Zed

dear @Anish S, please add me to Waiting List as this will be my 2nd drive this weekend 😊

1 hour ago, Xavier Treasurer said:

@Gauravcan we now have some weekly Fewbie + drives in Abu Dhabi? 

@Xavier Treasurer marshal @Srikumar is coming this Thursday night, I think "unofficially" it will be Fewbie Plus 😂

Congrats @Hasan Wahlan, now that you're Fewbie PLUS, you can be 2nd Lead, Center Forward or Sweeper in our weekly drives 😁👍  and rotate turns with @Mus_hus78  & @Xavier Treasurer !

3 minutes ago, Mario Cornejo said:

Check this one out  

 

Thanks @Mario Cornejo , although nice and will complement my Sony A7S-II, that looks bulky and not easily transportable to the desert... how heavy is the setup? From quick visual, it seems I need minimum 2 people to carry  all those stuff 😅

Hi folks, so I visited Al Sadeem's Observatory last night (website http://alsadeemastronomy.ae/visibility-times/ ) and asked questions how they created those nice images on their Instagram page (https://www.instagram.com/alsadeem.observatory/?hl=en) and witnessed 2 approach:

But first, some nice Astronomy / Interstellar trivia: did you know when you take photo or look at the moon, that snapshot is from few seconds ago? And that if you take photo of the sun, the snapshot is from 8-10 minutes ago? The whole universe is a "Virtual Time Machine" *wow 😲

Ok, so the first approach he showed is basically mounting his Canon DSLR to the telescope and then doing long exposure of 10 seconds 10 times, for a total of 100 seconds (1.5 minutes) of exposing your aperture (make sure your DSLR can handle this and not overheat the sensor 😂). Then he stacks them using Photoshop. As simple as that, but the cheapest Telescope he used was a 7,000dhs Compound Telescope (google this, basically a compound telescope is a  mix of Lenses & Mirrors). Problem is the Stars & Moon are moving in micro-seconds, so when you buy a Compound Telescope, make sure it has a "Tracking" feature, or a motor that rotates the telescope slowly adjusting to the object-in-observation speed.

Second option, he was using a more expensive, AI-powered, controlled via iPad, gadget called Stellina (see https://vaonis.com/stellina ), which costs USD 4,000 or around 16,000dhs. This gadget is so cool, it automatically stacks your multiple mages so you don't need to stitch them on Photoshop. The iPad & Android app even has "History" feature so you can compare the photos of the Nebula, stars, moon, from last week, or months before.

BUT this is the cool stuff. Stellina will have a sister called Vespera (see https://vaonis.com/vespera ) which will cost USD 1,500 or 6,000dhs which is available for pre-order (but I suggest you wait until it's in full production). It's more expensive than portable telescopes, but knowing that it does automatic stitching, tracking / moving along with the position of the stars, battery-powered (so you can bring this to desert without requiring AC Inverter), all controlled via Wi-Fi to an iPad / Android app, I think this is a better option than spending a 600mm lens or buying a 50 MP full-frame 😁 🔥

Here's a Video Teaser of the Stellina:

3 hours ago, Luc Khaldoun said:

Hello all, beside Nissan dealers, does anyone know where to purchase spear parts for a Nissan Patrol? 
thanks a lot in advance for your replies.

@Luc KhaldounI buy my Toyota spare parts online at https://www.ssg.asia , they are cheap but takes time to deliver (1 week). Else if you need something fast, you can send me WhatsApp and I will send you a spare part contact person who can get stock within 1-2 days (but u have to pick from Al Quoz).

If they are small or don't require Lift Machine, i can save labor cost and install them in the apartment parking. Else I bring them to my favorite garage and pay for labor cost to fix them. It's nice experience & learning to take care of your own car occassionally 😊

6 hours ago, Warren Flay said:

The mighty black LandWhale was roaring behind me at number 7 today, I could smell the hydrocarbons burning in fury! Could you tell if the Gadgero was throwing rooster tails like last time? I am just a little paranoid about the throttle response. (Also, thanks for the lend of your radio bro! I claim Alzheimers) 😝

When you say "throttle response", Do you have Pedal Commander? Could have used that one to do that crest-switching manouvre today since most cars failed and tried to fight gravity 😂

8 hours ago, Goutam said:

My COVID test results are not showing up on the App, I am trying to resolve it.

I am trying to call AlHosn app help line which is turning on some kind of podcast like message and also trying the clinic.

Can anyone let me know what I should do?

@Goutamif u received SMS message of the result, u can show the policeman this SMS... good luck 🤞🏻

1 hour ago, Warren Flay said:

Still waiting on my bloody PCR test to show up! I hope to join the NOx train on time😂

@Warren Flay If you did it in Ikea/Al Futtaim Health Hub, you can call them and ask to expedite uploading the result 😊 

@Warren Flay they put us Unichip jalopies between Two Centers, vroom vroom 🏎️ *cough *cough 😷

you'll definitely need it bro @Warren Flay, Sweihan's getting softer than last time u were here 😁 See you on Friday morning bro 👍🏻

On 12/24/2019 at 10:48 AM, Gaurav said:

Love the masking tape idea. Simply GENIUS.

Many including myself have got the custom cover for lights made for passing purposes only.

