Frederic

Some drives will test the limits of your patience, skills, and endurance. This was one of those drives. Seeing most people arriving before 7 and starting deflation is a wonderful thing to see, as we are battling the heat and want to head out as soon as possible. It was however disappointing to see few members in the wrong convoy that we had to go and collect. Which set us back quite some time. PLEASE always look at the meeting point coordinates and do not just join the bunch of cars from another drive you see further down the road. The drive lead specifically mentioned this in the drive topic. Furthermore, the briefing video has specific points mentioned that were put there for a reason. Bringing a shovel, and wearing closed shoes, is particularly useful in 40 degrees and the shovel is even a mandatory item. Testing new equipment should be done beforehand, not on the deflation point. From FEWBIE level onwards this is a hobby that requires some preparation and focus. This is not a Desert Safari Tourist Trip anymore. Having said that, the desert can be unforgiving, and the soft sand meant we had to deflate further down. The route from Fossil Rock towards Faya is consisting out of some technical dunes, and lots of pockets and ditches. This is perfect terrain for Fewbies to practice the use of momentum and pointing the nose of the car perfectly spot on the ridge riding it high enough to avoid ending up in the ditch. Most of them mastered this very well by now, some others kept using the raw power of the vehicle and came to realize soon enough the raw power alone is not enough. Despite the pop-outs and some challenging recoveries we kept a cool head (at least we tried in this heat), and got everyone out safely. A big thanks to the convoy for keeping their patience and offering help over the radio. An excellent drive lead from both @Wrangeld and @Jeepie, a wonderful second lead by @Foxtrot Oscar, great recoveries done by @Vanessa8580 and @Ale Vallecchi, and some of the fewbies really showed their worth. Well done guys !

This could be either the solenoids that engage the vacuum, a loose vacuum hose, or just the sensor itself. Better bring it to the workshop to let them verify the above.

Which 95% of most workshops do here unfortunately. I understand your pain. Best is to tackle one or max two issues at a time and visit them to inspect what they are actually doing to your car. Most shops need to be babysitted until you get what you really want.

Welcome to Carnity @Fayad Abdul Karim As i am living in Dubai, i won't be able to give you good references of workshops in Abu Dhabi, but looking at the list of issues i wonder what is the current mileage of the car? and have you been getting it serviced by the dealership so far ? 1. AC compressor does not necessarily come weak. It might need a gas top-up. 2. I doubt if they have installed original shock absorbers as from what you described. 3. Humming sounds might come from inbalance, or worn CV joints. 4. Car jerks when coming out of (P)park might indicate your engine mounts are shot. 5. Sluggish acceleration could come from clogged injectors, airfilter, etc... 6,7,8,9 looks like typical wear and tear on a 6 year old vehicle. Do take care of electrical issues as these might expose your vehicle and yourself to serious danger. A busted fuse should not be ignored, but needs investigation. Most workshops will have their own strenghts and weaknesses in my opinion. Either they are good in painting (bodywork), mechanical, or electrical. If you find a shop here in UAE that's genuinly good in all 3 categories and is affordable, than you have found the holy grail Better focus first on the mechanical issus for now, and move down as per your priority list.

@Anish S @Janarthan you can add further comments on radios in this topic.

Congrats!!

Bumping up this topic with the summer coming nearby.

There will be however a few exceptions to the rule. BMW 5-Series E39 was extremely well made, and can hold it own against the Lexus 400 series. If you're going for luxury SUV, then maybe a LX470 is an option.

Happy birthday Marjan !

After having owned BMW here in Dubai, i have sincerely regretted it for the following reasons: - All rubbers became hard which resulted in several oil leaks on a 2013 model with low mileage. Costed me 7k to get them all properly fixed when i bought the car. - When i sold it, i lost so much money due to the low resale value. The advantage is when you buy it you will find cheap. - BMW road has parts, and i was quite happy with the workshop nearby that place. Prices were quite reasonable, but for me living in Dubai and going everytime to Sharjah for maintenance was a hassle. In dubai most workshops that service german cars are way too expensive and push you to replace half of the car. - German Luxury vehicles in UAE are really a hit and miss. In Europe we adore them, here they are being despised because most workshops don't know how to properly service and repair them. You can get lucky and be troublefree for a few years, but it can also be a huge moneypit. If you are passionate about these cars and treat them well, you will have pleasure driving them and no Japanese SUV will bring the same smile on your face.

https://tnydu.biz/DOy8IU Friend of my colleague is selling an AUDI Q5

You will notice in summertime it's getting harder to film. All devices which are mounted close to the windshield are overheating these days.

yes that comes from the app itself.

I am using the app "Smart Dash Cam". It only records when you start driving, and saves a new videoclip every 2 or 3 minutes based on your setting. Just make sure your phone has a decent front camera. I am using an Iphone SE.

I am using an old iphone mounted on the windshield. The iphone has a dashcam app that starts recording as soon as i drive. Cheap and works great.

Congrats buddy !

I see @Wrangeld in this... very relaxed driving with AC on full blast...

Glad to hear you got it sorted. Your Nativa stems just like my little blue from a nineties-hassle-free-style-technical approach. They are easy to fix, and parts can be found in many places. You might want to consider getting an alternator from the scrapyard in Sharjah. 3500 is indeed a hefty amount.

Speedex has good ones 😜

Totally agree. EVERY drive will bring you stuff to learn, and I am grateful to still learn from others every weekend.

@Jeepie you absolutely deserve this ! Just like Richard, you both give your endless support to our weekly drives, you always come with suggestions and always thrive to be better. I have heard great things about your lead and really look forward to be following you soon !

I think that wonderful “fish tail” narration on the briefing video brought you here... 🤣🤣 Just kidding buddy, you and Marjan have become an integral part of our family and you both never shy away from giving your full support and driving the little uncomfortable TJ all over the UAE. You both bring a maturity and calm approach to every drive and that is a very important thing to have while teaching new off-roaders or leading them the way. I wish you lots more well written drive reports, non-overheating drives with the TJ, and fun to be had and jokes to be cracked.

So glad for you @Brette. We started around the same time and you slowly converted your Black Stallion into a very competent off-roader. At the same time you have grown from a slightly shy and sometimes a bit hidden Carnity member into a force to be reckoned with and a fantastic support and someone our newbies are really looking up to because of your patience and will to help. Now Black Stallion is unleashed we’re all looking forward to further growth !

@Mels Wolf no doubt well deserved. You’ve been growing real fast and never shy away from a challenge. Looking forward on some intermediate level drives soon !

Congrats @Matti Brockman and well deserved!