Ilya

7 minutes ago, topgear said:

You guys are taking it to another level, by storing the hardtop at a warehouse! 

I considered this option, requested a few quotes, but in reality it translates into at least $ 100 per month. On the trolley the roof just stood behind the curtain in the main room in my appartment and guests did not even notice that there was something there

2 hours ago, Reggie Landicho said:

So how do you keep the gears inside secure and don’t get stolen?

It shouldn't be an issue in Dubai (my pump, other stuff was always there, and never felt a risk that something could happen)

Also, if you are not satisfied with the cleanliness standards after washing (for example, it is very difficult to remove sand from the material coating in the trunk and the floor - you don't see it, but its there) or just want to clean interior more often than going to the carwash, you can buy a cordless vacuum cleaner (my option). The bonus is that the tube is "co-branded" with Rubicon 😁

I have this one and its perfect - cat’s won’t have any chances to get in

https://www.amazon.ae/dp/B07S69X1YP/ref=cm_sw_r_wa_apip_iotCJzENrCjAT

4 hours ago, varunmehndiratta said:

do you cover the vehicle in parking

No, we have no cats, but it can be an issue.. if it so, I would try anty cat spray (used to protect furniture)... 

There is no one answer for the warranty cases. But the general principle is - you don't lose a warranty for the car itself, but only warranty issues related to your modifications can be rejected. E.g. after your modifications, general electric issues can be rejected, but if you have a chassis issue - should not be a problem

I use this trolley to keep and move the roof. 
https://www.amazon.ae/dp/B00EPXCVJ6/ref=cm_sw_r_wa_apip_SW2Q5Z4qwLI2F

Just make sure you measure all dimensions, as the height of the roof on trolley could be a bottleneck for lifts or doors

Last season I just moved it to my apartment, vertically it doesn't take a lot of space. But also as on this trolley it just needs very small space it can be stored on the parking slot

In terms of does it make sense?...To me - absolutely, this is that unique experience which you can't get in FJ, Patrols, and other good offroading cars. I'll remove it this season after upcoming trip to Oman (as chances of rain is much higher there + long drives). 

You can also remove doors (BUT MUST install mirrors, 100 AED on Amazon) and drive completely naked car

Last winter I drove with no roof from Nov till March and had zero cases where I would think about having a roof.

I also have sunshade (to use between 11-14 if needed) and softcover just to be safe if there is rain (no rain last year in Dubai) or long parking in a dusty place (used it 3 times only)

When there is no wind and you are riding smoothly, there won't be much sand inside. BUT, if there is wind, you will make fountains of sand - be prepared, yes, sand will be everywhere (for me the eyes are usually the most critical, it takes at least 24 hours to feel that the eyes are clear)

Cleaning the car after sand was not a problem, sand can be removed easily and the car looked like "lady driven, never being offroad". Also, if it is windy, you can get a lot of sand even in regular car

To me, the biggest problem is white dust which you can find while driving near Qudra/Solar Park (that's why I don't drive there)

The best ones are obvious - GoPro 10 and Insta 360 for 360. All other, of course, will miss some features but will be of course, cheaper.
iPhone video is also superb

I wouldn't underestimate 4K. If you plan to show your video on a large TV (from youtube), 4K will be much much sharper than full HD. Also capturing with 60fps is a must for action scenes, not 30/24 fps

4 hours ago, Chinthaka Ruwan said:

Regarding Bakal village track I tried  and it was impossible to do with my Xterra.  I couldn't go even 100m.  

Wow... definetly need to try next time 🤔

4 hours ago, Chinthaka Ruwan said:

My biggest concern in this drive was amount of tire damage I had.

