for drive shaft that connect the axle with gearbox/4x4. People here (when they get service) never grease the u-joint through the small nipples provided on the sides and hence it fails after a while running dry. They should be less than 100 dhs and I think it has 2 or 4 joints, change all of them and see the MAJOR difference. 

No offence but Grand cherokee you have chosen for a desert project itself is kind of wrong choice as a build platform as it's not hard core off-roader but rather soft-roader. Even if you make it work to the pristine condition, you might not enjoy it's performance as compare to other good 4x4 like Wrangler, Cherokee, Defender, Dicovery etc. My two cents.

May be it's an indication to reconsider your plan....!

Congrats Jatin on your Land Rover.

To be honest I have no idea on service charges as I never got it done their, I have taken more for severe issues. For DTC I think he will charge 100 dirhams and might do it for free if you get the service from him.

I am not sure what exactly you asking for sharing which report...? Check attached RTA comprehensive report from internet I got. Is that what you mean...?

comprehensive report.pdf

Hi Jatin,

Ashraf is very good and experience but as a new car buyer you need to take his advise with little caution as he runs the same business. I strongly suggest to get the RTA comprehensive test (250/300 AED) than regular for 100 dirhams. This way I think you will have double opinion before putting your cash down. 

Don't take me wrong on Ashraf, he and his knowledge in LR is awesome and offer good fixes for almost all LR's. He has actually got this gift in legacy from his father: Ismail.

Wish you good luck buddy. Enjoy the LR hood.

I agree with poster here this LR specialist garage is awesome in quick fixes and it's bit dirty and messed up but does the job in quarter of Dubai standard pricing.

Make it 4 guys, I am in as to test this for first time.

I have been driving offroad cars all my life and never driven a kart. I hope it's indoor in this hot month....?

I was just reading today gulf news and saw this jaw dropping news that in Dubai, speedsters is asking Dubai Police for to offer 2 km racing circuit that can curb racing desires for speedsters and reduce fatal high speed incidents on the public roads.

http://gulfnews.com/news/uae/transport/dubai-speedsters-we-just-want-a-2km-circuit-1.1535095

My vote is NO for building such strip, as if high speed modification is illegal in the country then this move will contradict there own earlier statement. Tomorrow, bikers will ask for 10 km strip and then offroaders will ask for special dedicated dunes to climb straight and do show jumps.

What's your thought guys....? Im really curious to know from real car enthusiasts here.

Good luck and good decision, get to sharjah industrial area and get ready to sweat. It's an adventure. I don't know any place in Abu Dhabi, sorry.

I would strictly stay away to get engine open for gasket change in Liwa, not only because of lack of experience of those guys in such job, but also not to trust mechanic in isolated land where he knows you have no options but to listen to his terms.

Like I said before, get your car to near by workshop to your house and get few mechanics opinion before embarking on rebuilding or head gasket change decision. This is serious job.

Have you check the points that I mentioned before, they are pretty easy to check by yourself.

For head gasket only change should be costing around 1000 - 1500 dhs if head is not warped and dont need any facing. If head need facing add another 500 -1000 dhs. If head is warped beyond facing, then you need new head from scrap usually cost about 1500 dhs. In that case better to change the whole engine (THE MOST EASIEST AND LESS COMPLICATED FIX) should cost about 2000 - 2500 Max.

I hope your disco is 4.0 liter, if its 4.6 (rare) then used engine will cost in range of 4000 - 5000 dhs. But still worth the hassle of rebuilding and spending so much time, money and energy. If its heated once, it may overheat again, so best bet is to plonk another low mileage engine and get over with it.

Hi Girish,

Sorry to hear about your engine overheating, which is never being a good sign. However if its overheated just once and that too not to full extent, then there is chances that you can save the big expense. Overheating generally caused by many issues and first you need to diagnose what may be the case in your scenario:

