desertdude

10 minutes ago, Chaitanya D said:

Many thanks @Frederic for your comment and suggestions. Yes I am not changing anything now but wanted to know if anyone had experience with these. I would request you guys ( @Rahimdad, @Gaurav, @Srikumar @desertdude , and all experienced people out here ) to specifically give suggestions when maneuvering the unusual offroad cars (like the y62 ) while getting down a steep dune, valley or a sidee... May be I am asking too early but I want to get it straight sooner than later and of course before breaking a lot of stuff 

There is no substitute for experience bud. The more you drive the better you get at it. If you have a more powerful vehicle the you really don't need to come rallying down a stretch to climb. But you still need momentum

You attack a dune at the speed you think you will not bottom out the front and whack your bumper once you have started to climb you mash it into the floor.

Coming down a dune when the at bottom and think you are going to scrape it slow down as much as possible and slightly turn so one wheel hits before the other like you might have seen some low sports cars do going over a bump. But not too much and halfway down a dune otherwise you could end up stuck sideways or even roll!

31 minutes ago, Gaurav said:

I just gave my "points, feedback and opinion" based on my own little off-road experience "knowing or assuming" some people might have been "brainwashed or influenced" with "brand marketing campaigns or their friends/family".

Same way we tell everyone that do not drive regularly all the time in LO gear, as per prevailing myth from thousands other off-road clubs who only focus on power than developing off-road skills. Still if some off-roader wish to drive in LO gear, it's their personal choice.

I personally don't feel good or bad if you listen/not to any of these advices, but feel relieved that we have conveyed the message. Job done.

@desertdude I have tested my ML 500 (V8), Porsche Cayenne Turbo (V8) and Range Rover Supercharged (V8) in dunes but all of them disappointed me in delivering the power on the right moment I want it because of the technological advancement they offer.

Which year latest V8 have you tested in sand? 2003 Armada.....Anything after that.....?

The only V8 that performs really well in the desert are the one that are designed for desert extreme use and not multipurpose use: Raptor, F150, Chevy pickups, etc.

You don't know everything I do or have done. I don't advertise to gain credibility. 

FYI : If you must know. It was a bone stock 2012 Range Rover Sport Supercharged and that too in Wagan.

And frankly speaking I was disappointed because it was so smooth and comfortable. You didn't feel you were in the desert. It climbed the big dunes like an animal even it with it's 19/20 inch rims and down to only 20psi. And the only damage was a slightly scrapped front lip which got scrapped in a nasty dip.

We spent two days and one night there it went drove like a charm.

I think I would follow Baja Truck settings as they seem to just glide over rough terrain Fast compression with slow rebound.

You jump or attack an obstacle and you land the soft compression absorbs up all the impact and with a slow rebound you don't bounce back up like a spring 

11 hours ago, Salarios said:

The two cars were not independently designed and manufactured by separate engineers; all of Nissan's experience and knowledge through extensive R&D gained through designing the Y61 for over 20 years went into upgrading their flagship offroader to the modern era with the added benefit of technological advancements in automotive engineering. 

 

Did you know the weight difference is only 220kg? That's two adults. But with 3 inches of additional ground clearance, several hundred more horsepower and torque, independent suspension, and a host of techological advancements such as hill-descent, hill-start, hydraulic body motion control, active tire pressure monitor system, and a dedicated off-road monitoring system. 

 

This is not a fair indicator of Y62's offroad capabilities. The price point makes it difficult for the majority of people to justify it for offroad use. And Nissan's Y62 marketing campaign has mostly focused on luxury, rather than offroad capability, which has influenced people accordingly. 

I'm a traditionalist more than the next guy, I love the Defender over a Range Rover due to its brute force, simple mechanics, and easy maintenance, but I would never invalidate the engineering accomplishments of its successor. 

Hey man do what you can, if you can afford it, rock it. Just get the bumper issue fixed and run with it.

If I could afford to I would ride a Rolls Royce Cullinan in the dunes 

Like you I've never let anyone dictate what I should or shouldn't get. Of course I do my research and take advice from sensible people and with that in mind form my own opinion.

Back in the day while working in the desert I one decided I'm going to shift from a manual Land Cruiser to an automatic transmission. Unheard of those days and everybody told me I was commiting suicide. But later after seeing me many themselves converted to automatic

Same when I got a Land Rover Discovery and initially everybody made fun of me and said should have bought a Jeep. But once again proved them wrong

Further on for everyday use I got myself a used Range Rover and once again everyone I knew said I was crazy it's going to burn holes in my wallet the size of Jupiter.

And many people even here if honest enough will testify they ended up buying discoveries and range Rovers after seeing me. 

