Varun Mehndiratta

Dear Sand Sailors

Since we have a good mix of experience in the list, I have extended the convoy to accommodate two drivers, any more won’t do justice to the terrain.

We still have 5 drivers on wl. So in case of any change in your plans, please update the rsvp at the earliest to avoid losing out on slot while others are on waiting. 

 @KAMALIO @Ishak @Gary F @Beide Worku @Gertjan @Patrick van der Loo @Jaro Tuzinsky @Ignacio Quindós @Felix Obst @Bashar Beasha @Benjamin@DP1011

WL (No in any order) @Bjoern @Mark B @Paolo Pellegrini @Krishna R @Joji varghese

Wow so happy that as a lead, I don’t have to plan for this 7pm rush… would have surely missed this one. Logged in at 7:01 and it was already full. Thanks all for wonderful response. We have 5 WL, however still two days to go… so let’s assess it on Wednesday and will plan accordingly. 
 

In due course, please ensure cars are fully fit and ready to go. Based on recent experience some aspects to check before the drive. 

- Check the coolant and filters. With temp rising, overheating has started to be issue with some vehicles. 

- Check your bash plate as if we will be able to execute what we plan to, some under body protection will be good (ofcourse I m sure till now you know about your vehicles, so plan accordingly - it’s nothing extra ordinary but better to check). 

- Please check your spare tires. Recently on couple of drives, we had issues with lack of spare tyre with some riders, when needed. 

- Rest, have a nice week ahead, stay hydrated, stay healthy. 

See you all on Thursday. 

Congrats @Mark B

Drive Plan - We plan to start with the first ray of sunlight, from the  track at the end of the Al Qudra - Solar Park Road.  Heading North-east, facing the sun, we will criss - cross our way through the beautiful long range dunes of Qudra. Maneuvering the slip face and sharp ridges of these dunes, we will move towards Lisaili.  Based on where we will be, we will exit at around 9:30am. 

This drive is going to be technically demanding, both mentally for the drivers and mechanically for the cars. We will crossing multiple long ridges, criss-crossing through some of the longest dunes there are in Qudra and will be approaching the area from slip side.  It will require your full and undivided concentration at every step. So make sure you come well rested, fully hydrated, and that you don’t have any reason for being distracted. Please consider carefully if you wish to bring passengers along with you.

DRIVE DETAILS

When:  20, April'23 Thursday

Meeting time:  6:00 AM - Sharp (Without any exceptions) 

Meeting Point:  https://goo.gl/maps/3zBbCKDhDnE3Hygd6

Approximate finish time: 9:30AM

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.
 

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
   

LIMITED SPOTS AVAILABLE

• This drive is limited to 10 cars only.
• 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 All for joining in for the drive and making it a fun morning on sand.

It started off as a very beautiful morning with amazing weather, oryx lined up to welcome us in Faqa, all riders on time and  ended up with a smile on face having successfully traversed  through a beautiful terrain that offered some amazing views while regularly challenging our driving skills. The pleasant morning start, followed by hot and soft sand provided us with a good idea of what lies ahead in coming months.
 

Thanks @Looper for this lovely route planning. Very well executed drive, it literally had it all - some steep climbs, a beautiful over landing experience through bushes and for me the most amazing part was the last one hour with all the criss crossing. 👏👏👏

Every one did really well throughout the drive. Apart from a 45 min stoppage due to tyre issue at beginning of drive, we had minor refusals and minor stucks, which were either self recovered or at most sorted with help of little shoveling. This meant that we had ample time to even practice on 1 on 1 basis - criss crossing - hope came in handy for all. Thanks @Mehmet Volga and @Looper for executing some demos on it. 
 

@Sunil Mathew day didn’t roll out positive for you, hope all went fine on your way back home after that early exit. Do share feedback on that tyre with whole convoy - always good to know what went wrong. 

Overall a wonderful day, thanks all for joining and looking forward to see you all sometime soon. 
 

@Juan R @premindra rajaram @george charbel @Sebb

Ahoy Sailors

Hope all of you have had a nice week and are looking forward to start the weekend with a early morning drive in dunes of Faqa. 
 

Key info for our drive tomo. 

Channel : 4

Meeting Time : 6am

Convoy Order : 

Varun on Maroon Wrangler.

@Looper will be SL

 @Sebb On white safari

@Juan R on white wrangler

@Mehmet Volga will be Cf

 @premindra rajaram on his Xterra

@george charbel

@Sunil Mathew    Will be sweeping the convoy.
 

