Barry

Some people say automatic is better for the sand because an auto box can change down faster than a person so there is always power going to the wheels and less change of getting stuck. Personally, I prefer manual. You have more control, better throttle response. When you put your foot down from standstill, the car moves instantly. You don't have to wait for a second like in an auto. You can choose what gear you want to be in rather than having the gearbox tell you what gear you have to be in. You can do clutch dips to either get the wheels spinning or bring the engine into the torque band as and when required. You have more control going down hill due to engine breaking. Plus you feel like you're actually driving when you have a proper gear stick and clutch rather than just a go pedal and a stop pedal. You should really try both and see what suits your driving style. Some people can't drive auto and some can't drive manual and some people will be biased because their own car will be the best in the world at everything.

Yes the instrument cluster. What you could try first is going to one of the mileage correction guys (the clockers in Sharjah) and ask them if they can flash the clocks with GCC or Australian software. If they're any good at their job they'll be able to tell you if it's possible but I'm guessing most of them only know how to use their software for anything other than rewinding the kms.

We just took the tops off the dunes so people could see better what's on the other side. It's a community service.

The TPS does give problems sometimes. Usually you'll notice a difference in the way your transmission shifts if it's an automatic.

I don't know if I could handle that much power, I'm just a beginner.

Firstly a big thank you and much love to my brother @DiamondDallas for letting me drive his car. It was my first time driving in the desert and I got stuck twice in the first 10 minutes in the 2wd section but I got myself out with a bit of clutch control. I soon learned and didn't get stuck again. Thank you to @Gaurav for his excellent teaching. I learned a lot from him as a passenger on a previous drive and I picked up a few useful tricks yesterday such as digging underneath the car and how to read the sand which came in useful when I exited the desert without an escort. Getting stuck when alone would be no fun at all. The whole experience has motivated me even more to buy a 4x4 and has swayed my interest from track driving to off roading.

If the dealer won't sort it, try writing directly to the manufacturer and asking for goodwill. Sometimes manufacturers will pay all or a proportion of the repair cost if you can prove it's a manufacturing fault. If it's up to yourself to fix it, make sure the surface is thoroughly cleaned and degreased and a high quality plastic primer is used before any paint is applied.

Have you tried going through the onboard computer to see if there's a setting to change it?

I'm in just to see the bicycle.

Takata must be making a hell of a loss on this one.

You can buy sticker kits on eBay. You can even change the color of the dash clocks if you want. I've had to do it the other way round before, kph to mph with imports coming from Japan to U.K. Bear in mind that if you do this, your odometer will be wrong as it is reading in miles instead of kilometers.

I won't be able to make any events this weekend. I have had plans made for me

Meh. I've worked on hummers before. I was less than impressed on test drives. Put your foot down and watch the Nissan sunnys fly past. The first time I drove a hummer I was actually scared, oh Jesus did I break something? But no, it was just slow and shite!

I'm up for a fishing trip. I love fishing.

I am a mechanic. My honest opinion is that these cleaning additives don't work. I know because I had a tie up with an oil company and gave some customers free samples to try. Nothing changed anything. As a mechanic, I've rarely seen injectiors giving trouble. When they do, the only solution is to take them out and either clean them manually or do ultrasonic cleaning. Dont believe the hype. If the fuel being supplied was so bad that all the cars were breaking down, we'd be in a constant traffic jam.

@DiamondDallas we're due another fishing trip soon. My favorite fish is BARRACUDA 😂 😉

Which is the best out of the box 4x4 for desert driving? By out of the box, I mean completely standard, as the factory built it, no modifications other than deflated tires. And why? Old cars, new cars all inclusive. Anyone can spend thousands on something and make it good but I'm interested in what is good without spending anything other than the purchase price. And also interested in different cars according to price range too.

I think Japanese and American cars have less parts and European cars have the most. Probably Mercedes have the most.

I enjoyed yesterday. Beautiful weather and plenty of opportunities to stretch my legs. And thanks @Rahimdad Kris says I have to buy a pathfinder now. No more dreams of Pajeros.

Hahaha @ the above diagnosis. We don't know what's wrong so we're just going to change everything.

I wrote an advice about this a while back, To answer your questions, The MAF is essential. It measures how much air is flowing into the engine and tells the ECU how much fuel to inject into the cylinder. It is non adjustable, it is just a measuring advice. The ECU will need to be reprogrammed, probably changed. On an old worn engine, a turbo puts extra strain. Unless you want to upgrade the internals, you will need to run a low pressure turbo, 10 PSI or less. You will need new inlet and outlet manifolds, custom made if a kit isn't available. You might be able to keep the rear part of your exhaust the the front will have to be changed. Anything from 20-200 horsepower depending on how much you want to spend. A lot. You will need wasta to get it passed by RTA.

http://bowienewsonline.com/2016/05/pennsylvania-man-buried-with-his-beloved-corvette/

Kris also confirmed

Barry 0521742967 Maybe Kris too but she hasn't confirmed yet

Parts people really piss me off sometimes. If it's not on the computer they don't want to know, if the vin is one digit out they haven't a clue. It's frustrating and when I need parts, 9 times out of 10 I'll send someone else to go get it because I haven't got the patience to deal with them. I worked in parts for 5 years when I just left school and it was totally different from what you find now. The parts place I worked in covered over 30 different makes of plant machinery and even more models. Look something up in the parts book once, remember the part number, remember where it is in the store and that's it. Next time you need it just go to the shelf and get it, none of this computer says no bullshit.