Srikumar

Few questions : 1. Does the shifting improve if you pump the clutch a few times before shifting? 2. Did your mechanic bleed the system properly to remove all the air bubbles? 3. How many kms have you done on your clutch? 4. With the engine off, are the gear shifts smooth? 5. While driving on the highway on 6th gear at 120 km/h and above, do you have revs increasing suddenly? 6. Do you have hard shifting between all gears or only between 1st and 2nd? As a first step, check the condition of your gear oil and see if it's dirty, which I doubt else you would be having grinding noise while the gear is engaged. Also, check the level of the gear oil just to be sure. I would say from what you have described it's most likely an issue in your clutch system and with the clutch not properly disengaging Start of by bleeding the master and slave cylinder and refilling with new DOT3 brake fluid (or whatever is recommended as per the owners manual). Also check if there are any pin hole leaks through which air can come into the system. If it's not the master / slave cylinder, it could also be an issue with the pressure plate that it might have become a bit too hard and not helping disengage the clutch disc. Another test with the engine running, put the car in gear and press the clutch, do you hear a whining noise which disappears when you start releasing the clutch. This could be a sign of a bad release bearing.

Let the updates keep coming on Project LC100. Enjoy reading them. On the rear lockers are you adding pneumatic or manual ones and which brand?

Well done to the entire team, such kind of challenging recoveries test you to the core and bring out the men from the boys. Keeping a calm mind and humorous atmosphere is very important. I really wish I was part of this action, but the report and videos did help me visualize the recovery.

Trip Report An amazing morning with lovely weather. Also, the presence of more than a few drivers that were driving in the sand for the first time made the challenge all the more exciting. Almost everyone reached the meeting point before time which is much appreciated as we have limited cool hours in the summer months. Just as we were about to leave one of the vehicles had a leaking valve stem and as there was one remaining car that had to deflate we decided to help change the tyre with the spare one. After a proper briefing we ventured on our offroad adventure. The advantage of driving in summer is that there are just a handful of offroad clubs that are active and hence we were greeted by absolute virgin sand. However, the high winds of the past couple of days had altered some of the dune formations in the area resulting in a more cautions approach on some of the dunes. While it seemed we had hard sand, once the top surface was disturbed it brought out the soft sand which resulted in more than a fair share of refusals, but nothing that couldn't be handled. The majority of refusals was because of one of the two reasons : 1. Stopping in the wrong place. Always stop on a flat surface or with the car pointing downwards 2. Donot fight gravity as you can never beat mother nature. My second lead was @munkybizness who was in his Super Safari and did quite a good job of listening to the instructions and more important acknowledging them regularly. There were places that you were a bit close to my car resulting in refusals, but that is all a part of the learning. For me, the highlight was your self recovery during the second half of the drive. Well done. @Damien Ranjit was honestly the car I was kinda worried about prior to the start of the drive, but you managed the entire drive extremely well with minimal refusals. Bravo @jerzen provided us with the scare moment of the drive, but even then you managed the situation in those split seconds extremely well to get out of that tricky spot. Also, if you plan to make this a weekend hobby I wouldn't bother worrying about a bit of sand inside your car. 😄 @ASHFAQ HUSSAIN . @eldose babyand @Alexanderrr demonstrated some very nice skills with minimum refusals. Nicely done guys. @Pieter Potgieter while struggled in the beginning with his wrangler, but once w e reduced the pressure a bit further he had a smooth sailing in the remainder of the drive. Just to show the importance of the right tyre pressure which can vary from vehicle to vehicle. @Ramandbx had a beautiful SWB Wrangler and drove it quite well. That is a fun ride to have in the sand, especially once you have mastered the right technique. So keep practicing. @AlexM was probably the guy with zero refusals through the drive while being at the end of the convoy. Your previous experience in snow did show and you did extremely well. Well done. Finally, a big shout out to @Nivin for supporting not only this AN drive, but so many of my earlier drives when you were just a Fewbie. It was great to drive with you after a long time and look forward to catching up soon once again. 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.

Convoy Numbering 1. Srikumar - XJ 2. munkybizness - Patrol Y61 3. Damien Ranjit - Pathfinder 4. jerzen - Pajero 5. ASHFAQ HUSSAIN - Pajero 6. Alexanderrr - Pajero 7. Mohamad Ziad Alhennawi - Hummer H3 8. eldose baby - FJ 9. Ramandbx - Wrangler 10. AlexM - Wrangler 11. Pieter Potgieter - Wrangler 12. Nivin - Xterra In case of emergency my contact number is 055-9567471. See you tomorrow morning.