I believe most of you have been to Faqa and know the terrain. Still for those not been there - located on other side of Solar Park (opp of Qudra) and border of Dubai/Abu Dhabi, Faqa offers some of the most beautiful long range dunes in Dubai with never ending avenues to enjoy some nice climbs and criss crossing through those sharp ridges.

Explored mainly by experienced off roaders, it’s one place with clean and cross track free dunes - that’s becoming a luxury in Dubai desert. There are multiple watering holes and farms around the place - so rendezvous with some nice wild life is surely always on cards in this area.
It’s undoubtedly my fav place to visit in Dubai, whenever looking for that shot of adrenaline rush. 

See you all on Saturday. 

31 minutes ago, Vijaya Kumar Doppa said:

Hello Guys!

FYI, After some negotiations for the same specs as TE, Offroad Zone agreed to give a discount on the stock price as @Vaibhavsaid they are buying vehicles from Abu Dhabi, so it comes with 3 years warranty, an Extra warranty of 2 years, and a service package 3 years will cost an additional AED 11000/-; total would be AED 2,46000/- whereas at TE it was 254900/-

If we choose Offroad Zone, optional modifications are also covered by warranty.

Just a crazy thought - what’s the price of 392. I believe it already comes with most of these additions, might be an option to explore. 

17 minutes ago, Vijaya Kumar Doppa said:

How much would a full-service package for a Jeep Rubicon cost for 3 years or 5 years?

Around 4K for 2 years, 4 service from TE. 

Oh we have some additional  stakeholders as well ofcourse story couldn’t have been complete without @Mehmet Volga and @Looper - I don’t want to say who is who 🤪🤪

Welcome onboard @Daniel Rodas

Fellowship is now complete. 

19 minutes ago, Vaibhav said:

@Vijaya Kumar Doppa Dubai dealers give 5 years warranty and Abu Dhabi dealer gives 3 years. But it does not mean you cannot extend your warranty. Its just a gimmick the dealers do. Other sellers like Offroadzone and Jeepers source their vehicles from Abu Dhabi hence you will get a 3 year warranty but without service package. My suggestion is to do the comparison between both Dubai and Abu Dhabi dealers with price. May be Abu Dhabi dealer would be cheaper as they offer 3 years warranty and no service package. You can always extend the warranty and also take a service package after buying it. No dealers offers extra 2 years warranty and service package free of cost. They add it to the cost of the vehicle. Insurance do not take from the dealer as it is always higher. Take it from outside where you should save around 2k. 

With regards to the which model, Go for Rubicon as it has a stronger Axel compared to the sports and Sahara model hence you will not have to reinforce it. Plus bigger tires, Lifted by 1 inch and Aluminum bumper where you can fix fog lights later on. But finally depends if you would like to spend that amount. 

One point for you to remember is any modification you do for any part you lose the warranty for that part. Modification shops will convince you do stuff to your car which is not required and eventually will lift their hands if it is not covered under warranty.  Your stock jeep is very capable without any modifications.  Just buy a jeep and fix a flag and your ready to go. 

Good luck and Great choice.

Reg. points from @Benjamin and @Vaibhav on Rubicon vs sports vs Sahara, heres my input based on 2 years of riding Sahara and 5 months back having upgraded to Rubicon.

a.) Price delta between all models is beautifully designed, so buying one and trying to transform it to other is not worthy exercise - you will end up spending more without reaching anywhere. Yeah i did the exercise of checking up that if i buy Sports and transform it to Sahara - numbers just didnt add. So, went with Sahara itself (that too limited edition with all black trim).

b.) Aesthetically, though a personal choice,  i always liked Rubicon  those vents on the bonnet, silver rims, aggresive tyres, high fenders, red piano dash all just give it a beautiful edge. Sports was never on cards for me as needed leather seats and good slick interiors (its my daily ride, needed something comfortable for my suited ass as well as with weekend pyjamas  )

c.) So, price and aesthetics aside - all three trims are superb for Off-roading. I had Sahara stock and not even once over 2 years of offroading felt any limitations - i drove it on Intermediate and Extreme drives, led some drives as well, with no challenge from vehicle perspective.

d.) Sahara over Rubicon - On-road Sahara is super smooth. 18inch rims with Wrangler Tyres, never felt i am riding a jeep. I had limited edition, which had adaptive cruise, forward collision warning - so was comfi heading for long drive. Had that fiber glass rear wheel cover, giving it a G Wagon look and then all black trim looked super slick (again personal choice). My first week onroad with Rubicon made me think if i made the right decision upgrading to Rubicon . Its bumpier and lacks those special features like forward collision warning etc. So genuine reason to go Sahara if more On-road use then off-road.

e.) Rubicon over Sahara - Off-road its a beast. Has all that Sahara has plus

--- Dana 44 axle is super solid - As Vaibhav already mentioned doesnt need reinforcement - though i never did it for Sahara as well, but if you will add lift (especially 2.5 inch), surely would be better to get it reinforced for Sahara.

