Gaurav

@Enrico Biscaro I'm glad that you have figured out the tow point mounting hole in your Mercedes today. I thank you and your family for their utter maturity and sensibility to understand the importance of safety. Trust me, we as a trip lead feels more bad and sad to send anyone back, but emotions have to take a back seat when safety is in question. We only require a strong and rated tow point from your vehicle to rescue from difficult stuck and in absence of one, the recovery process is extremely risky, tedious, and sometimes even impossible. Thank you for your understanding and I look forward to driving with you soon.

Trip Report After a long time, I have done an Absolute Newbie drive and thoroughly enjoyed today with absolutely amazing drivers and cars. We started on time as usual and we drove for over 40 km in 3h:30m drive time. Started with an intro on the sand track and slowly moved to the dunes to practice the vehicle dynamic on different angles on the sand. After the initial introduction, the fun stuff started that most of the drivers enjoyed with a big smile and had a bit of hesitation in the beginning and after few attempts of rainbow and arc, they thoroughly went through flawlessly and asked for more. Everyone holds very good control, patience, and teamwork towards an end when we entered and backtrack from technical dunes to escape. @eldose baby your control of taming Lexus power and managing on the downhill with precision shows your level head. It's a very good luxury SUV that you can safely use till Newbie to Fewbie level but with a caution of the front bumper under plastic tray that I have pointed today. It has more power than Prado and must be awesome to drive at a higher level, but with proper underbody protection if you like to use the same vehicle for a long time. @Joji varghese as I said 2.7 is just a number in the beginning in the case of your Fortuner as the majority depends on the driver and you proved it right by managing it perfectly today without any stuck. Break this number barrier from your mind and focus on working with skills and this Fortuner can really go places even up to the Intermediate level depending on your driving ability and skills. @Mohamad Ziad Alhennawi your Hummer H3 and your driving skills shine bright today and haven't seen or heard any refusal mean you were in complete sync throughout the drive. Well done, keep it up and work on your communication skills as explained, because while driving in a convoy we usually depend a lot on point-to-point clear communication to help other drivers around. @AbdullaB your LC100 reminds me of my first day in offroading and exactly how I broke the lower lip like you did today as a gift to the desert god. There is nothing more to shed in this beast, so keep going. You did great today except for one minor hard landing (no big deal), work on practicing your brake a little harder after crossing the ridge and you will avoid any nose dives or hard landing in the future. Thanks, @Aisha S for mentoring Abdulla and not scaring him much @Rsjiv Samuel you were fantastic in your brand few desert toy, FJC, one of the best offroaders. Keep learning the right driving skills and FJC can easily scale up to any level in the future depending on your off-roading appetite. You were amazing and flawless today. @Tom V the choice of Nissan Xterra offroad version is amazing as these are the last of best offroader Nissan has produced and you have secured the low mileage vehicle as an awesome deal. Keep enjoining and be sensible you really don't need to worry about any changes anytime soon. Keep your inquisitive nature as that helps a lot in learning the tricks of offroading so that you can enjoy weekly drives safely and confidently. @Vanessa8580 thanks a lot for your excellent support and eagle eyes on the whole convoy today. See you after your holiday break and enjoy Belgian cold weather during Dubai summer. Moving forward you all will be joining the Newbie drives and not an Absolute Newbie drive. Drives are announced every Sunday at 11 am, and they go live on Sunday at 7:00 pm. Due to the high demand, these drives get full in about 10 minutes, so please be online at 7 pm to book your spot. If you miss a spot, put your name on the waitlist asap. Generally, by Thursday with dropouts everyone does get a spot if they have waitlisted. For the next drives, please bring along a deflator, pressure gauge, flag, compressor and radio as a minimum. Learn to deflate your tires and checking them precisely Learn to fix a flag on your car Learn to program and fully charge your radio Also like I mentioned during the debriefing, join the Carnity Whatsapp Drive Notification to get the latest updates on the drives, so that you can RSVP on time for the next weekend's drive. Please have a look at below topic which describes the tools needed for every level. There is a separate tutorial inside which explains which radio we recommend and how to program them: (Please do not buy the Baofeng 888S spare radio we gave you, as these cannot be programmed without a special cable and software). Please have a look at below grading structure that explains various off-road levels: See you guys soon on the sand. Take care.

Updated convoy list Gaurav 1999 Pajero eldose baby 2017 Lexus GX 460 Joji varghese 2009 Fortuner 2.7 Mohamad Ziad 2007 Hummer H3 AbdullaB 2006 Land Cruiser Rsjiv Samuel 2021 FJ Cruiser Tom V 2014 Xterra Off Road Vanessa 2008 Pajero

Thanks Fredy for sharing the link It's their on this drive topic first page, first post.

