Rahimdad

It was a collective call which worked out fine. We were close to the track by the Tawi Nizwa fence. Even if we reached Iftar Bowl there is a flat track after 2 dunes and we could have managed that's why the call was taken.

This was more challenging than most drives we have had recently. It was an amazing terrain choice but what kept it thrilling was the pace we acheived which kept the convoy on their toes.

As planned we met at the Tawi Nizwa shops, deflated and headed in to sands through the break in fence. We headed for about 4 kilometers with the fence, but @shadow79 set the tone of the drive by doing a steep climb followed by @skumar83 and @Gaurav. We headed in some nice rolling dunes playing to our hearts content with some side slopping, criss crossing and everything we could think of. We even reached a couple of top spots where the view was breathtaking. At one point I felt something wrong with my car so we stopped and upon inspection realized that the AC compressor belt had ripped into pieces. The other belt which goes around the dynamo was in half. So we headed back out near the fence closer to the Iftar Bowl. With about 3 kilometers to go we headed back in to experience some awesome technical dunes.

We were able to reach the Iftar Bowl with all our cars on top. However on the top it was sand blowing at speeds which was uncomfortable so we headed back down to find a spot to settle in. To our surprise the number of attendance has dwindled to half of last year. After breaking our fast and feasting on the treats everybody got we were treated to some fireworks.

Now the question was which way to head out. Although we decided to head back and come out from Badayer. But with the many challenges faced and a pop out for me after a long time I decided to get back to the fenced track and we exited without any more incidents.

Great drive, with great participants accounted for an amazing day out. Thanks to all who were part of this amazing time out.

Upgrade your music system. It works fine for me. And yes this is for GCC specs only. I had a USA spec Mitsubishi Eclipse never beeped once even on 220 KPH.

I always heard people say FJ stands for Fake Jeep or Fatima Jassim (girly name for a girly car)

Thanks for sharing @desertdude.

Good write up and a brilliant read. @Gaurav thanks for enlightening me, I never knew about the Mitsubishi Jeeps, even learned about the Jonga from you. Never underestimate the power of a Mitsubishi.

Recently due to engine oil leak I had given my R50 to @shadow79 who has done a brilliant job sealing it up to get rid of the leak. However due to some heating issue there is some sludge in the engine. Although I have been assured that as long as I change oil on time it's not going to have any effect, but it kind of bothers me. I have also been warned not to try any solution because if any part of the sludge goes to the engine block it will be doomed.

I still tried to do some homework and discovered that running kerosene in the oil chamber would clean up the sludge, put in fresh oil and Walla no more sludge.

Now I am confused and want a second opinion? Please help.

I recently saw this Jeep Willy CJ7 near my house, well restored, but very important part which made me laugh my head off.

Enjoy....

The first night drive started many to come as we welcome the Holy month of Ramadan. Thank you @sertac for an amazing experience as we met up at the quad bike rental. After a quick brief and convoy numbering we started the much awaited night drive. With all capable people behind some capable wheels it promised a drive to excite all.

The first step to a wonderful night ahead was climbing the Faya, most of the cars managed it from the front face with @skumar83 just wondering to the top finding a smooth path up without a single bump. As we all reached on top we all took turns to play in the bowl just next to the top. We continued to play in numerous dunes and enjoyed the route @sertac selected beyond words can justify. With @Gaurav in second lead always encouraging Sertac to push his boundaries and continue to explore some fresh dunes.

Some soft patches did make things challenging and we did face some refusals and even some sticks, but we kept the convoy moving at a good pace. We later found some tracks which lead us to the top of Fossil Rocks. With a quick nap and a timely wake up call we started our Suhoor. After a very satisfying Suhoor we started contemplating if we wanted to get out in 5 minutes or 30 minutes. Unanimous decision was to take the long route out. Sertac once again surprised us by taking us through some awesome area undiscovered by us before.

After an awesome day out and a quick inflation and with the sun finally making its debut for the day it was time to head home. Another amazing night out with loads of fun and amazing stories to take back. Quiet but very capably well done @EmVarlet who started our drive with sweets. Thank you to all and looking forward to the Grand Iftar, please sign up.

@Jisham we are having an Iftar event this coming Friday for all level drivers, you can join and we can discuss about the newbie drive.

https://carnity.com/calendar/event/72-grand-iftar-drive-25-may-2018/

Thanks for adding to the tread @desertdude. This is very informative.

I'm in with full support. Wouldn't miss this.

Saw this video and thought I would share it with anyone interested.

51 minutes ago, Gaurav said:

Jaguar Landrover is under Tata, but not Merc.

Treks I agree I was also searching for Ferrari, but still posted this slightly inaccurate as I really like the artwork of the designer and at least 95% accuracy of the infographic (when it was made).

DD, Mitsubishi still the 4-5th largest selling car brand in UAE. Probably not here as the title says: 14 Car companies control..... and I believe Mitsubishi is the only one who doesn't have any other company under them. And same goes for your cars made in sheds.