---- 18 inch rims of Sahara means if going for bigger tyres, you will have limited options. Few companies have above size 285 in R18.

---- Ofcourse the diff locks, Sahara doesnt have them. Though in last 4 months, i havent used them in Rubicon as well. Perhaps as i am not used to having them, so i tend to forget that i have that feature 

---- Fenders are a inch higher - this is big plus, as with Sahara going for 295 would have needed me to get atleast 1/1.5 inch lift, just to avoid rubbing.

---- Aux Switch inbuilt - so ease of adding aux lights etc.

---- Metal front bumpers - If would have retained Sahara, would have surely got it changed to Rubicon bumper. Apart from durability, also it has inbuilt arrangement to fix Winch, if planning to. 

So, depending on your usage you can decide. On Road Sahara is by far much better, Off-road - yes Rubicon has its edge that justifies the price gap. Plus Rubicon is ready to try wadis (in case you plan to explore that part sometime). 

Welcome onboard @premindra rajaram long time we drove together, good to have you on drive. See you on Saturday, 

Now only Boromir is missing from the fellowship but then wasn’t he the one who tried to take the ring… no place for greed on this adventure, plus it’s My Precious 🤑🤑

Congrats @Andrei S

12 hours ago, Vijaya Kumar Doppa said:

Hello Gentlemen,

I visited Jeep Trading, they informed me that the Wrangler I was looking for was out of stock and wouldn't be available until mid-June; they confirmed that the warranty would not be void as long as the parts used are genuine and installed correctly, and that the lift kit height shall not exceed 2.5 inches because Jeep does not recommend higher kits for safety reasons.

Since the Rubicon was not available, they cannot give an Offical quote, but these were the initial costs (attached the screenshot)

- Jeep Wrangler Rubicon 2023 ex-showroom price - AED 254900/-

- Insurance - AED 7162/-

- Paint protection Graphene - AED 3999/-

- Warranty - 5 years 

- Roadside assistance- 5 years 

Ramadan offer : 
- Service maintenance- 3 years or 60000KM, whichever comes first 
- First year registration fee

Any chance of negotiations here on the stock price? I didn’t haggle over the price as item wasn’t in the stock. Demand is also very high. 

Btw Al FUTTAIM insurance is very expensive, check axa or rsa. You may end up saving - though Al FUTTAIM has total knocked out coverage - is it in insurance or separate check on that. 
I got the rust protection done but not paint protection - wasn’t sure if off-roading this paint protection will stand - too many caveats in warranty they offered. 

Congrats @Xavi Moyano

Congratulations @AlexM

8 hours ago, Vijaya Kumar Doppa said:

Hello Gentlemen,

I visited Jeep Trading, they informed me that the Wrangler I was looking for was out of stock and wouldn't be available until mid-June; they confirmed that the warranty would not be void as long as the parts used are genuine and installed correctly, and that the lift kit height shall not exceed 2.5 inches because Jeep does not recommend higher kits for safety reasons.

Since the Rubicon was not available, they cannot give an Offical quote, but these were the initial costs (attached the screenshot)

- Jeep Wrangler Rubicon 2023 ex-showroom price - AED 254900/-

- Insurance - AED 7162/-

- Paint protection Graphene - AED 3999/-

- Warranty - 5 years 

- Roadside assistance- 5 years 

Ramadan offer : 
- Service maintenance- 3 years or 60000KM, whichever comes first 
- First year registration fee

Any chance of negotiations here on the stock price? I didn’t haggle over the price as item wasn’t in the stock. Demand is also very high. 

Based on feedback I have from friends planning to buy cars - no car companies negotiating these days. Though one thing which worked for me - check with Western Motors AD and Al ain, they might have stock and at times prices are better too - though compare config properly as AD models have subtle changes compared to Dubai - for eg fabric seats instead of leather, even there were some diff in rims etc.

Also, enquire on demo/management models - i and some more ppl at carnity got a zero Km demo model with some good discounts - was pre registered but never been on road. Every car store has some models registered for events and demos, need to press the button of sales guys to get to know about them. You will lose couple of months of warranty in worst case with these models. 

1 minute ago, Varun Mehndiratta said:

Based on feedback I have from friends planning to buy cars - no car companies negotiating these days. Though one thing which worked for me (perhaps just timing was good) - check with Western Motors AD, they might have stock and at times prices are better too - though compare config properly as AD models have subtle changes compared to Dubai - for eg fabric seats instead of leather, even there were some diff in rims etc.

