Salarios

Love his channel, been following it for a while. He has a calm, methodical, non-judgemental approach to helping people out of sticky situations, while also providing a lot educational tips and tricks.
 

Carnity’s crew has a similar approach. I was thinking it would be very valuable for Carnity to make similar recovery videos on its desert drives. It would provide a lot of educational value, while also being an excellent marketing tool to promote the site and its amazing crew.

It could be done on a very low production cost: on each drive, a cameraman (or 2) with a gopro is nominated, someone narrates a storyline, and an editor puts it together in an entertaining and easy to follow clip. 

Thank you @Chaitanya D 

Once the COVID-19 situation is under control, I'll probably ask our friend in Sharjah to make me a bumper like this one: 

Have a look at this thread for some bumper ideas.

The Y62 400 has incredible naturally aspirated power and torque wrapped in luxury which makes the offroad drives very enjoyable. But the approach and take off angles in stock form are not ideal for offroading. Many of the Australian offroaders put on metal bumpers, which may or may not be legal here in the UAE (it's up for debate) . I changed my front bumper to a fiberglass shortie with a bash plate which (I hope) has fixed the approach angle. But I keep damaging the rear diffuser, and so I'm still searching for a rear bumper which looks good and performs well (both are important!). 

Drove to a salt lake recently, and found this crime scene: 😂

Mistakes were made. Regrets were had. 😅

But thankfully I had the state of mind to get out and inspect it in advance, and so I spared myself a few hours of misery. 

28 minutes ago, sertac said:

Can you share more photos and tell us the all story about the car? I believe there are a lot of E36 fans here. 

Sure @sertac . It's a 1999 Estoril Blue E36 M3 Evo imported from Japan to Dubai about 10 years ago. It currently has about 115,000 kms on the odometer. It originally came in SMG transmission which I converted to 6-speed manual, because SMG is a nightmare. The previous owner also put a Supersprint exhaust on it which is a bit too loud for my taste (I prefer engine sounds over exhaust sounds), but I haven't had a chance to change the exhaust back to stock yet. Other than regular maintenance and tire/rim upgrades and sound system, I haven't touched anything else. 

The story behind my love for this car started way back in the day when I used to own this red 1992 325i (AKA: the red beauty) in Vancouver, Canada. I held three jobs in high school (including a dishwasher at a restaurant) to be able to afford its maintenance and upgrade expenses. It was a lemon car, rusted out and in horrible mechanical condition, but I loved it nevertheless, and dreamed of one day owning its big brother: the Evo M3. Reason I said I know how @desertdude felt about his P38 is because I had to sell my red beauty to help pay for university. 

Then about 7-8 years ago I was chatting with my brother about our dream cars, and he was mentioning the Aston DB9, which was quite expensive at the time, and I mentioned the M3 Evo. It was a highschool dream I'd forgotten about. So we looked through Dubizzle right then and there, miraculously found this one for sale, called the gentleman and told him to consider it sold, and showed up with the cash. Easy sell for him, and I get to relive my childhood dream every time I look at it. 

Thanks for pushing me to share my love story about this car @sertac ! 

Cheers. 

You are right, there are hidden costs associated with electric car production that doesn't get much attention. Lithium mining causes water pollution, land erosion, and lack of proper lithium recycling has environmental impacts. 

But the reason it doesn’t get attention is because they are local problems. And greenhouse gas emissions caused by combustion engines are a global problem.

I believe the general consensus is that the overall benefit outweighs the costs, and that's why electric cars are projected to grow from around 5 million currently to over 130 million in a decade. 

2 hours ago, desertdude said:

Never say never. I thought the same about a rare Range Rover left hand drive P38 with only 40,000k on the clock which had spent majority of it life in England away from the summer heat and sand parked mostly inside a garage in London with entire service history. It felt smelt, looked and drove like a new car. 

But the damn 2008 credit crunch got to it eventually.

You broke my heart @desertdude. I know how that feels. Really sorry to hear it. But don't lose hope, find its replacement. 

1 hour ago, Barry said:

I love the M3, never seen a E36 in Dubai. I had 3 of them in my home country, M3, M3 Evo and M3 Evo Individual. Perfect handling, perfect balance and perfect power. I love your Iron too. I’m lusting after a forty eight at the minute but I can’t justify it. Yet. All my bikes have been Japanese apart from one but I was working in a hot rod and chopper shop for a while and got bitten by the bug. 

It's true they are pretty rare in Dubai. I usually find napkins with people's numbers on the windshield wanting to buy it. But how do you put a price on something you love so much? 

Would love to see pics of your M3s @Barry. 