Have a deflator (or screw driver, key) and a pressure gauge as a minimum. If you have an air compressor that would be great, else you will have to spend sometime waiting at the gas station to reinflate. Once you reach the meeting point, you can start deflating to 15 psi. I would be there a bit early so incase of any doubt would be glad to assist.

@munkybizness @Damien Ranjit @Ramandbx @AlexM @eldose baby @jerzen @Pieter Potgieter @ASHFAQ HUSSAIN @Alexanderrr As we are less than 24 hours from the start of the drive, here is a brief of what we plan to do tomorrow: PREPARATION FOR THE DRIVE AND WHAT TO EXPECT 1) Please ensure that you reach the meeting point on time, i.e., 5:00 AM sharp. Reaching 10 mins early would be better, but dont be late. Also, ensure that you have tow points at the front and rear with 8 inch (min ground clearance) 2) All first timers with Carnity need to ensure that they have gone through the Newbie briefing Video : 3) The senior members on tomorrow's drive would be @Nivin and I would be leading the drive. 4) We will be using Carnity Channel 1 tomorrow. (446.00625 Mhz). The instructions to program the radio are provided in the below post. Please ensure that you have a fully charged and programmed radio before the drive. If you dont have a radio, we shall provide you with a spare radio for this drive. From the next drive you should have your own radios 5) All traction controls, ABS and Air bags need to be switched off. While turning off traction control is mandatory, its ok if you are unable to turn off the Airbags for this drive. Traction Control, ABS and Airbags can be disabled by a button or by pulling the fuse. Incase of any queries you can always ask me or Nivin before the drive or better still, post your queries on this drive post and we would assist. 6) You will need a pressure gauge and deflator as a minimum. If you have a compressor it would be better as the compressor at Last Exit does malfunction from time to time. 7) For highway tyres you can deflate to 15 psi. Those who have AT tyres, you can deflate to 13 psi. 8 ) Feel free to ask questions at any time. 9) Convoy Numbering will be posted today evening after 7 pm. We shall be starting the drive on some flat tracks and would build up the pace from there depending on the convoy response. We will be driving for about 3.5 hours practicing driving in sand, proper steering control, crossing some dunes, and getting you and your vehicle more familiarized with the desert. By 8:45 am we will be heading out towards the Qudra Parking. My number in case of emergency is 055-9567471 COVID PRECUATIONS COVID is still very much there, so once you reach the meeting point, park your cars at sufficient distance from each other. Always wear your masks while stepping out of your cars. Once done deflating, please get back into your cars immediately. Drivers will be responsible for the compliance of their passengers as well. Yes its 5 AM. Corrected my response. Hi Eldose, would like to confirm if you would be joining us tomorrow morning? If so, please RSVP on the calendar event of this drive. Thanks.

Welcome @jerzen, the gear that you have should be sufficient for your first offroad adventure. Just ensure that you have tow points at the front and back, ofcourse Pajeros do have them, but better to be sure. See you tomorrow morning at 5 AM.

Thanks Alex for the intro. Look forward to meeting you on Friday

Hi Damien, welcome. Look forward to meeting with you on Friday

Thanks for the providing the info @munkybizness. See you on Friday morning. By the way interesting profile name.😅

Happy Birthday Dear Ale. Wish you lots of good health and happiness for many more years.

Agree. Just that when deciding to do the lift, do it after arriving at your own conclusions and requirements, and not because of vested interests of clubs and their garages.

Maybe it's time to add a roof tent to the next Pajero upgrades.

@Frederic wonderful that you and the entire team were venturing into new terrains. The certainty of the unknown does add to the excitement and it's great to see some very good particpation from both Abu Dhabi as well as Dubai members.

