Frederic

Had a friend with a Hyundai Vera Cruz 3.6. Has put 400,000km plus on it and hardly had any issues.

I’m flying back to the sandpit tonight after a week in Barcelona. God I will miss the food, weather, and the people.. see you guys next week if there’s a drive ! Take care !

After arriving in Saudi Arabia and looking for a fun car to drive that i could also take to the desert, I went shopping around and came across a 2008 FJ Cruiser in voodoo blue with the roof rack, stereo upgrade, cold air intake, and hardly a scratch. Mileage was a bit high at around 200,000 kms but it was the best looking FJ in the area after weeks of searching. Fast forward a few weeks when I go into a small patch of desert near to the compound where I’m living and get stuck immediately, although i deflated and ASSUMED this was a permanent 4x4. Well, this US model was a 2WD.... hence the low selling price 😔😔 Kept it another year and then left Saudi, but that was a hard lesson learned not to be falling in love too quickly and hasty. But the car itself was fantastic as pretty fast.

Welcome Xaf ! You’ll find that this forum contains lots of information about taking your first steps in the desert. Browsing through it will bring you up to speed on the basics and our Carnity off-road family will teach you the rest in real life !

Thanks to the fantastic service of @shadow79 and Jalil, all bushings are replaced and I’ll be joining in tonight !

After initially having thought that the wobbly driving and clunking noise was only coming from my front shocks, now i found out that my right trailing arm bushing is completely gone. When letting go of the throttle the car wobbles from left to right like crazy, which probably means the rear axle is sitting loose for the moment 😤. i will need to cancel out for this drive guys, I don’t want to take any risks and will leave the car at home until this is solved. Currently waiting for estimates on front shocks and trailer arm bushings but no update yet. @shadow79 I suppose you don’t have those parts available in Ajman ? My workshop is currently a bit overloaded and the owner is out of the country.

OMG i really saw a beach !

100% agree. This is indeed basic etiquette.

With many people living in apartments or just lacking the space to do their own maintenance or fixes, I came across below site: https://www.ufixit.ae/we-have-what-you-need/ They have a workshop located in DIP fully equipped with all tools to fix your own car. Price is per hour. Please share your feedback, views, pros and cons.

I have lots of friends from Bacolod !! It’s truly the city of smiles !

I kinda like how the Montero Sport looks, but heard from our fellow off-roaders that it does not possess a real "grunt" and seems to be underpowered ? Or is it the electronics kicking in all the time ?

Was able to see the ISS for the full cycle. The SkyView app helped a bit in finding the right spot. Tested my daughter’s beginners telescope in the meantime and took some snaps from the moon. Jupiter or others was impossible because the thing is not stable enough.

We are "connected" like never before, yet the number of lonely people have never been higher because we simply fail to do an effort to go out and meet other people. I totally agree that social media is a very tricky thing, and addictive. I am using most platforms and sometimes i indeed realize the mountain of time i would have saved if i would have left that device aside instead of scrolling and not finding anything. If you simply calculate 2 hours average usage per day, times 365, that makes 730 hours per year. One could learn a new hobby, read tons of books or listen to music, or do other useful things instead, like meeting other people. Yet i keep a positive note to this connectivity as it enables us to stay in touch with or loved ones around the world, find useful information or teach ourselves DIY stuff from watching tutorials, etc.. etc... the possibilities are endless. In my opinion we are currently in a technological transition phase, where humanity eventually will become 24/7 connected with sensors, projected data, and highly advanced systems. We have however no clue yet if this will really improve our lives our not. Results will vary from "Demolition Man", to "Ex Machine", "Total Recall", or "Her"

I am in for tonight

Thanks buddy, i'll talk to my mechanic. He was more worried about the steering linkage. The front right shock sounds horrible now (hammering noise on every little speed bump).

mmmmmmmmmm (contemplating)........... Would love to join in on this one, but my car should go to the workshop tomorrow for new front shocks and steering linkage, and some other small things... If i confirm my maintenance then it might be very tight to get it back by Thursday... If i postpone the maintenance i can join in but Sweihan is tricky terrain to take on with a car that needs this kind of maintenance

I’m not 200% sure but I think it’s the user called ksenia on dubizzle. He sells home and car hifi from Onkyo, Alpine, and other upscale brands. Try once on 052 916 3215 and check if he has stuff available at the moment. He’s located in Tecom.

Camembert ?

Common Pajero problems for sunroof: * The screws that hold the motor in place get loose or fall out, so the gears on the motor do not touch the rail anymore. Retighten the screws and use some loctite to keep them in place. You'll need to partly remove the headliner and its a pain in the buttocks to reach the motor but if you're a bit handy this is a DIY fix. * Proper lubrication of the rails: Our climate with abundance of sand makes the rails become dry and sandy and eventually the whole thing locks up. Remove the glass roof panel and clean out the rails and then apply lubricant (silicon based). This job is again DIY but it requires some elbow grease and swearing along the way. You'll find some tutorials online about it. Both my Pajero's (gen2 and gen4) had this problem and after spending blood sweat and tears after recurring problems i gave up and left it closed. I thought i was a good DIY'er but i'm short on patience sometimes. Most workshops that do Pajero will know about this problem, but you might be having a liner full of greasy fingerprints by the time it gets finished ..... Older generation Pajero's need a recalibration of the motor and sunroof opening and closing position if i remember correctly. It's a combination of pressing the open-close button... Google will know more about it.

allrighty allrighty, you guys have my word... I'll get you some chocolates soon, IF my dogs doesn't eat them in the meantime (real story, ended up at the vet to empty his stomach...🤣)

Well, seeing these articles being a Maintenance Manager myself, i realized there are three ways of maintaining a car or machine, and it depends mainly on your own personality, technical knowledge, and priorities: 1) Strictly by the book and top notch: You take care of the car like it's your baby, and many parts that you get replaced are not necessarily due for replacement. But you want to have ease of mind and keep the car in super condition. Every rattle or slight problem will make you go to the workshop or dealer and you are not afraid of spending some extra bucks until the car is back in optimal condition. You have a good resale value in mind and would even keep the plastics on the seats. 2) Cost-conscious but correct: You prefer a decent workshop and want to get the necessary stuff done, but you are not afraid to push back a bit and discuss prices and necessity of replacing certain parts. 3) Drive it into the ground: You replace the oil when the min. oil level indicator comes on, you don't care about the basic maintenance and you flip the cars in a few years and want to spend less than the minimum on it. As long as it drives and there is a bit of rubber on the tyres you're good to go. You'd think that these 3 ways are correlated to your income, but strangely enough they are not. I've met very rich people that don't want to spend an extra buck and drive their cars into the ground. I've also met people that need to count thrice to get by, but are still creative to get the best maintenance done at the best price, and keep their cars in very good condition. One thing i genuinely hate is people that start discussions with their mechanics without even getting themselves informed in advance. They hardly know how a car works, yet they want to constantly criticize a professional. One should always be respectful and ask questions and get themselves informed first instead of bashing on the mechanic. (sorry i am venting now).

hahahaha i've never met these folks yet before so that might be a bit of a stretch

I’ll be attending a bbq in Arabian ranches. Horn when you pass by buddies, I’ll be thinking of you !!

Yes it is @desertdude