Rahimdad

Alf Mabrook @BENNY THOMAS as @shadow79 put it, may this car bring you luck and happiness.

You are most welcome to join us for a newbie trip and once your confidence level is up and you know you red dragon better we will teach you how to make it breath fire.

On 7/6/2017 at 10:29 AM, treks said:

Has there ever been a Jeep that was not ugly?

Hey!!! I loved my Jeep Commander 5.7 Hemi, it had the looks of a bouncer with a black suit.

6 hours ago, hAwX said:

anybody going from sharjah??

Me!!!

Hi @Hassan Fakhry welcome bro.

I lost interest in the Jeep Cherokee years back, my last favorite one was the 2000 - 2001 box shape.

The last time I checked with Trading Enterprise they told me that the lower versions of the Jeep Cherokee are not for off-roading, the only one capable is the top of the range Stealth which costs over AED 150k and I dropped the idea of even test driving the thing. As pointed out on several occasions, any American cars are only good within their warranty period, once their warranty is over they are a headache to have.

I love the Skyline, the Ford F150 and the Suzuki Samurai. Poor people.

It looks like a train, really ugly. Moreover, in off-road exposed parts like this is not a good sign, only means more damage.

@treksThat's a long tattoo, having mechanics doing a bad job is definitely more painful than getting that tattoo.

@shadow79 have to give you marks for persistence. Some people like to burn their fingers to realize what a burning sensation is, and you are adamant in your ways. I would gladly take a Suzuki Jimny on my trips, because they are proper 4x4, they might be under powered, but their power to weight ratio might put better 4x4 to shame.

@desertdude and @Gaurav bhai you might remember Rehan (Psycho) who had a Suzuki Jimny, he used to travel to UK every time to get mods for it as they were not available here at that time. He used to be all over in the desert like a bee and whenever he got stuck we would just push it over.

@desertdude I am still in touch with Fayette, she is in UK and travelling all over the world. We used to call her Rav4 the little red ant, however her Rav4 was the older model which I felt was so much better in the desert than the newer ones, but she once came to Area 53 and Faya with us and was getting stuck every 5 minutes. Thus the rule of the trip leader being able to choose the convoy to make sure that the trip is smooth and enjoyable to all.

@hAwX Both are good vehicles and equally capable. As was pointed out by Gaurav Bhai the reliability is slightly better on LC whereas the power off-road is slightly better for the Patrol. However, if coming out to the desert, the lesser the electronics and computers the better. A simpler vehicle is also less heavy on maintenance.

@shadow79 although I would like to agree partly with you when you say the driver makes a big difference, but that difference always comes from experience. Once you have started on the wrong foot it is very difficult to correct yourself. We do not support an AWD in the desert or rocks for several reason. The main focus is on safety as I have seen a few AWD burst into flames, break things under the chassis due to no proper protection, no transmission cooler, and not a dependable 4x4 system. If the tour companies  could take a RAV4 or similar to the desert and save costs, they would not spend so much money on Land Cruisers and the likes. As per my experience I would not allow an AWD on my trips again. 

Thank you Sree for such a wonderful trip report and sharing your experience.

After a long time I was the first vehicle to roll in to the pump, which means I had to wait for everyone to arrive. The last minute confirmation from @malav1210 meant we had one more experienced driver. There were many firsts for this drive. The first time we fitted a tire on to a rim all thanks to Sree for giving us the opportunity and Saleem who managed with loads of help from all to manage the task with limited tools.

As we headed to the deflation point another first was having @shadow79 as passenger and giving the Rav4 a much deserved break like the Camry the previous week at the mosque in Mahafiz. After the briefing I lead the first 10 minutes in to the dunes before giving @skumar83 the lead. After the first couple of minutes he got so comfortable I had to literally talk him out of the lead. This is where for the first time ever @ @Asif Hussain took the lead and took us very close to the base of Fossil Rocks. They must have both lead for about 20 minutes each and did very well with zero stucks and loads of fun. This whole time @baselsm83 did the thankless job of sweeping us and making sure the convoy was moving at all times.

Another first was with the time on hand doing the dunes to Camel Rocks and on to the top of Faya from the back side. We than headed down Faya and found a suitable spot for BBQ, with the sun peaking and cool breeze to keep us all comfortable. For the first time we had steamed chicken and potatoes for breakfast, thanks to Saleem for the nice and healthy option.

The. Final first came when Malav lead us out with a bit of a twist. With the mercury rising it was time to inflate, hug and say See you next time. All in all a very nice trip with just one pop-out and I stuck. Loved the company, the food, the chat, the drive, every aspect and can't wait for the next one.

