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vanhack

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Everything posted by vanhack

  1. So decided to reduce the cost of our oil/filter change in the company, and this is what turned up....infact visited 3 garages, with 3 quotes, and the prices are astonishing. These garages don't have wating rooms, or car parks with signboards for "customer parking" and are not along major roads, but in areas such as Al Quoz, Ras Al Khor etc. Mostly frequented by fleet vehicles, and they are busy.
  2. Bond's Astons, would love to have those on Dubai streets to keep away tailgaters.
  3. I advise you to join a club that has some experience in training newbies, and they will guide you better. Many clubs out there, I would recommend the following: www.me4x4.me , Just offroaders, Emirates4x4 and I am sure some others will chime with their loyalty.
  4. Driven both, prefer manuals, but I daily my 4x4 90% on tarmac through the city, so manual was going to get difficult, Auto is a compromise, but the flip after a drive, I can let the wife drive, whilst I sit in the passenger seat and have a cold one.
  5. I should stop by this forum more often, I had a itch to scratch, or should I say a few bolts to round off. 4 years ago purchased a 1994 RWD manual coupe, and started to restore her, great great fun, spent loads and learnt even more. The reason behind it was so that one day I can do a long range trip in Africa or Asia and having some knowledge would be great. I have learnt so much, and these days with Youtube and manufacturer forums it is very very easy. Issues are to get a lift here, non-existent, so jack stands and a garage it is, I have heard some folks doing the DIY in apartment building car parks too, security guards watching around and all. If you go to www.gulfpetrolheads.com there are DIYers there, but it seems a bit quiet these days. I have started servicing my daily now as well, and find it great to do what was a mystery to me, but do need 2 cars, 1 car taken apart, and the other to get to work and via Al Quoz to pick up spares or tools. The issue with community garage is the cost of rent, to make the business viable, the charges per hour have to be high, unlike elsewhere in the world.
  6. Fake ads with lowered prices...wow in the investment banking world they would call this "market making", sorry to those who fell victim, but you have to be wiser here. Regarding the clocking back of odometers, this is truly fraud, and nothing is being done here to stop it. This also occurs outside of Al Awir market, infact a creep that sells jeeps (read the clues) sells insurance write off modded jeeps in Al Quoz, and I see many of these about in DXB. What is even more ugly, is that an online auto magazine that couldn't tell the difference between a piston or a crank ran an article about them modding a jeep!
  7. I would not consider horsepower and torque on their own as a measure if the vehicle has adequate power. The horsepower and torque along with weight is key. Or what is known as power to weight ratio. An old wrangler 1999 to 2005 is around 17 power to weight ratio, which are very agile in the dunes and any idiot can look expert driving them I am sure the new wranglers surpass them as does the FJ in terms of power to weight ratio. I would like to know if the duster has low ratio transfer box, if the traction control can be switched off completely s these can stop the vehicle in loose sand at the side of the highway to al Quadra lakes. Others to consider are ground clearance, suspension articulartion, departure and approach angles, placement of radiator to front cross memeber and factory tow points. I doubt that any US, Australian and South Africans are going to make suspension lifts, tow points and any other basic mods for the duster unless it starts eating into LC, wrangler and FJ sales as a capable offroader. 1 overlooked 4x4 here is the fortuner, good power to weight ratio, diff lock and carry 7 passengers and great on fuel....not a monetary concern but when on remote trips your distances are more flexible.
  8. Lighter and taller is best. But no one makes those...yes the Siams meet that criteria, but they increase braking distance. Unless you live in liwa and work on a date farm, they will be difficult to balance between wobbly ride at high speed to work and having max flotation in the soft stuff. I have tried heavy cooper atr, great flotation, but sucks power away due to weight and bigger footprint. I am on my 2nd pair of yokohamas...not as bling, but cheap. I prefer a stock size as they are easy to buy.
  9. How is the car engine at idle...if not smooth look for unmetered air. How many kilometers on the car, when was last major service. Loss of power during acceleration.