If everyone was to follow everyone else there would be nothing but Pajeros and Jeeps. 

Many of the naysayers have never even driven anything more than 250hp and 6 cylinders off-road so what do they know. There is nothing like the low end torque if a V8 and wideband power delivery.

So you do you mate. You'll make mistakes maybe even expensive ones along the way but you are only a fool if you don't learn from them.

So if you are willing and know what you are getting into them nothing should stop you or let anyone dissuade you from driving your Patrol.

Good luck

34 minutes ago, Rahimdad said:

I am just going to be me, and try to better myself. time to reflect and time to spend with my family and close friends. We at Carnity are very stubborn bunch of off-roaders always looking for a way through the fence.

You should have been a politician or at the very least a diplomat. With all your sweet idealistic talk I'm sure you would have brokered a few peace treaties among warring nations by now.

22 minutes ago, Barry said:

£30k gbp. Might not be your cup of tea but pretty reasonable given the spec and even more reasonable given it’s a homologation car. I would imagine Toyota are a long way off breaking even on this one. 

Meh! Sat the end of the day it's still a Yaris and probably drives even shitter than the regular Yaris with it's "track tuned suspension"

Once in a parking lot ( ironically it was the Dubai Police GHQ parking lot) I had to reverse my lifted Safari Land Cruiser to give way to woman in an X5 who couldn't pass even though there was enough space for the Titanic to go.

I checked all my three rear view mirrors. It was all clear and slowly reversed. Then I heard a thump and then a horn. Looked in my mirrors and still couldn't see anything. 

Then on my driver's side mirror I saw a door! I got out and a Tercel had crept up behind me, totally invisible to me and my rear mounted spare tyre dinged his hood.

Another time, this time in my lifted discovery. Waiting at a signal. I heard a screech and a slight jolt. Again could see anything in the mirrors. Then I started to feel the car vibrate! I got out to see a 91-92 Civic had literally gone under my Disco. Lifting the rear tires off the road.

Before I could say or do anything. That guy put in reverse and after what lot of wiggling dragged himself from under my car and took a free right at the light and ran off! 

I looked at the rear and under my car. Nothing was damaged or bent so I said fuck it and went off.

I dunno people have a habit of ramming their cars into my lifted 4x4s. Because sometime later another Merc did the same. But his frontend got totally destroyed and I got maybe a scratch on my rear steel bumper. So I let him go too as he looked real worried and totally drenched in sweat and requested me not to call the cops. Expired reg maybe. Since I didn't get any damage. I said no worries.

As for the Yaris probably costs bollocks money and totally not worth it. 

Oh I thought it was the Chevy Avalanche. 

Meh bored of all Porsche products

23 hours ago, Rahimdad said:

OMG, my favourite ride for the desert was from the Qatar Champion Saeed Al Hijri. He used to drive a Porshe 911 Turbo Cabriolet with Rothman stickers back in the 80s. This looks like a version of that on steroids. I have truly fallen in love, as long as it can carry all the stuff in the back of my Pathy.

Well then you should have been my friend earlier as I had possession of the actual Paris to Dakar winning Rothmans Porsche 953 for a few days and that too in the desert

How come the car is dirty and the undies aren't?

2 hours ago, Barry said:

Washing is pretty important if you don’t want your car to disintegrate. Dirt and crap collects in all the little nooks and crevices which holds water which causes rust. Not to mention the salt they put on the roads in the winter which will leave your car looking like a scabby donkey. 

That depends on place to place. Doesn't snow everywhere or mucky roads 

I saw my buds car in the US North Carolina and it looked pretty damn nice and he said he's only washed it once since he got it two years ago!

And washing the body or as it called body wash here wouldn't get rid of the dirt in all the knows and crannies anyways.

Not buying which I knew were soon going to upcoming classics with prices going through the roof.

One a freshly imported very low mileage German import 1987 Mercedes 560SEL coupe for 7k. I stood firm at 5k and the other a 1995 soft dash Range Rover Classic for 5k. 

If I wasn't able to sell to a huge XJ Fanatic at a very high price, I would call buying a Jeep XJ as my biggest automotive mistake and regret. 

41 minutes ago, Rahimdad said:

Didn't get it washed in 20 years, he's my type of the guy.

Well TBH in countries like that you really don't need to wash cars unless you take it off-road or muddy areas.

The regular rains keep them pretty much clean on the outside.

Need more? Or this is enough?

What's the paint code again? 

Nightmare for a body collision repair shop

Do I use polish or insecticide?