Here is the convoy numbering for tomorrow drive. In case of any emergency you can reach me at 050 5258706. Please watch Absolute Newbie Video Briefing (MANDATORY). No Video Watching = No Drive @Enrico Biscaro, @eldose baby, @Joji varghese, @Mohamad Ziad Alhennawi, @AbdullaB, @Rsjiv Samuel, @Tom V, @AMBATI, @Vanessa8580 Gaurav 1999 Pajero Enrico 2017 Mercedes GLS eldose baby 2017 Lexus GX 460 Joji varghese 2009 Fortuner 2.7 Mohamad Ziad 2007 Hummer H3 AbdullaB 2006 Land Cruiser Rsjiv Samuel 2021 FJ Cruiser Tom V 2014 Xterra Off Road AMBATI 2021 FJ Cruiser Vanessa 2008 Pajero

Welcome @AMBATI @AbdullaB and @eldose baby for joining this Absolute newbie drive, will surely have nice and relaxing fun desert drive coming Friday and I look forward to seeing you all. Please share your vehicle details - Make, Model, Year. Do you have any prior off-road experience? Confirm your vehicle has front and rear tow hooks / eyelets. Confirm your vehicle has minimum of 8 inches of ground clearance.

Thanks for clarifying your fair point @eldose baby, I have added you back in the drive. Looking forward to seeing you tomorrow morning.

If I have to spend 70K on desert toy, here is my list in priority. 2 Door Land Cruiser (IMPOSSIBLE TO FIND) 2 Door Nissan Patrol SWB (Difficult to find clean one) FJ Cruiser in stock condition 2 Door Pajero 3.8 in stock condition Wrangler Rubicon in stock condition (Difficult to find clean one) Xterra off-road buy for 50K and save 20K (Difficult to find clean one) Xterra is lower in list as you have 70K to spend and max you can spend on super clean 2015 Xterra offroad is 50K as they have discontinued after that. If I have 50K then Xterra will be sitting above Pajero 3.8. Just to put things in right perspective for you, as a new buyer: FJ, Xterra, Pajero and Wranglers are the most common offroaders here in UAE sand, but you can also select less popular models like Tahoe, Silverado, Sierra, Raptor, F150, Armada, Pathfinder etc.

Grandtrek reaching 50K with off-road use = Dubai Museum property. You are lucky they didn't explode on road and caused any nuisance, they must be fully bald with 50K mileage.

@GauravSoni have you tried the poor man front diff-lock to self recover in low gear? By holding the brake and giving gas? Hope its an easy fix and not the front differential.

Congratulations @Ranjan Das for reaching the Intermediate 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. INTERMEDIATE Drives Attended (Indicative) Minimum 10 Fewbie Plus drives are required within last 6 months for Intermediate promotion. What you'll learn Basic GPS and navigational skills Basic tow rope and winch recoveries Extreme side sloping and long hill climb Tall dunes ridge riding and criss crossing Precise control over technical dunes Fast pace desert driving Clear radio communication skills Advance recovery skills Self recover from dune crest Soft sand recovery Pop-out fixing Skills required Adventurous and thrill seeker but in a safe manner Level headed under stressful situations Responsible, dependable and accountable Car Worthiness Capable 4x4 vehicle with low range gearing Suitable approach and departure angle High profile tires Off-road gear required Safety flag, tire deflator, tire pressure gauge, shovel, fire extinguisher, medical kit, radio (walkie-talkie), air compressor, tool kit, rated recovery rope and 2 rated shackles, GPS. Drive teamwork Manage center forward position with Trip Lead’s permission Learn/assist recoveries under Trip Lead’s supervision Re-route convoy and coordination, when needed Learn to lead small portion of Intermediate drive under Marshal supervision Drive Joining Join Newbie, Fewbie, Intermediate and Exploration drives only Forum participation Active participation on the forum Share drive experience + feedback Share drive pictures in the gallery Post trip report after the drive

@eldose baby please note, I have removed you from this Absolute Newbie drive.

@eldose baby I see you have complete an Absolute Newbie drive last week, so now you can join any Newbie drive. Absolute Newbie is only for first timer with Carnity.

Well done @Ranjan Das, impressed with your way of thinking, honesty and consideration. Wish you good luck, in getting the new desert toy in happy and healthy state.

Congratulations @Danish Mohammad for reaching the Intermediate 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. INTERMEDIATE Drives Attended (Indicative) Minimum 10 Fewbie Plus drives are required within last 6 months for Intermediate promotion. What you'll learn Basic GPS and navigational skills Basic tow rope and winch recoveries Extreme side sloping and long hill climb Tall dunes ridge riding and criss crossing Precise control over technical dunes Fast pace desert driving Clear radio communication skills Advance recovery skills Self recover from dune crest Soft sand recovery Pop-out fixing Skills required Adventurous and thrill seeker but in a safe manner Level headed under stressful situations Responsible, dependable and accountable Car Worthiness Capable 4x4 vehicle with low range gearing Suitable approach and departure angle High profile tires Off-road gear required Safety flag, tire deflator, tire pressure gauge, shovel, fire extinguisher, medical kit, radio (walkie-talkie), air compressor, tool kit, rated recovery rope and 2 rated shackles, GPS. Drive teamwork Manage center forward position with Trip Lead’s permission Learn/assist recoveries under Trip Lead’s supervision Re-route convoy and coordination, when needed Learn to lead small portion of Intermediate drive under Marshal supervision Drive Joining Join Newbie, Fewbie, Intermediate and Exploration drives only Forum participation Active participation on the forum Share drive experience + feedback Share drive pictures in the gallery Post trip report after the drive

Wishing everyone Eid Mubarak to you and your family. Enjoy the break and travel safe.