 

Fuso trucks built by Mitsubishi.

Thinking about this, the information will be slightly old as Renault was taken over by Nissan and Mazda is part of Ford now. Mitsubishi is no where to be found and Marcedes Daimler are under Tata if I'm not mistaken.

@brendan wow. Thanks for sharing.

@Gaurav & @desertdude he wants it for his daily use and not off road use. Being a Japanese car it is reliable, with unlimited kilometers warranty you don't have to worry about reliability as desertdude pointed out. Comfort wise as Gaurav bhai said please test drive from the showroom and a couple of these vehicles from the second hand market to get the true feel. But just be were that not being popular in this market parts will be hard to find and expensive to maintain once out of warranty or parts start failing which are not in warranty.

All the best and do check out some offers for Ramadan, you might get an awesome deal.

Never heard of it. Thanks for sharing.

I don't see MG Morris Garage in this and I didn't know that Renault makes Samsung cars.

Dealer here for Mitsubishi is Al Habtoor and not Al Futtaim. The service packages now offer by Al Habtoor Motors is for every 10k and not 5k like Al Futtaim has ripped you so far. I agree Dynatrade is a good option.

Must be the RX7. The rotary engine the seals wear out and need to be replaced or the car will run short on oil as it burns oil. Hope it helps.

The perfect weather, the perfect participants, the perfect detour all made this drive as exciting as leaving a broad smile on my face after a very tiring week at work.

As we got together and realized we are all experienced enough we decided to do a little exploration. So instead of our normal Pink Rocks to Big Red we all jumped to the opportunity of exploring the opposite side. I luckily found a route which I had done 8 years back in the area and @Gaurav bhai stayed very close to my 8 year old track without me sharing the route with him. @EmVarlet did a brilliant job in second lead. @shadow79 did brilliant to follow orders and lead the rest of us by example. @sertac was always there to help me in sweep duties. We had a good mix of some nice small to medium dunes with sudden soft patches and unexpected sharp drops with bumps.

We progressed well and saw some gazelles on the way eventually stopping near the fence of Maha Desert Resort to lay our spread. What a pleasant evening with loads of stories shared and well kept secrets disclosed. @EmVarlet for a handsome lay which felt like a full dinner, @Gaurav for some amazing sandwiches, @shadow79 for some cold ones and @sertac for the chips. It wad time well spent with some drive in the dark still to go.

As we cleaned up and left the area, it was pitch dark with only our LEDs to light up the desert and we made our way to the road one dune at a time. I was pleasantly surprised to see everyone so comfortable driving in the night and this gears us up for the upcoming season of night drives till the weather allows us to drive in the day lights again. In a very long time we finished in good time without major issues, touch wood. As we headed to the other side and inflated at the Eppco pump it was time to say See you soon. Headed home feeling good, Ramadan on soon and start of our night drives. Whose going to post the first night drive for Ramadan?

Great thinking @Gaurav bhai. This is an excellent drive at the right time. Ramadan time means all night drives and summer heat means continuation of night drives till weather changes for the better. Less stress on man/woman and machine. This will give excellent opportunity for new joiners to find their comfort off-roading in the night.

I'm in with full support.

It's once in a year opportunity for all off-roaders in UAE to meet and sit in one place to enjoy Great Grand Iftar together. It's being held in coordination with all off-road clubs and approx 400-500 cars shows up every year in Iftar bowl near Rafadah in Area 53.

Whether you are fasting or not, it's a must drive to attend to watch the union of off-roaders and witness the love and respect that everyone share in this small world. I have never failed to attend a single Grand Iftar Drive in the past 10 years and always enjoyed meeting some of my old off-road friends and making new friends.

Plan is to start from Tawi Nizwa area and follow the fence toward end of the track and then head to Iftar bowl. Considering the fasting time, first 9-10 kms is simple plain desert track next to fence. And then last 2-3 kms is good playable area in rolling dunes just before we reach iftar bowl. After the Iftar we might go for a quick spin in that same or closer area depending on everyone's availability and exit.

When: 25 May 2018, Friday
Meeting time: 3 PM, convoy will move sharp at 3:15 PM
Where: Jabal Arafat Supermarket

GPS Coordinate: https://goo.gl/maps/wxKht3VLdZU2

Level of drive: All are welcome
Type of Car: Any proper 4x4 with front and back tow hooks and 10 inches of ground clearance
Plan: Day drive from Tawi Nizwa to Iftar Bowl and enjoy Iftar together.
What to bring along: Evening snacks, food for Iftar - whatever you like with little extra to share, water, liquids, smiles, stories, enthusiasm and willingness to learn.

Approximate finish time: 9 PM, 25 May 2018, Friday

Those interested to join can RSVP the below calendar:

I am in tears right now. So emotional, but so true. We just take it one step at a time, and the rest follows. If you do good you will get good karma. That is why we have so many good people all in one place.