2 hours ago, tjsingh said:

Any bike under 1000cc will feel very under powered when you're long rides

This is a valid comment. Especially for cruisers/choppers that have low revving engines and are generally much heavier. 

But for streetfighters and superbikes, any bike over 1000cc is a license to kill! 😅

48 minutes ago, treks said:

Question- advancements in manufacturing and distribution of what? Power stations? 

Technological advancements in automotive manufacturing is reducing production costs and delivery lead times. Thirty years ago, automative plants were 25% automated, today they are more than 75% automated. This has resulted in an increase in factory output of more than 8 times. 

So the expectation is that the electric vehicle revolution will be quicker than the combustion engine revolution. 

13 minutes ago, Frederic said:

And that's a damn fine beemer in the background !

Thank you Fred! It was my childhood dream to own an E36 Evo M3 (inline 6 with individual throttle bodies, and 50/50 weight distribution). Found a clean one in Dubai, bought it, will never sell it   

Very 

On 4/20/2020 at 11:50 PM, treks said:

...and they're trying to replace them all with electric cars. Good luck with that- or at least, good luck with trying to do that in less than about 100 years. 

There's only about 50yrs of oil left on earth at current production levels, so replacing gas-guzzling cars with electric cars should theoretically be much sooner than that. Also because of massive technological advancements in manufacturing and global distribution. 

Happy birthday @Srikumar ! 

I agree with @desertdude, riding in the UAE is extremely dangerous. Had a friend's brother pass away a few months ago due to a fatal crash in Dubai Marina. Another crash took the life of another friend's colleague a little while ago because someone ran a red light and t-boned him. May both RIP. 

My brother who's also a rider tried to use this analogy to dissuade me from riding: a car and a motorcycle crash is like a collission between a melon and a pen: the melon will always get punctured. So please avoid motorcycles like the plague. 

But if you're still intent on riding (like me), here's my experience: 

- I owned a Harley Iron 883cc a few years ago, and loved the community; but the Harley ride is extremely rough and unenjoyable. Never rode a tractor, but I imagine that's what it feels like. 

-  I have a Honda Shadow 750cc, and it rides like a cloud, really smooth and built like a tank, with a great riding position. Can put bags on the sides which makes it practical while maintaing the cool factor. Can also install a shield in the front, which reduces turbulance in highway speeds and makes it tolerable in long rides. Most importantly: cheap to buy and cheap to maintain. 

- I owned a Benelli TNT300 and hated every minute of it. Threw money at it with aesthetic upgrades to fool myself into keeping it, since it rode so badly; but ultimately couldn't stand it and ended up selling it. Benelli is a Chinese bike with an Italian name, so you get what you pay for. Same story with CFMoto. 

- I currently own a Kawasaki Z800 which gives me a dirty look if I don't speed with it. It sounds and revvs incredibly, with the only downside being the forward riding position which is really straining on your wrists on long rides, even though it's a streetfigher and not a superbike. I also have a Ninja 300 (the white one in the above picture) which I feel more safe riding than the Z800, as it's less likely I'll kill myself in it. 

So in conclusion, I have two recommendations: A) please don't ride. It's too dangerous. and b) If you MUST, go for a Kawasaki or Honda in Dubai. Don't go above 800cc and don't go below 300cc, as it's more dangerous either way. And don't spend more than 25k AED, as realistically you'll only ride 2-3 months out of the year. 

Sorry for the long post. Hope it's helpful. Cheers! 

Hi @Nizam Deen I assume you have a Y62? @Chaitanya D and myself had our front bumpers replaced in a workshop in Al Nahda in Sharjah (Mr Mohammed 050 886 4047), and also installed a thick bash plate to absorb some of the forces. @Srikumar recommends that the bashplate be as thick as possible (4mm?). So it would be good to talk to them before making your final decision. 

Keep us posted as to how you get on, and give us some before and after pictures.

13 minutes ago, desertdude said:

Hey man do what you can, if you can afford it, rock it. Just get the bumper issue fixed and run with it.

If I could afford to I would ride a Rolls Royce Cullinan in the dunes 

Like you I've never let anyone dictate what I should or shouldn't get. Of course I do my research and take advice from sensible people and with that in mind form my own opinion.

Back in the day while working in the desert I one decided I'm going to shift from a manual Land Cruiser to an automatic transmission. Unheard of those days and everybody told me I was commiting suicide. But later after seeing me many themselves converted to automatic

Same when I got a Land Rover Discovery and initially everybody made fun of me and said should have bought a Jeep. But once again proved them wrong

Further on for everyday use I got myself a used Range Rover and once again everyone I knew said I was crazy it's going to burn holes in my wallet the size of Jupiter.

And many people even here if honest enough will testify they ended up buying discoveries and range Rovers after seeing me. 

