Niki

@Russ you are always asking the right questions! 

 we should finally set up that 'show and tell' thread were we can have our set ups paraded!  cannot wait for @Alex Raptor to finish his setup and @PaoloMaraziti and @Hisham Masaad to magic up some solutions for the FJ.

@PaoloMaraziti an alternative to the big bag was the following i found from Smitybilt .  i ended up cancelling my order as due to covid, it was taking 3 months  ... but a duffel/bag setup anchored in the trunk is a smart option.  

i feel like @Ahab Shamaa hasn't bought something new in a while... look forward to being corrected. 

happy birthday @Kailas - i have heard those born in August are the most able and skilled off-roaders ... amongst many other qualities.  have a great day celebrating 🍻 

@Roger K I got rid of my LR4 last year having spent a fortune on the AC which still struggled after 1000’s spent.  And numerous times having the air suspension / compressor changed (2 x airbag and 1x compressor). The AC was the biggest issue for me… replaced everything that could be replaced and it still struggled >40degrees.  
 

There is a very old thread in this forum that walks you through how to diagnose the suspension issue and in many cases can help you identify a relatively affordable fix… the problem is not a single garage will offer that or worse still fix the small issue but charge you for a full replacement.  I went through the dealership then 3 LR4 specialists and suspension was a rip out and replace option each time. I had the car for near a decade and do miss it as there is much to love however… if you plan to get rid of it next year are you sure you want to pour in a lot of money now then likely harm it further in the dunes and have to spend more next year prior to selling.  
 

if you have an option to sell it now - pick up a less desirable Pajero (also 7 seater)… throw it around the dunes and sell it next year for likely a loss similar to or less than a suspension and AC repair for an LR4!  (Not very helpful I know but I decided to get rid of my beloved LR4 and miss the car but not for driving in the dessert … I am forever grateful I didn’t keep it for the Offroad driving which was the original plan!) 

I have not found a single LR specialist in Dubai I would recommend as affordable/fair price … there are some that I consider professional and did revisit post warranty/service pack- happy to share their details 0551092859
 

summary - I would recommend a repair on your car for it to be an everyday cruiser but not to then take it to the dessert for off-roading … if the final year you want to enjoy on and Offroad- bite the bullet, get rid of it now and pick up a Pajero (if you need 7 seats) or an xterra if not (many options for a sensible price now and likely easy to offload next year).  I nearly went the coil suspension route just to bring the car to the desert but know the electronics will limit you (traction control etc) and the knowledge that a single small issue will likely wipe out the value of a 13 year old car!  
 

Again sorry that’s not super helpful in relation to your actual ask- but as a fellow LR4 owner, loving owner from new .. with a desire to drive Offroad.. just wanted to share my choices and rationale 
 

20 minutes ago, imranaasghar81 said:

Hi Frederic,

what app can you recommend for an iPad / apple to track and log drives providing distance covered etc along with the route ?

thank you 

imran 

Hey @imranaasghar81check out this topic posted by Fred on the Gaia app

1 hour ago, munkybizness said:

I'm certain Spotify's "Discover Weekly" algorithms hate me too, throwing them for a loop day in, day out 😆

Ground Zeros are awesome!  I particularly like their 4ch amps with built-in DSPs. If I'm unable to upgrade my head-unit to one that has a decent signal processor, I will be considering these. It sounds like overkill but before Spotify killed the usage of my NAS, I was already upgrading the majority of my library to FLAC, so I am considering wiring a SSD HD through the glovebox, as an external drive on the head unit. Where did you source the Ground Zeros here in Dubai?

I went down a serious rabbit hole on head units  Sony's are easier to operate but the UI is very basic. I would get bored with it very quickly. Also, the Sony only has backlighting for the buttons in white while the Kenwoods & Pioneers allow 112. It's a tiny niggle but when the entire array on the Y61 is this shade of orange, having a white backlit button would annoy me in the time to come. But feature-wise, the Sony XAV-AX5500 is an excellent unit. 3 x 5V pre-outs, 6.95" capacitive screen and 2 camera inputs. The Pioneer DMH-Z6350BT/DMH-4660NEX have wireless CarPlay/Android Auto and the backlit colors. This is why I'm holding out for it. Otherwise, I'd pull the trigger on the Sony right away.

Thank you for the amazing advice and personal experiences. Will keep you folks posted on what decision tree I tumble down...

wow - you will genuinely make the most of this investment knowing you are holding a library in true lossless quality.  The ground Zero Amp with DSP is awesome and i just wish i went that route (it wasn't available in the store so guess what - they didn't even mention it as an option).  Ground Zero was sourced locally (drop me a whatsapp and i'll share the supplier 0551092859).  That said, it is painfully obvious in the UAE you only get advice and info on what they have ready to sell you... so this store is back to holding Rockford and Hertz so are pushing that (all are great however reinforces the value of you doing your own research!)