Part of the scheduled service : trim all body panels every 10,000kms or 3 months whichever comes first

RTA Fail : body all overgrown please visit nearest garden center for repairs

I used to know a guy who used scuba cylinders he had a Patrol with big Cooper STTs and one fill would last him 3 to 4 drives and literally took seconds to inflate a tyre. 

She he regularly went diving he would get a refill at one of the scuba hear shops for like 30-40dhs.

Gaurav might remember him from dubai4x4 days. Aboud. 

2 hours ago, Rahimdad said:

That is because you have not been out much, you won't see much from the comfort of the couch at home.

I've been "out" more than you can imagine.  If you combine your last 10 years of off roading, won't equal to 1 year of mine  So let's not get into that debate, because I'm tired of repeating myself here. 😉

19 hours ago, Kalahari said:

After upgrading my subscription, I looked at the Classifieds to see if somebody wants to do away with a decent Xterra or old Prado.  But it seems "full service history" is as scarce as a LR that does not leak oil??? Surely, even if you service your car through a backyard mechanic, you would keep record of that - or is it because people pay cash without any receipt to avoid the VAT?

That's the culture here mate. There was no and is no direct personal income tax so majority dont keep receipts of anything including car services including myself. 

Also majority of the people who reside here come from countries that really don't have a car culture or didn't have one until recently so cars are just a means to an end. That's why you will also see so many boring plain Jane vanilla cars on the roads here. 

Do you keep receipts for your washing machine or toaster? That's what a car to most people here. Plain old white goods 

5 hours ago, Frederic said:

Yes and whatever you might hear about guys driving around in low gear, these will be the first ones to fry their transmission in weeks or months. It’s a bad habit and serves no purpose.

That's not entirely true, specially if you have a stick shift. You can start in 3rd and then use 4th and 5th. That extra bit of torque helps in tricky situations.

Sometimes you encounter a patch that you really need to push through. Low range helps there too..

Too much jealously in this thread!

1 hour ago, Srikumar said:

I guess either you were unlucky or i was lucky. Never had a heating issue even in summers. The fact is that I was forced to change the entire cooling system as soon as I purchased the vehicle and like I said it has been 3 years. Even driving at 42 deg. C in the desert and I have not had an overheating issue. 

Bar none the worst car I've ever owned. It only overheated once but the temp issues were just one small part of what made it shit for me. 

What I was trying to say earlier was according to internet wisdom and many of my sheeper friends. Running hot not overheating in the desert was/is considered totally normal. But I just couldn't comes to terms with this "Jeep thing" behaviour and thus was never comfortable and relaxed off roading in it.

But I did sell it for almost twice what I paid for it and bought two Land Rovers from that money. So it somewhat made up for all the misery it gave me while I had it. 

P.S : Jeeps are shit in the summer I couldn't handle the Jeep thing if the temp needle being almost 3/4th way to overheat and everyone telling me it's ok don't worry. It went great in the desert but I never really enjoyed it with my eyes more on the temp gauge than the dunes and was more than happy to get rid of it

If coolant is bubbling out that means your system is not airtight anymore and air is leaking in from somewhere. 

It's supposed to be airtight to increase pressure to stop it from bubbling. Most likely suspect, radiator cap gone bad.

Had the same issue in those dark times when I owned a sheep xj same motor and everything as the TJ. 

I could drive all day long nothing but the moment I parked within 30 seconds the expansion tank would start bubbling and spewing out coolant.

I had just out in a OEM radiator and an original Mopar rad cap too. 

After weeks like this it took me literally an hour of just staring at the engine while running to figure it out. A tiny droplet of coolant would weep out from under the cap and within in minutes evaporate leaving almost no trace behind hence it took so long to figure out.

The original Mopar cap wasn't sealing the OEM rad neck 100%

So a cheap 20 dhs generic rad cap from sanaiya was put on and fixed the issue.

3 to 4mm. Seriously! Coolant expands and contracts more than that. I think you need to stop being so OCD about it. 

And an extended warranty is always a good thing

2 hours ago, treks said:

Don't have pics, unfortunately. I don't own a camera or a device with a camera. 

The variant you mention was never sold here, and I have only seen a few unofficial imports. So my Tazz is bog standard and it uses the 1.3 2E carburetor engine.   

Jeez man talk about a ludite!  Bet you still use an old typewriter and write angry letters to the local newspaper sent via the post office

There is no Jap Spec pathfinders of that generation. 1st because they were called they Nissan Terrano in Japan and 2nd cars made in Japan for the Japanese domestic market or JDM are all right hand drive. 

So if it's actually a Japan imported Pathfinder it will be badged as a Terrano and will be RHD.

So someone is taking the piss here by telling you it's Japan specs