@Sidshk, this is not going to be for newbie, so if you are a first timer than I am afraid this trip is not for you. As for the vehicle we have quite a few Pajeros' on our drives and they are very capable. If it is your first time and you do not mind taking a passenger seat than you are most welcome to join one of us to experience it first hand. We are having regular weekly trips and you can keep checking in for the next newbie drive that will be good to get you started.

Thank you @baselsm83 for joining and @malav1210 for the heads up. Many more drives and opportunities, looking forward to seeing you soon.

Thank you @shadow79 for your kind words and warm feelings. I am in tears and I am sure once @Gaurav bhai sees this he will be in tears also. It is our greatest pleasure to be around such wonderful people, we are truly blessed by God Almighty to have such a beautiful family away from our family.

@Asif Hussain it is a relaxing drive, we will find a suitable spot for BBQ and try to quickly grill and share a few stories. The drive can continue till the time the sun rises and it becomes hot. We will venture into areas you have not seen before.

@shadow79 you can come with me also and I will definitely give you an ear full. I promise to sound like your old annoyed granny who is on a vendetta trip. As for your grilled chicken, who can refuse, sounds like a plan and a half. Do let me know any costs to be shared or anything you would like me to bring from my side.

@desertdude with all our experiences combined @Gaurav bhai and me are also learning some new way of doing things. You are most welcome to join and I am sure if you don't learn from us, we can always learn from your vast experience. If only people here knew you through the drives we have than they would forget @Gaurav bhai and me and would be singing praises for you.

The last few drives have been amazing but the challenge of ending the drive on time due to Suhoor, so I will make it nice and easy so that we can have a relaxed drive. The plan would be to start easy and slowly work on the toughness bit to make sure the learning curve does not stop. Furthermore, I would like to see who has grown in confidence and lead the convoy for a short while, details of which can be discussed during the driver's brief.

When: 29 June 2017
Meeting time: 10:45 PM, convoy will move sharp at 11 PM
Where: Adnoc Petrol Station Maleha Road

GPS Coordinate: https://goo.gl/maps/mzb26kxzte72

Level of drive: Fewbie - Expert - Advance - All are welcome (absolute newbie and newbie as passengers only)
Type of Car: Any proper 4x4 with front and back tow hooks and 10 inches of ground clearance
Plan: Night drive from Muhafiz to Camel Rock to Faya and further if time permits
What to bring along: Loads of snacks, plenty of water - whatever you like with little extra to share, water, liquids, smiles, stories, enthusiasm and willingness to learn.

Approximate finish time: Open

Congrats @manums I kind of know exactly how you feel because it took me some time to get my license also, and I have seen you twist and turn in the passenger seat wanting to take control. As my driving instructor told me, you real test starts now driving without supervision. Be safe.

@Osman sorry for the late reply, but I agree with @Gaurav bhai, better Japanese than Korean. Rav4 might be simple with a few options as compared to its conterparts, but holds its resale value well. I have test driven CRV on 2 occasions, in 2001 and again in 2006, somehow it never impressed me.

The problem with more options is more chances of it messing up with your happiness specially after the warranty is over. I had a friend who had a KIA and in brand new it gave him so many problems, even if just cosmetic like things from the cabin just falling off, the car staying with the agency for the repairs took time and that is annoying when it happen far too often.

Just my 2 cents.

@BENNY THOMAS I guess you got your reply so I don't even need to say Yes, I do go off-roading.

@shadow79 and @Asif Hussain you guys are too kind with you words, the truth is fater 20 years of experience off-road between @Gaurav bhai and me, we are still learning and our teachers are enthusiastic people like yourself who participate actively in every drive.

@Benny Thomas, I guess they must have discontinued the program, but rest assured we will continue to help you and grow in every way possible. If you are booking the car at the Festival City branch get in touch with Gurmit Singh, he is in sales and he was present with me on my Jeep Academy training and is a very good friend since. You can quote him my name and ask him if they are still running the Jeep Academy and if you can get in on it.

Hope this helps.

OMG! What a trip!

I just don't know where to start. Reached our all faithful Adnoc pump on Maliha Road for the reality to kick in hard on my back side. I was without the services of @Gaurav bhai and we were 10 vehicles, out of which I would be driving with 2 of them after a long time and 2 I have never driven with. Safety was paramount and I would like to thank @Asif Hussain who came all the way from Abu Dhabi to be my second lead. A round of applause for my hand-in hand buddy @skumar83 and his sister Wonder Woman who kept an eye on the convoy in the middle which was a different position for him. A huge hug for @baselsm83 who this time around volunteered for the sweep duties and did an excellent job. These 3 individuals put my mind at ease and kept good coordination throughout the drive so that I could concentrate on the route.