If everyone was to follow everyone else there would be nothing but Pajeros and Jeeps. 

Many of the naysayers have never even driven anything more than 250hp and 6 cylinders off-road so what do they know. There is nothing like the low end torque if a V8 and wideband power delivery.

So you do you mate. You'll make mistakes maybe even expensive ones along the way but you are only a fool if you don't learn from them.

So if you are willing and know what you are getting into them nothing should stop you or let anyone dissuade you from driving your Patrol.

Good luck

What a genuinely thoughtful and refreshing comment. Thank you @desertdude  

This is an interesting and educational conversation so I’d like to keep it going. 
 

9 hours ago, Gaurav said:

Good marketing pointers. If it's true then whey after massive sales drop Nissan brought back Y61 after 1-2 year gap.

Because they launched the Y62 in the middle of a global economic recession, and it was an expensive, gas thirsty behemoth. And also, because they didn’t offer diesel which was a big no no in the diehard offroad community at the time. So there was no demand for a Y62-type-car when it launched, and again, not because it was an incapable offroader. The Y61 though, ticked all the boxes to meet market demand: lower gas consumption, cheaper to buy and maintain, and was offered in diesel. 
 

9 hours ago, Gaurav said:

It's the host of technological advancement - that scares, fails and disappoint people after spending over 200K.

I agree. But you can’t deny that advancements in the automotive industry can be useful offroad. Crawl control on the Toyotas to automatically get itself out of sand? Very impressive. Sonar on the Defender to detect water depth? Amazing. Auto-inflate and deflate from inside the cabin using a switch on the G63 6x6? We’re living in the future. Let’s embrace it and not resist it. 
 

9 hours ago, Gaurav said:

I salute and respect Nissan to adapt smart and honest way to sell apple by calling it an apple, rather than a bow and arrow.

I assume, they must have tried calling it a bow and arrow but failed miserably so they have learned based on their experience to call an apple an apple.

Oh come on Gaurav you’re a PR expert, you know this better than me: companies segment the market and develop marketing campaigns that appeal to the largest portion of their target market. Off-roaders are a tiny minority for them. So why would they market it to them in the first place?
 

The Gazelle is different though: it’s designed to entice the minority offroad community. Nissan knows they’ll sell very few of them but they don’t care, because they’re using the Gazelle brand as leverage to further cement their offroad credibility. The existence of Gazelle increases Nissan’s brand value, which they hope will be enough to stand out in a competitive market so they can sell more of their “cash-cow” products (high margin, high volume products). I’m getting off-topic, but just want to illustrate the point that companies aren’t in the “honesty” business. They use a series of well-known tactics to separate us from our money. 
 

10 hours ago, Gaurav said:

Well let's drive together for a year and then we can revisit these comments again.

It's not the numbers, weight or size always, it's the instant availability of those numbers at a right time. In most modern technological advanced vehicle computers overthink than humans and that's what create lot of differences in the experience what I want and what I end up getting with.

You’re right, technology doesn’t always make it better or easier. A 3m derham 6x6 Brabus in my hands is still inferior to a 20yr old TJ in the hands of experts in this community. And that’s why I‘m open to having my opinions changed in a year. 

But all I’m saying is let’s not stifle diversity in the Carnity community. Let’s not discourage the use of a particular offroad car to form a convoy of wranglers and Pajeros. Diversity within the group is what will make it more interesting for all of us. 

And most importantly: “let’s root for eachother & watch eachother grow” even if it’s a Y62!  
 

Much love to all, 

- Salar 

12 minutes ago, Gaurav said:

• Y62 with all the possible off-road mods will be at par or lower with Y61 in a stock state, because Y61 has been designed to do almost everything that a normal offroader want based on decades of research and development along with extensive testing in GCC. Now same goes for any dedicated stock offroaders too like FJC, Xterra, Wrangler etc.

 

The two cars were not independently designed and manufactured by separate engineers; all of Nissan's experience and knowledge through extensive R&D gained through designing the Y61 for over 20 years went into upgrading their flagship offroader to the modern era with the added benefit of technological advancements in automotive engineering. 

17 minutes ago, Gaurav said:

• • Y62 are inherently heavy, so no matter what version you drive with V8 - 400 hp, you are always struggling to manouver a chariot on small ridges, pockets, bumps and sharp dunes. 

Did you know the weight difference is only 220kg? That's two adults. But with 3 inches of additional ground clearance, several hundred more horsepower and torque, independent suspension, and a host of techological advancements such as hill-descent, hill-start, hydraulic body motion control, active tire pressure monitor system, and a dedicated off-road monitoring system. 

28 minutes ago, Gaurav said:

• • For finding a real truth, next time you visit any good known desert look around and see what percentage of people driving Y62 with or without extreme modifications and you will get an answer.