You only need tire deflator, gauge and compressor for your first drive. I will carry spare radio for absolute newbie drive that you can use. From the second drive onward you need: Safety flag, tire deflator, tire pressure gauge, shovel, fire extinguisher, medical kit, radio (walkie-talkie), air compressor. You can check here what all gears is needed for various level of ranks

Means 90 - 120K, just like all of us start low and keep stretching on weekly basis, lol. Jokes apart, in 70K you can get decent Wrangler JK 3.6 with 280 hp (post 2014) and similar year FJ Cruiser 2014-2015. Both are quiet capable and comparable and 100% fit for any extreme drives, with very minimal underbody protection and mods. FJC being Toyota, will def offer better reliability and resale VS Wrangler, but if your heart is set on Wrangler, go for it as after 2012 Wrangler has improvise on reliability a lot.

Check the service history detail and see if they have ever changed the gear oil. Online says 150K miles (240 k kms) means I would change at 120k kms due to adverse use in UAE hot and dusty weather. If its never changed then get the gear oil and gear oil filter change too at the same time. Buy original spec gear oil and gear oil filter from Al tayer parts shop to be 100% its genuine and right spec for your car.

Welcome @Rsjiv Samuel, @Joji varghese, @Enrico Biscaro, @Mohamad Ziad Alhennawi, and @Tom V for joining this Absolute newbie drive, will surely have nice and relaxing fun desert drive coming Friday and I look forward to seeing you all. Thanks @Enrico Biscaro for your introduction that helps a lot knowing people before the drive. @Rsjiv Samuel, @Joji varghese, @Mohamad Ziad Alhennawi, and @Tom V Please share your vehicle details - Make, Model, Year. Do you have any prior off-road experience? Confirm your vehicle has front and rear tow hooks / eyelets. Confirm your vehicle has minimum of 8 inches of ground clearance.

To start with if your dashboard was covered in warranty it must be written in your warranty coverage booklet. If you can find that inclusion, then worth pursuing further to quote dealership on emails with that reference and let them deny on the emails too (not verbal). Step 2: Take that written email to consumer rights first and see if they can help. Step 3: Report to Mercedes Germany and seek an explanation on why local dealers aren't honoring Mercedes warranty in UAE. Many times when you report such issues to head quarter, they honor the claim faster and even if its not covered in warranty they can advise UAE dealer to cover it under "Goodwill warranty" (SOMETIMES). So use your words and approach wisely until all above steps are exhausted.

Welcome @Enrico Biscaro to join Italian gang with @Ale Vallecchi @Lorenzo Candelpergher and @Luca Palanca Falsini . For buying any off-road toy, there are two most important things. First you answered above, that you wish to drive at Extreme level in the sand, its clear. Second is your final budget that you plan to spend on this off-road toy? Please share your budget indication and we can advise further. And just to give you some perspective you can take 20K car to extreme level too instead of 100-200K worth, but lower the budget, more time you will spend (initially) to bring her to desert worthy state. More expensive and newer model will come with tension-free ownership.

1) For the engine oil, stick to the spec/grade advisable as per the owners manual and buy the best oil you can like Mobil 1, Castrol etc. and Fully Synthetic (Not semi synthetic and not mineral oil). Reason for this is oil is the life blood of your car engine and many garages cheap out on these to squeeze profits including many dealerships. So buy the BEST OIL money can buy and hand over to the garage. 2) Ask mechanic while oil change to check all engine and gear foundation (mounting), they are small rubber pieces that wears out with age and change once they are torn or broken. 3) Throttle response can be due to car is due for service, so gauge that point again once engine oil, oil filter and air filter is changed. If still response is sluggish, ask mechanic to clean the throttle body too (small job). 3.1) Feeling change of gear is not good sign, how badly you feel? Little jerk or loud shaking? Is it only from 1st to 2nd gear or in all gears? When was gear oil changed?

Very nice efforts Goutam @Looper truly helpful bits and pieces to save time for everyone in market for cooler for off-road drives. With the title line, I thought its about Tranny or Engine Oil cooler as I hold special PhD on car engine cooling failures and thought I might learn something more, lololol. For drinks cooler, I used Waeco Fridge in the past and due to noise, wiring, constant bumps while off-roading I gave up. Anyone thinking of buying these fridge, make sure warranty does cover off-road bumps, it wasn't in my Waeco fridge case. Tried few local brands cool box and was totally disappointed that water was at room temperature after an hour. My father-in-law gifted me his Coleman old cool box and I was surprised that it can hold refrigerated cold drinks (not freezed) chilled up to 12 hours and reasonably cold until 24 hours. I only add ice or ice pack for overnight drives, and not for day drives.