1. Engine running dry without coolant or water
   1. Then add the water or coolant and let car comes to lower operating temperature and try again, if it stabilize the temp. You can drive car on straight run, but not in dunes or in stop and go traffic in this peak summer month.
2. Check the AC fan is working or not, by standing in front of engine and open the hood and ask someone to switch AC on/off couple of times, and you should see one small AUX fan should kick in as soon as AC is switched on. However this fan might not switch off i mmediately as soon as AC is off because this small fan function also include to bring down car temperature to normal in case of excessive heat, which is quiet the case right now in July at 45 degrees.
   1. If Fan is not at all working, then again you can drive your car in highway and free roads (no dunes, no traffic) but without AC, and still reach your prefreed mechanic.
3. Engine fan is not working: The main engine big (huge) fan in front of radiator has two speeds controlled by viscose clutch, when car is normal then it runs at normal speed which is approx half of your RPM speed as its attached directly to engine pulley. And when car overheat, this fan should run faster exactly your rpm speed. When car overheats, this fan makes HELL OF GUSHING NOISE means this fan is doing its job properly.
   1. Even this fan second gushing speed is not working fine, you can still drive the car on highway, as on highway the wind hits the radiator at high speed do the job. (no dunes, no traffic)
4. Check for burst hoses or pipes, If above all points are good then check for burst hoses right behind engine and see if you notice any water or coolant leak under the car.
   1. If you spot burst water hose (thicker and black in color) then DO NOT DRIVE AT ALL. Get that hose changed in same place by yourself or call for mechanic. You can actually do it yourself if you have basic tools and little common sense.
5. Last but not least, if your coolant turned milky color and your engine oil have water traces with sticky and tacky feel and when you start car if emits white smoke and looses power then for sure head gasket has been blown and you need to get your ride on recovery to any garage which you trust and close to your house. As engine changing or rebuilding is long process of 3-5 days and your frequent visits is must. So if you live in Dubai or sharjah, better spend little extra on recovery and get your car back in closer emirates than leaving in Abu Dhabi. If you live in Abu Dhabi, then get your car in musaffah and I am sure you will find some reasonable garage there. I am not familiar with Abu Dhabi, but have heard that mussafah has good economical garages.

Let me know the finding of above points and I will guide you further instantly. Good luck.

AAA in Dubai is good for LR but expensive

Then comes 4x4 motors in Dubai

Then comes gulf star in sharjah

Though not sure about saluki.

Thanks for appreciating the good work, I am one of the old member here and feel very proud of being part of this LR hood. Please find below answer to your questions:

1) Overall, is the LR3 really plagued with problems that can be very expensive and time-consuming to fix? More so than the other makes?

--> Its not actually for LR3, or rather nothing except the Range Rover that is plagued with hi unreliability issues. If you see every thing has its cost and when you make such an intelligent and advance car you will have hi failure rate, i meant for RR. Don't worry LR3 is moderate in throwing problems after few years, just like any other car.

2) Is 75k really a magic figure around when I can expect to start paying a lot more for maintenance?

-->Not at all, these engines and cars are made for 300k+ and after 150k - 200k you really start spending more than past kms.

3) Does the dealer warranty on a used LR3 (for the first year) cover pretty much all the major components (which are also more expensive)?

--> I reckon that bit, but still double check with Al Tayer.

4) When requiring repairs, does the car typically sit at the workshop for a lot of time (because parts are hard to find, the problem is difficult to diagnose etc.)?

--> Not really, if you seek competent LR guys major stuff is same day job. Yeah that's quiet true that many LR workshop bullshit to keep car to justify their expensive bills. Its sad but true for some, but not for all workshops.

5) If I were to conduct a pre-buy inspection which gave the car a clean chit (from AAA), would it be a good buy at this price?

--> Hell, Yes. AAA is like almost close to dealership here.

6) Finally, there is another LR3 at 120k (2008 model) that's done 41k kms. Would this be a better buy than the 2008, 71k one?

--> No, 105K AED 2008 with 71k kms is better compare to other. However i think its still expensive and it should be in bracket of 80-90k max.

While buying LR, always insist on Al Tayer or AAA service history as that way you are sure that previous owner has taken good care and you wont face any deferred maintenance. Once you drive LR, it will be very difficult for you to change to any other car, you will remember my words when you change to something else. Good luck, and post pics of your ride once you finalize it.

I dont think its rip off mate, as compare to Mr. Tayer charging3k-4k easy. Depending on how many thousands km service it is.

You can give a try with Gulf Star in Sharjah, as that's the third cheapest option in quality workmanship. My guess is they will be around 1200 - 1500 dhs, if it helps.

If you still find that expensive, then go the DIY way. Find out all the details needed to be done in your major service, get LR service manual (couple of dollars from online), all lubes, spare parts needed and go to any small time mechanic in rashidiya who will charge you couple of hundred for half day labor and you can instruct him on how to do the job as per service manual instruction. I have done this 2-3 times when i have enough time, and trust me its so much fun and it gives you chance to know your vehicle more and build that bond of never ending love for LR.

AAA and 4x4 Garage is very nice if you intend to replace the dealer level of service but pricey too.

Alternatively you can try few garage until you find the satisfactory to your level, thats the best way always. As i have heard good and rip off stories of all good and reputable garages, so now i am kind of scared to suggest and recommend anyone.

Looks like another worthy garage gone the greed way than the professional way. Quite surprise to hear Roverover and JMC opinion.

Thanks guys, for the tips. Cheers.