My opinion - please wait for the headunit that you genuinely want... even if its 6 months on the stock feeding the amp etc... its better to just get it right vs changing multiple times or having any regrets, especially seeing the care you take to go lossless and research the right setup.   @Frederic is genuinely the audio guru with competition grade setups in his youth so once he's back from holidays def catch some time with him to go through specs/designs. 

ps. for my sins i was a student in the late 90s so trance and apache indian is in my library   but i can longer move as fast so tastes have changed to match my pace! 

44 minutes ago, topgear said:

@Nikiwhich Philips bulb did you opt for?

I intend to do the same for my FJ. The stock ones are just not up to the job for night driving in the desert

@topgear I purchased the H4 size pro5000

there is an even brighter set, the pro9000k however I couldn’t find out if these are street legal in UAE so didn’t gamble.  If they are, these would be a better option. 

100% you will benefit from these when doing a night drive … all the advice given by the marshalls was spot on, in that if you are mid convoy you really don’t need additional lights … bumping up the weak stock headlights works perfect! 

1 hour ago, Gaurav said:

For lighting, I can say that go with bumper setup and LED bar with good brand and latest technology. Roof bar make noise and not bumper setup. With LED bar you get combo of flood (edges) and spot (center) which covers almost 150 degree with one job, one wiring and one placement. Amber and white, seek some other expert advise as I have never used Amber so far.

For head unit, double din looks classy and full of feature but it may be sensitive to regular dune bashing unless some new tech arrived in market with IP67 kind of rating.

For choice of Pioneer or Kenwood you cant go wrong, just make sure player has 4 channel and not 2 and as high watt RMS and then add a good quality amplifier (MOST IMPORTANT INVESTMENT IN SOUND SYSTEM SETUP) hope you get its importance with all caps.

For sound system @Niki has recently done some research and installation so Ill let him chime his knowledge along with our resident head of music @Frederic who is on holidays atm.

Thanks @Gaurav for bringing me into this conversation…. I now have stereo envy … 

Hey @munkybizness I have to say you are making the best first mods … audio!  We spend longer on tarmac than the dunes and being able to enjoy our music makes every journey better!  Apache Indian and trance music… I am personally grateful I am not your passenger 🤣 but that’s for a different thread (the Spotify play list discussion).

I went the path of Ground Zero products (speakers and amp).  These are not in the same pedigree of Hertz … and that’s why I have envy!  You have put together a great set of options and the fact you have a sensible budget for sound deadening is testimony to good research!  The y61 is basic by design and the sound deadening is critical!  I decided against a subwoofer even though I love bass!  So I went with the largest mid range component set up that would fit the door so put in 8” in the fronts and was only able to fit 4” in the rear!  If you likewise will not have a sub, do consider sizing a pair of your speakers slightly larger to offer a nice level of bass.  Also a 4 channel amp is ideal as if you add a sub later on a seperate amp is easy and recommended. 

a seperate GPS module is potentially overkill but not an expensive add and I have one in the FJ!  That said I use the phone via CarPlay to run Gaia and never have lost signal … I don’t use it to navigate yet as am just following the car in front and blindly trust the marshalls 🤣 .. so if you are genuinely navigating yourself then I would add the gps module from garmin!

Headunits, I wouldn’t have previously classed pioneer above alpine/kenwood/Sony for headunits .. I have typically considered them equals.  However I didn’t spend time researching actual headunit as stuck with the built in unit (not out of choice).  Wireless Apple CarPlay is desirable but if not an option a 500aed add on achieves the same (avoid Amazon options and I will share details if you need that later).  I would avoid a headunit that project out of the dash for exactly what @Gaurav warned about - sand etc!  When the weather improves and we drive with the window down, sand will get everywhere and it’s impact is real to our electronics etc.. 

I like your midrange option above- top end is wasted for our desert cruisers in my opinion.  If you consider a larger component setup for the fronts to bring you a decent amount of bass without a sub! You have an enviable setup!

As for lights … I personally decided to wait even longer and just changed the weak standard bulbs to some high powered philips ones and get a decent spread when in the middle of the convoy!  I sneak in behind or in front of @Alex Raptor or @Lakshmi Narasimhan in any convoy and you are not short of light pollution … they both throw out 20-30k of lumins for fun!   
 

Wooohhooo @MUHAMMAD Kashif RAZZAQ !!! Many congrats and super happy for you!  🎉🎉

Many congrats @Rizwanm2 🥂🥂

Hi all, 

I have added a selection of the pics to the gallery I took at the bowl/playground where we had Islam’s radiator troubles.  Not all of us played so apologies for only getting shots of the few that did have fun! 

@Islam Soliman thankyou for sharing your experience and very happy to hear the radiator is fixed within a day of the issue!  

my fav is the one below.. what a fun drive and next time I will give these climbs a try… inspired by you all! 

6 minutes ago, Islam Soliman said:

That one is a must have @Hisham Masaad

39 minutes ago, Islam Soliman said:

That would be @Niki

I wasn’t able to upload videos to the forum or gallery so sent them direct to @Alex Raptor.  I have added some pics to the gallery and later this evening I put up the pics of you all doing the climbs whilst Islam was mending the radiator. 
 