Also, enquire on demo/management models - i and some more ppl at carnity got a zero Km demo model with some good discounts - was pre registered but never been on road. Every car store has some models registered for events and demos, need to press the button of sales guys to get to know about them. You will lose couple of months of warranty in worst case with these models. 

Though 254k isn’t a bad price check with off road zone and Jeepers as well for stock models. Maybe you get better color or better price or better delivery. 

Thanks all for RSVPing for the drive. We have a small and strong convoy, a perfect setup to enjoy the Faqa dunes - actually we have the complete Fellowship of the ring  - just Boromir is fasting due to Ramadan and Mary and Pippin needed a break post Easter feast 😊. It’s going to be some nice fun time. 

Have a nice week ahead, I will update the details during the course of the week and looking forward to see you all on Saturday. 
 

@Juan R @Pieter Pot @Sunil Mathew @Tom V @Sebb

@Glenn W

Some clips of the super spaghetti Easter Bfast we had at Sweihan.

1 hour ago, Juan R said:

Thank you @Looperfor the lead and fun drive.  @Kailasand @Islam Soliman@DP1011 thank you for the support and guidance.  
 

During our break, a conversation started amongst the Jeep owners on the risk of rear bumpers falling off and the location of the stock licence plate not being ideal for dessert drives.  Also heard there was separate conversations going on around engine failures…

As we set off, we must have manifested all that negative talk 😁.  Lost my licence plate on a refusal going up and down a dune (thank you @DP1011 for recovering and holding on to it) and almost had my rear bumper come off !  Then, shortly after Islam’s engine wouldn’t start.  All ended well with Islam’s car making it to the exit point and I managed to secure my plate back on the bracket before heading back home.
 

Should have listened to the wise words of @Varun Mehndiratta on moving the plate location and getting that the bumper trimmed 😁.  
 

It was fun driving with you all of you and hope to see you on the next one

These are small token of love and affection from Mother Nature to be cherished for life  😀 

A drive that consumed half the fuel tank but less than quarter of radio battery. Do I need to say more?
 

Thanks @Ashutosh Garg @Imran Kashif @Tom B @Anoop Nair @Joseph Raju for a fun morning on sand. 

Hi @Vijaya Kumar Doppa I checked with TE on mopar lift kit few months back, it wasn’t affecting the warranty. I didn’t pursue the upgrade eventually though. Since you are buying new, I would suggest to get it confirmed and if possible have it in writing before making the decision. It’s always tricky on warranty.
Just to highlight, I understand the aesthetic part that a lift brings in for Jeep, however, it’s still a functional upgrade which will affect both your onroad and off-road experience. So evaluate this change judiciously.

Also if this is the main upgrade presently in mind, would recommend to check Off-road zone as well in addition to Jeepers and TE, might find a good deal. Again as mentioned already by all and my personal experience, stock jeep can do it all, especially Rubicon has no limits. Any functional mods you will do will affect the base geometry and dynamics of car for good or bad - so aesthetic apart do consider all elements. 

Hi everyone, it’s very foggy on Al Fayah.

Drive safe, we will delay the starting time.

Thanks

Varun

A topic on which I spent at least 6 months before going ahead with TE, stock model.
 

A brief review - First come first both Jeepers and TE are registered with FCA so vehicle as base are reliable and no tricks in general expected from either.
 

Specialization of both is diff - Jeepers though sells stock as well, main business for them is mods. TE main business is selling stock cars, mods for them is additional revenue stream not main. 

Stock vs stock - I always found Jeepers being  bit more expensive on comparing stock Jeep from TE. Offers at TE were always better.
However, Jeepers uses much  more broader brands on modification while TE uses only Mopar. So in case one later decides to do mods - options to modify will be broader with Jeepers with some better flexibility on warranty (ofcourse only if modified by Jeepers). For eg some after market mods on stock from TE might void warranty. However since Jeepers in any case wants to do mod, i understand they provide better warranty coverage despite mods.  This is important element especially for those who are clear they will go ahead with Mods. Ensure you check this before taking the call. 

Mods/Mods - If planning to go for Mod from day 1 and don’t want to go through the process of selection of mods by yourself, Jeepers might be a better option - broader optioms, a store that specializes in mods is surely better than one that mainly is a stock seller. Surely this value add from Jeepers come at a cost but then that’s the value add of going through a specialist. I agree with comments above that Off road zone and some others maybe even better options on functional mods. For cosmetic changes no one in AE beats Jeepers (at least I don’t know anyone). 

Beyond car price - you have registeration fees (<1000aed), mortgage registration in case planning and processing fees for loan. And ofcourse insurance.