Join us to explore Al Qudra Desert to find what's beyond Qudra lakes And learn the art of offroading in a versatile playground for your first off-road adventure. You will learn to self-drive your vehicle from experts having decades of off-roading experience in the UAE. This area offers a good mix of playable long set of dunes and broad ridges to practice your off-road skills slowly but surely. Drive is open for all 4x4/4WD/SUV/AWD vehicles having 8-10 inches of ground clearance and (MANDATORY) Front and rear tow hooks (MANDATORY) What you'll learn: Introduction to off-roading. Desert driving basics and etiquette. Desert driving tips, techniques, myth and best practices. Off-road and safety gear familiarization and recovery procedures. Vehicle orientation, risk analysis, deflation and outdoor safety advice. First time with Carnity Off-road Club: 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. Why should I join? We will teach you how to self-drive off-road safely and learn the best offroad driving and recovery techniques. If you have already driven in sand before then you can learn more from experts having decades of offroading experience in the UAE. This area offers a good mix of playable long set of dunes and broad ridge to test your off-road control. Can my vehicle do this ? This drive is open for all 4x4/4WD/SUV/AWD vehicle having 8-10 inches of ground clearance and front and rear tow hooks. If in doubt please first announce your questions on the drive thread so we can advise you further. Any stock 4x4/4WD are most welcome, you don't need any vehicle modifications. Can I bring passengers ? Yes of course, but if you are absolute new to offroading it is better to drive alone first to avoid any distractions. Learn More About: Carnity Off-road Club STRICTLY: For ABSOLUTE NEWBIE who are driving for the first time with Carnity. MUST READ AND CLICK TOTALLY AGREE ON THE BELOW COVID19 PRECAUTIONS TOPIC MUST WATCH: NEWBIE VIDEO BRIEFING Drive Details Level: Only for "ABSOLUTE NEWBIES" or first timer with Carnity Off-Road Club When: 16 July 2021, Friday. Meeting time: 05:00 AM (SHARP - Without any exceptions) Meeting Point: https://goo.gl/maps/mDoAFDb4r3eGm6yV6 Type of Car: Any 4x4/4WD/SUV/AWD with front and back tow hooks and 8-10 inches of ground clearance. What to bring along: Tire deflator, pressure gauge and compressor, Loads of water, snacks (for yourself), face mask, rubber gloves, enthusiasm and willingness to learn. Approximate finish time: 09:00 AM End Point: Qudra Last Exit Parking LIMITED SPOTS AVAILABLE: Limited to 12 new members only. RSVP will close on Thursday - 5PM. If the RSVP is full and you wish to join, please mention your name on the drive thread to add on the waiting list Latecomers or members who are not on the RSVP will be returned back - without ANY EXCEPTIONS. Please cancel you RSVP if you cannot make it, so your spot can be taken by others. PLEASE RSVP ON BELOW EVENT IN THE EVENT CALENDAR

1. Mark the location 2. Take lots of pictures from various angles 3. If the car is in a condition to be driven drive it out on to the road. If on a flat area with a clear route to exit it can be towed as well 4. Call the cops after reaching the road. I have rarely seen or heard someone getting injured due to a rollover on the sand. But in the event if there is a serious injury you will most definitely have to call the cops while in the desert, who would then guide on the next steps

AXA, RSA and Oman honor they claims without much issues. That's why it's worth paying the premium of these insurances over others.

If you go with insurance companies such as RSA, AXA and Oman to name a few they don't mention such clause of 500m or 2 km from the road as the coverage area for your vehicle. The only clause they mention that your vehicle should not be involved in any kind of racing, competition, desert safari activities, which does not happen in Carnity.

Sorry, but I couldnt find any major useful information on the video other than the fact that if you have the money you can upgrade your suspensions. Also the fact that the video has been put out by a garage that earns a living on doing modifications (even if not necessary). The only meaningful thing one guy in the video mentioned, which we at Carnity always recommend, is that first try your vehicle in whatever condition it is and once you feel you have reached the limit thats when you start looking at what next, but in an knowledgeable and informed manner and not just because you have been pressurized by the club with whom you are currently driving.

Firstly, it's not mandatory to lift your car only for the sake of driving off-road in the sand. The ample amount of stock cars in Carnity that venture into the desert every weekend is a testimony for that. But then you have mentioned a 2-2.5 inch lift, which is not too big. Now for a 2 - 2.5 inch lift, a body lift kit with spacers would be sufficient as this doesn't tamper with the factory suspension settings and would also give you sufficient stability on the road. The suspension lift kit is generally for bigger lifts (4 inch and above) and would need alteration of your entire setup which would cost signicantly more. In both cases you can then install slightly bigger tyres which improves the overall look of the car. But do remember, if you go crazy on increasing the tyre size you will then land in the other issue of car feeling sluggish which might result in a possible regearing and entering the never ending cycle of mods. Welcome to the Jeep World 😂

Yes, just ensure a pressure gauge and something to deflate your tyres. The rest can be managed before the next drive @Willie are you joining this drive?

@Philip BurgerWelcome to the Carnity Offroad Club. As you would be driving with us for the first time this weekend, Appreciate if you could provide us with the below information : 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. Please ensure that you go through the below Newbie Briefing Video for your own safety For the first drive, you would need a deflator (or screw driver), pressure gauge as a minimum. If you have any other offroad gears like shovel, compressor and radio (walkie talkie), please bring them along as well. See you on Friday morning.

Congrats @Zed.