Wow that looks beasty! Last time I saw, wasn't your car @Gaurav bhai a green SWB GQ Patrol (or was it Shogun / V20 Pajero)? What's with these XTerra craze now 😄

no problem Dr @Chaitanya D, take care of your car first, you need it at its top condition for Abu Dhabi's soft sand next time 😊

Awesome @Thomas Varghese! So it's a new fan clutch but for some reason was not in "full-tank" mode 😂 Glad it wasn't because of a leak... as an owner of 2002 LC, I also replace old parts and hope it will last for another 10 years 😅 Another question: any specific reason why you install the SPAL fans in front of radiator (Pusher) type? This does block air flow and that's why most recommend behind radiator (Puller), _unless_ space is an issue ☺️

8 hours ago, Thomas Varghese said:

All this info I got from X forums prevalent in Australia as they have similar issues of overheating as theirs is a hot climate in the desert similar to Middle East.

Great job finding the solution @Thomas Varghese, however the engineer in me is curious for the "climate" reason 😁:

1. You have a Thermal-type Fan Clutch: there is a spring that's when heated between 70C-100 Celsius, it opens up the valve and releasing the silicone fluid that allows the Real Fan to engage and cool your engine.  

2. The temperature that triggers the spring in the bi-metal fan clutch is the temperature at clutch's face. So if engine is already overheating + middle-east weather of 50 C, this should actually make the fan clutch engage faster 😊

3. You have fixed the issue by re-filling the silicone fluid, which _may_ indicate that there was already a Leaking Silicone Fluid issue. This would explain point #1 & #2 above where the extreme hot weather + engine overheat actually triggers the spring in the bi-metal, but because there was not enough silicone fluid, the fan did not engage (or engage some time later slowly).

4. Since your XTerra is 2008, has your fan clutch been replaced during its 13-years tenure? This would also prevent future mechanical failure of the clutch + spring issue + valve stuck in open/closed state which cannot be fixed by just re-filling silicone fluid. Granted, it's a AED 450 OEM replacement (Part Number 21082-EA200) . Or a cheaper but Heavy-Duty Hayden's 6601 

But glad you solved the issue and brought interest to the fan-clutch-supposed-to-engage-fan-at-certain-temperature thingy 😊

1 minute ago, Chaitanya D said:

@Zed you will be added to the drive, do you confirm ?

Confirm @Chaitanya D! 😃

dear Dr @Chaitanya D, please add me to Waiting List as this will be my 2nd Drive this weekend (1st one I'm joining Kailas's Fewbie drive). I've removed myself from RSVP to make room for others who haven't joined any drives...

On 6/11/2021 at 8:38 PM, Anish S said:

Hello Everyone,

For sometime now, i find that my front tyres are rubbing under the fender, around the fender liner/shield area (I attached a photo for the same). The rubbing does not happen on road at all, however while off-roading, the rubbing occurs occasionally when attempting a climb and descend.

Hi @Anish S, since I've done a lift I can answer this:

1. You need to look into BODY LIFT (not suspension lift), this moves the body away from the frame (but not giving you a higher ground clearance like suspension lift), so your tyres will not rub the top.

2. If Body Lift is not an option, or after you did Body Lift there's still rubbing, look into "Pounding/Hammering the Pinch Weld", this is best shown in pictures here >> Finally, the Pinch Weld Mod – ADVENTURETACO

3. There's a 3rd option if you don't like modifying your car and keep it as much stock as possible: downgrading your tyre profile. Currently it's 265/70 = 70% x 265mm = 185.5mm = 7.3 inch sidewall. If you decrease the sidewall, say getting a 255/70/R16 = 70% x 255mm = 178.5mm = 7 inch sidewall, less 0.3 inch. Will lessening sidewall to -0.3" prevent rubbing? You need to test this... if you have friends with 255/70/R16 who are willing to lend you their tires for testing all good, else it's a bit of a hassle to hunt for 2nd hand tires and re-sell them if they still rub or you don't like the lower profile...

Good luck with whatever choice tho 🤙 

Thank you @Islam Soliman for leading the drive, @Hisham Masaad having a senior member behind me was comforting in case i get stuck. Haven't seen bowls after bowls like in the Big Red, so it was well worth the drive from Abu Dhabi (and waking up at 1:30am) 😁👍🏻

1 hour ago, Mus_hus78 said:

@Zedfor giving his vegetable chopping board with his trolley jack ...... 

As long as the Tools work bro, be it Ikea chopping board for the jack or plastic fasteners for the exhaust later upgraded to "borrowed" barbed wires from abandoned property fences 😂

4 hours ago, Frederic said:

 

@Ruan van den Heever and @Mus_hus78 offered their help to join us and together we headed to the other side of the road. We were able to successfully get the vehicle out and I wanted to thank you guys for offering your help !

@Frederic next time please announce it on the radio and the whole group will gladly follow you to help another Carnity or non-Carnity convoy i'm sure. I was late to find out only after inflating, @Hasan Wahlan told me of the incident but i didn't know where to go to help, so we could only pray for  all your safety 🙏🏻  Looking forward to Part 2 of the Switcheroos, and you weren't kidding btw, there were a lot of crest switches 😂

@Islam Soliman it's 4:12am and i'm at the Google Maps point but no one here, did I get the wrong gps? Sorry first time from Abu Dhabi here 😁 See photos:

Get well soon @Tero Vallas, dear @Islam Soliman i can move back & take Sweeper position if you want...

just realized this is near Khaznah Desert, oh it's gonna be fun. There's a famous photo opp spot too here 😄https://www.instagram.com/p/CLwMjuQsjdr/?utm_medium=copy_link

With 3 very senior members, looks like they've upped the ante for tomorrow's drive 😁.

@Warren Flay we're gonna miss your cat-less chip-tuned almost-turbo Pajero! 😄