Yes, it looks very bad for the tires, I felt better on my 305, but I also deflated, which helps protect the tires on such rocky terian

Visited these places recently.
The Wadi Sal drive is still breathtaking and compared to last year, I would say there are more difficult sections, and more garbage on the top. Filmed this drive:

Also visited the mountain trail from the southern part of this mountain - Yanis mountain - easy drive, camping spot with amazing views but toilet building was abandoned (so no facilities). Despite there being a barrier at the beginning of the road, there was a sign saying "visitors and hikers are welcome"

From this campsite it is easy to see another scary road based on the UAE off-road book, it must be the road to Bakal village.Has anyone tried it? Doable? Happy to go there together

Here is the overall map of the area:

13 minutes ago, Frederic said:

Power to Weight ratio is not bad, but definitely not like an FJ, Prado, JL, or Xterra.

Absolutely agree, but much much cheaper, for the budget mentioned here it is possible to find I assume 3-y old cars or so. If price isn't an issue, the new, improved FJ is coming - which is Bronco! (I already spotted it in the showroom)

When I was looking for a car, before I settled on the JL, I seriously thought about Montero. It's cheap (nearly twice comparing to Prado), capable, powerfull, and looks a lot more modern than Prado or FJ. Put there the offroad tires and you are the king!

Thanks! Looks like a perfect place to send a drone there 

Just spotted on google maps lakes which looks very "natural" not far away from the Expo lake. The area is close to the Arabian Canal, which is on hold. Have anyone visited this place? Dunes, lakes - looks promising from the satellite, but what is the reality?

Hi @Lorenzo Candelpergher, I can't make it this Fri, so removing myself from the list. Have fun and see you next time!

2 minutes ago, Gaurav said:

To be more specific, unless you plan to do intentional jumps and hard landing you really don't need such level of reinforcements

Absolutely agree with @Gaurav. Potentially it makes sense to think about it after lifting, adding 35" and re-gearing, but not before

I've uploded mine to this folder (as even JPEGs are 18mb each)

https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1bSXtr6h9nSiz4T8rL6KfoHDZnL4sxiBy?usp=sharing 

Guys, if you can upload the pictures of mine into this folder I would appreciate it (it has only 4 gb of space or so, so we can't use it for all pictures). Or just share your folders!

Thanks @Gaurav for this excellent opportunity to make many fantastic photos. Should we just upload everithing to the directory or use any kind of ext drives? Actually I would like to get at list a few high res pict

I’ll bring Sony A7R and 28-200. Plus my insta360 and maybe a drone

Thank goodness with Jeep we can just buy the original Mopar Cold Air Intake 😁

I don't think I've ever seen such a beautiful sunrise in the desert. Amazing views and fantastic drive!

Congratulations!!!!

WOW WOW! Congrats and well deserved!

On 9/10/2021 at 2:34 PM, Roy Armale said:

Interested in that test!

I am up for any test (it should be quite funny)! I have JLU with Mopar 2 "(so Fox shocks) + Coopers 305/17/70. It makes sense to compare, of course, similar cars (JLU) with similar tires sizes. Or we can find another JK

A few months ago I also suggested doing a climb battle for stock tires vs 285/305/315, but looks like stock jeeps are not willing to participate in these competitions 😆

On 9/8/2021 at 8:46 PM, Roy Armale said:

but is a little misleading because the lift happens above the differential because we are on fixed axels. That means the tire size is the lift (ground to differential)

Lifting by itself improves the car's geometry (approach/departure/break over angles) which is critical for sand. While ground-axel distance is not really important here (it would be critical when you drive in mud or forest). Plus you lift the car to accommodate larger tires (so the lift itself is not a goal, rather an interim step)

On 9/8/2021 at 8:46 PM, Roy Armale said:

The desert is all about multiple small/medium vibrations, which is the opposite of rock crawling and a tuned bypass outperforms the big brands

Could be an interesting discussion if we can do a proper comparison (same car, same tires). But I don't think it was ever made (happy to participate in this kind of test btw). Otherwise its all subjective 

On 9/8/2021 at 8:46 PM, Roy Armale said:

Larger tires means less power

100% correct, but Jeeps still have lot of power (+ regearing +cold air intake if really needed)

14 hours ago, Looper said:

I’ll have reprogram the car for larger tires

how much does it cost btw? I am just assuming my speed is 10% higher than on the speedome