 

This is not a fair indicator of Y62's offroad capabilities. The price point makes it difficult for the majority of people to justify it for offroad use. And Nissan's Y62 marketing campaign has mostly focused on luxury, rather than offroad capability, which has influenced people accordingly. 

I'm a traditionalist more than the next guy, I love the Defender over a Range Rover due to its brute force, simple mechanics, and easy maintenance, but I would never invalidate the engineering accomplishments of its successor. 

Sure reviews are biased, but it still doesn't negate some of the facts presented: that you're paying 300k for a car without many options and luxuries which are often found in this price point.

And so as you said, the manufacturer is taking the buyer for a ride.  

It would be great if the RSVP feature could also include a "waitlist", so that those wishing to join a drive can be automatically added if someone drops out -- according to their position on the waitlist. Marshals can also know exactly how many more people would potentially join the drive, if they were given the opportunity, so that additional convoys can be arranged if possible. 

The Gazelle isn't as exciting as it may seem. Have a look at this review that outlines some of its quircks and imperfections.

I think a Y62 with unique modifications based on your needs and preferences can be more thrilling and enjoyable. And a modded Y62 is still more versatile than a Gazelle: it can take you to a cocktail party in a tuxedo, or the toughest trails in shorts, and do both with class. 

Just to provide an update, I talked to a few shops and they quoted me ridiculous amounts to run the wires from the battery to the trunk, from 500 to 1,000 AED. So I went to Dragon mart, got thick electrical wires for 100 AED, and found a shop in Satwa to run the wires under the cabin floorboard for 100 AED along with an on-off switch and two fuses attached to the wires. So in total, paid 200 AED, and now have a convenient and quick inflation process. 

The yellow/blue wires behind the compressor are from the battery, the black hose in the bottom left is the inflation hose, the black wire in the top left is for the trailer. 

By the way, the Y62 honks its horn automatically as soon as it's inflated to 35PSI, through its Tyre pressure control system (TPCS), so no need to constantly check the pressure! 

@Xaf thank you for taking the time to write such thoughtful and valid comments. These are serious words of wisdom that every driver should adhere to. 

The Y62 does indeed have considerably higher running costs, but the thrill of a V8 400hp engine packaged in luxury justifies it in my humble opinion. @Gaurav can attest to the joy of riding it as he drove up the Maleha mountain with it on Friday. I have a [fake] defender back home (more on that later), and have no worries on damaging it while offroading since running costs are much lower, but sometimes I feel like I'm driving a farm tractor. I'll let people with more experience comment on striking that perfect balance between comfort/power versus running costs. 

Anyway, a few points to mention: 

- I had the bumper changed yesterday (thanks @Chaitanya D for the contact details of Mohammad), and also installed the bash plate painted matte black to match the car, and a new LED light: 

The bash plate is connected to the chasis, and should theoretically absorb the forces better. 

Before doing this, I visited these guys, and considered metal front and rear bumpers along with Smittybilt winch:  

They were asking 3,600 for the front, and 2,200 for the back, plus 2,800 for the 12k winch. But because of three reasons I decided against it : a) The bumpers are made of aluminum and recovery points can not be attached to the bumpers; b) RTA approval is questionable for the bumpers and c) the winch is attached not to the chasis but to a cross bar which is held to the chasis with three bolts on each side. And that front cross bar is not strong enough to with-hold the strong forces of a winch. I spoke to multiple shops that confirmed the Y62 by design is not suited for a winch like a cruiser. 

Just to comment on @Srikumar's valid statement about additional wear and tear, and of course this is true, but my experience is that some cars are built tougher than others. Cruisers and patrols are built like tanks and can withstand that offroad abuse much better than entry level 4x4's. But of course the approach/break-over/departure angles need to be improved. 

With great sadness, I must pull out of this meet. I have to travel back home and take care of family at risk of this pandemic. And then when I come back I'll have to self-quarantine myself, so I won't be able to join you guys, but wishing you all an amazing and safe drive! 

@Xaf has already said it perfectly, but just to add a point: the method which the world will need to control the rapid spread of the COVID-19 pandemic, is exactly what will cause a global recession: a quarantine on a massive scale. Every industry will be negatively affected by the quarantine due to economic inactivity. Stock markets will continue to decline because of it (every 20% drop is called a "bear" market, and we'll see a lot of those), and experience in the past 40 years has shown that it takes about a year for a bear market to correct itself. Stock traders are trying to forcibly prevent a freefall by using a method called "circut-breakers" which temporarily halts trading to cool the markets (and we've had two of those in the past week) but still there is little hope. Don't invest right now, you'll lose money.