We had a briefing near the mosque in Mahafiz, deflated and headed out to some easy tracks. Before we knew it we were headed left of the pylon track into some easy dunes. Everyone performed well and they were sully aware about their rides which was good to know. Out of all @malav showed a huge improvement from the last time we had driven together. As per my habit I kept increasing the level of difficulty which everybody managed well. Everybody managed the terrain so well that I did not realize how soon we made it to the base of Fossil Rock, we all headed up and everyone was successful. As normal practice we got off and inspected the drop from Fossil Rocks which did not seem appropriate having to LWB trucks in the group. So safety first and we headed around the Fossil Rocks through some dunes to the power lines and headed down.

From here we were supposed to head towards Faya from the back side, but with plenty of time on hand for Suhoor, a bunch of capable people with awesome support I got carried away. I took a right 700 meters before Faya and wanted to play on the back side of Faya. Did I make a mistake, or was this fate? The soft sands means we had to toy around a bit and find a suitable means to get the convoy through. This meant that at one point @Asif Hussain had to back up and he ended up in a pocket, this needed a few very carefully planned tugs from the front towards the right to change the angle of the car which were well managed by Sreekumar. Then we needed one big tug from behind which was over-zealously done by Basel Bhai. With these efforts Asif Bhai's monster made its way out of the pocket and once again behind me to be my second lead. The next little adventure was to tackle a double bowl, in and out of one and in to the other. There was determination to conquer the same by all and eventually after some delay we were all able to make it.

Due to the shortage in time now we were forced to setup Suhoor at the high point behind Faya with a very pleasant breeze. This place was aptly named by everyone as the Suhoor Bowl, the most challenging part of your trip. There was plenty to share on the trip as usual and everyone was very generous in the quantity of food, The variety and taste also has to be mentioned here as we had another awesome lay, thanks to everyone. @shadow79 had the paan flying around which was a very welcome treat. After a very filling Suhoor and a quick Fajr prayer behind Asif Bhai we were packing up and planning the next round, which was the back side on the way up to Faya. Everyone reached on top with just me and Saleem Bhai crsted on top. Basel easily gave me a tug out and I gave a tug to Saleem. All cars on top of Fossil Rocks and Faya. There was only one hero on the day however, who was able to climb the front face of Faya without his monster truck breaking a single sweat. The champ was Adnan and his trusted GMC Sierra which made it to the top twice of the front face of Faya.

Just as we were about t say our goodbyes, Saleem who our drive was dedicated to along with his Rav4 had an issue. The gear oil was leak and the axel had broken. At this point we said our farewell to everyone and Sreekumar came to the rescue to pull it back to the track from where it was and I towed it out to the road from there. With the knowledge that the tow truck was on its way we headed out to the Adnoc pump just outside Mahafiz and Sreekumar and myself inflated our vehicles there. Malav, Adnan and their friends along with Asif bhai inflated close to the road. On a serious note an incident that keeps repeating in my mind is Saleem with his Rav4 flying from the dune very close to some cars parked behind the dunes. This could have been very serious as it was very sudden. I had warned Saleem earlier to follow the route set by me and not to break the convoy discipline. But this time he had chosen a route in which people and their cars were in harms way. Although I was standing out and guiding everyone, and everyone was following the convoy and managed the same route, Saleem was headed the way shown by me but last minute changed his mind and drove straight on the dune and jumped with sharp braking to avoid any damage to the cars parked behind. I know that Saleem has mentioned that he will not be coming for the next few drives, but from my side he is banned on any of my trips as he fails to understand the concept of a convoy and why we keep insisting that a convoy discipline should be maintained. I would like to thank everyone for their participation and looking forward to catch you guys soon.

@BENNY THOMAS I agree with @ayman_khateeb. You don't need to worry with the Jeep for at least the warranty period. I used to own a Jeep Commander 5.7 Hemi for 3 years without any major issues and the small issues were quickly addressed by Trading Enterprise.

@Godwin Francis thanks for keeping us informed. See you next time.

@malav1210 very nice put by @Asif Hussain that it will be crucial to carry 2 way radios as I will be driving with 4 new members and my only support so far will be in the form of Sreekumar, Basel and Asif in case he makes up his mind to come. The area is not so challenging, but in the desert it is better to be well prepared.