@Islam Soliman thankyou for a great morning… so much packed into the drive and a super convoy that supported each other.  What an absolute pleasure to be part of today! 

1 hour ago, Hisham Masaad said:

@Niki will make a sample, for long was thinking the same, why don't we use the existing one. Will check the details and make it to try it with first coming pop out 😅

@Hisham Masaad that’s a great plan to make a sample… thankyou!! I have read that a standard prado bottle jack lifts slightly higher and also fits in the same bay our current one is in… just Incase we are struggling due to our lift kits!  Thanks again for doing this experiment 

On 7/14/2021 at 3:49 PM, Frederic said:

On my JZX i left the bleed valve a bit open without realizing it, so i lost some oil a while back and had to refill it by removing the bleed screw, the ball inside, and adding some hydraulic fluid. Right now it seems to work fine again but i am contemplating of moving towards a customized system with a bottle jack.

Below base plate for bottle jack (found on Australian Ebay website) would be ideal, but i would reinforce the mounting part of the bottle jack even further by making a second plate that goes on top of the baseplate.

 

the only difficulty i see is that a floor jack has a lower footprint, which makes it easier to get underneath the car. In this scenario the 180mm bottle jack height combined with a 20mm baseplate would mean you have to dig a bit deeper to be able to install it.

 

@Frederic have you any luck customizing a setup like above.  I am also interested in this setup as the bottlejack is already stored in the car so would only need to find space for the base plates.  

Love this idea and thanks for starting the playlist @Frederic.  My current music taste is inspired by my 10yo daughter (Korean pop) and my 9yo son (dude perfect YouTube backing music!). As such I will just consume and not contributes at this stage!  

I like the playlist evolving into a more eclectic catalog with @Srikumar addition!

I’ll get myself back into Spotify and hopefully share some of my desert cruising favorites… be warned I like mellow tunes so no judgement if it’s a different style of driving music  

10 minutes ago, topgear said:

@Niki

Like you, I also have a MM compressor, purchased 2-3 month  ago. I am considering an onboard set up now. Did you manage to sell off your MM compressor with your recent conversion?

Hey @topgear I did … it’s a great option for many as has a long warranty.  I now run the ARB dual with tank (portable one) and have the built in compressor as the back up unit.   Maybe offer it up on a new thread and for future absolute newbies who don’t yet have one.  I sold mine privately but was going to post on here.  
 

another option is to make the mean mother an onboard setup… I had fabricated 2 cages in the trunk so didn’t have the space to mount it .. I was told it is very easy to mount and could give you an option.  

@Islam Soliman apologies for cancelling so late- the family have extended our trip here in Abu Dhabi so will sadly miss your drive.  Hopeful anyone on the waitlist has time to take the spot and have a super drive all.  See you on a future drive 

Just now, Zed said:

Tough luck @Niki, I didn't know they would reject people cos my friends said theirs were accepted... maybe lots of people already applied hence they enforce some limit on the permits... let's hope next time bro: Leonids in Nov and Geminids in Dec 😊

Hey no worries at all and I really do appreciate this tip!  If I had just sent this the night before maybe I would have received the okay… so my slacking!  Nov and Dec I look forward to the shows and maybe we do these in AD at the spot you shared!  

have a great evening! 

Have a wonderful evening all!  
@Zed @samamara I received a rejection for my move permit  

Youtube it is for me this evening!  
 

@Zed this is amazing info!! I am with the family and sneaking out may be a challenge however I plan to apply for the permit and see what I can get away with Thursday night!  What stunning pic you captured and that is the dream spot!! Again, many thanks for sharing this and if I manage to pull it off I owe you! 

@Frederic am gutted to have to drop off this trip!! 🥺 am in Abu Dhabi now until Friday!  I wish I had access to Zed’s balcony to watch the show  … am on Yas Island and suspect nothing viewable here even from a roof deck! Have a great trip all…. Very sad to miss out on this event! 

1 hour ago, Gaurav said:

11 night in US means 12 daytime here. Hope I'm reading it correctly.

Waiting for all Einstein's, Pundit's and Guru's to verify please - @Mikhail Lukichev, @Frederic, @Niki, @samamara

@Gaurav I used Alsadeem Observatory’s Instagram update - they are Abu Dhabi based and as you noted, have used date and times to match our region.  That said the gurus above may have differing sources however I would consider AlSadeem a trusted one for UAE!  
 

2 minutes ago, GauravSoni said:

Hi @Frederic seems the team is all prepped up… was just going through the news link and it says that the peak is between 11th august night to 12th morning…the drive is planned for 12th night… 24 hours later to the expected peak in showers…. Is this how it’s planned or m I missing something… I am curious as I plan to go out to watch this event with family and want to make sure that I don’t end up getting house arrest for picking the wrong day!

show the court the above and hopeful any house arrest is prevented!  

13 minutes ago, Frederic said:

This is @samamara her shot !

🤫 just take the credit and move on!  Samamara already has so many ‘likes’ and ‘wow’ she’s not even paying attention any more!