  10. Car tyres in the UAE typically deteriorate faster than their tread life. Why you ask, well it’s hotter than a blacked out FJ cruiser sitting in the July sun with all the windows up, and the massage parlour business cards’ ink are etching the images on to the window. No but seriously why, because the heat of our summer temperatures dries the tyre out, once that occurs the shoulders, where the tyres expand at higher speeds (100 kms and above) stretch at the shoulders of the tyre, and thus crack. As you have noted in summer the amount of debri on the 140km limit highways increases, mostly it is from burst tyres of trucks that are loaded to the limit of the tyre, and the trucks are perhaps using poor condition tyres. Below is a picture of a cracked tyre, if you have similar tyres then consider changing your tyres soon, using moisturizer cream does not solve the issue below...don’t ask me how I know. So that’s probably why the RTA asks that tyres are changed every 3 years, as the ambient temperature, exposure to UV light causes premature aging of tyres and any rubber parts on a vehicles, have you noticed how infective your wipers are after a couple of weeks of the summer heat, seems like the wipers were designed to shift the dirt from the edges to your direct field of vision. So how do I get the best possible deal in the UAE on tyres you ask, because they are expensive? Here are some tips to reduce your buying price: Don’t buy from your service centre, authorised dealership, as they will charge harder than a wounded rhino. Petrol stations tyre dealers are also charging higher at times you have no choice, as you have a puncture and are incapable of changing to the spare tyre or filling with the foam, or driving at the lower speed on your run flats because you need to get to that meeting that you are already late for in typical Dubai fashion. I will assume that people are able to change a tyre on this forum, and can do this simple car ownership task in their sleep, if you can’t then LEARN NOW! Buy tyre brands from the official tyre distributor of that brand, sometimes this tip can be contradicted, as the independent tyre dealers in Sharjah, Al Dhaid, Al Wagan, Madinat Zayed are lower, why, because their overheads are lower. But you don’t have the 5 hours to spare for a round trip to Madinat Zayed, as you have to get a manicure for your golf game that day. See my notes for list of popular brands that I have bought from the official dealers. I tend to prefer the dealers, as the technicians are better trained, yes that can happen in the UAE, and the equipment is in better condition...oh and the customer waiting room has a better selection of magazines, but the tea and coffee are reconstituted engine oil at best. Don’t drive to the tyre shop and ask for the price, they will not offer a good discount if you are there, as they know you want to get this over with quickly, instead call them, phone calls are cheaper than crawling in traffic. And on the phone you can squeeze them on the price, the amount of squeezed discount is dependent on your background, if you are from the West, a 10% discount will probably suffice, if you are from the East you will ask if you can get the tyres for free as you have to save up for your son’s education or daughters wedding, and then work your way up the discount slabs, and you consider this is a national sport. Do you need to replace the same brand of tyre...the short answer NO!, you can match the size of the existing tyre, pricing depends on country of origin, so from lower to higher, China, Thailand, Korea, Japan, American, Europe. I will assume that the audience can quote their tyre dimension in at least 2 languages, if not then you need to learn this, use youtube, google and stop watching that other nonsense on youtube. So if Adam Smith were a Dubai resident, and wanted to change tyres, when would he do that? https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Supply_and_demand Supply and demand prevail here in the city of trading. So summer presents more opportunity for tyres to combust whilst on the highway, thus putting the fear of god into them, and they all rush to the tyre dealers for some new tyres. This fact is well known by tire traders, and they know they can squeeze an extra 10-15% out of the resident. So if you check your tyres, and think that they need to be changed based on the quality image above, then do it before May, as prices will remain higher until September. Do rotate your tires, keep the pressures up, infact you can increase the pressures around 3-4 psi higher on all tires than the car manufacture recommends, this will increase your fuel economy. But the car manufacturer recommends a lower pressure I hear you ask, sure they do, but to maintain a smooth ride and we really don’t need this here in the UAE as our roads are very smooth, exception is the rubble they used to surface Motorcity’s main retail stretch. Note: Sole Agent Tyre Dealers, use www.atninfo.com and www.yellowpages.ae to get the number. Bridgestone: Alserkal Bridgestone or Nasser Bin Abdullatif Alserkal Est. Yokohama: Juma Al Majid Dunlop: Al Gurg Tyres (Dunlop Pro Shop) Michelin: Central Trading Agency (They have Tyre Plus shops, which are expensive and have found that Michelin are cheaper at the independent shops, so buy your tyres from the independents and have them fitted at a good tyre fitting shop) Pirelli: Al Hawai Tyre company Continental tyres: Emirates For Universal Tyres LLC (I think, and I see that this brand is not widely used here) Hankook: Al Dobowi Tyres Kumho: Ideal Tyres Trading (not sure if they have fitting facility, and rely on 3rd party to fit tyres) Cooper Tire: Renaissance Trading BF Goodrich: Tyre Express (but maybe same as Michelin, independents are cheaper) Toyo: Tyre Express (but maybe same as Michelin, independents are cheaper) Thank you and I hope you make it to your work, golf game or the school run safer and a few dhirhams more in your pocket, if we bump into each other say you read my advice and found it useful, if you didn’t I don’t care.
  11. In Germany a friend told me that there is a company with many small garages that change oil, for any car with filter for Euro23.00!!! WOW
  12. I know this post is done and dusted, but one of the oldest clubs out on the internet is ME4x4 , it's been around since telephones were used to organise drives...yes that is before the internet. Website is www.me4x4.me and facebook page is https://www.facebook.com/me4x4/ If you know the book by Michael Nott, "Advanced Off-Road Adventure Routes UAE-Oman, he used to be the chairman for the club, and many of the routes were done as club trips on exploration. The club has a grading system for the drivers, regardless of your past experience, and is geared more for longer duration and distance trips, so perhaps have look at the FB or website if it suits your nature of driving...and we are not associated with any offroad garage or shop so no one is going to sell you stuff you don't need. https://www.facebook.com/Advanced-Off-Road-Adventure-Routes-UAE-Oman-1391301034531568/?fref=ts
  13. Coil Springs suspension are more expensive to manufacture, now if you go towards independent suspension, that is even more expensive. Leaf springs as mentioned are more durable, and carry a better load for their own weight. There are not many newly manufactured 4x4s these days, and I mean the true 4x4 that are on leaves. LC200, patrols, wranglers, (defender...sadly no more) are all springs with coils. I believe that the LC70 series is still leaves on the rear, and coil/spring on the front. I have not driven leaf spring much, but do remember that they give a harsh ride, even on the tarmac, I prefer the live axle with coil/spring setup...comfortable enough and cheaper to modify than IFS front.
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