Niki

@Hisham Masaad - generosity, calm and a great car (and man)! the perfect marshal! Many congrats my old friend and hope to see you again soon!  

@JeromeFJ - i have been away for a while and coming back to this announcement is wonderful!  massive congrats and you know how highly i regard what you do in a completely stock car (albeit a great one  ) ... hopeful i can share a drive again with you !! see you soon 

@Ale Vallecchi …. What a drive… Thankyou! 95km with only a few stucks and a flat tire!  Brilliant drive by the full convoy on a trip that had everything (except the rain).   Sorry I didn’t get to see any of you as we inflated and left!  Enjoy the weekend! 

Hi @Ale Vallecchi happy to offer support on your drive if you would require/value.  Pls feel free to move me to the manage tab else happy to stay on the wait list 

4 hours ago, Ashok chaturvedi said:

Dear Gaurav ji, I went last weekend on a drive and hit a bump which my shocks did not handle well there is crack in upper engine frame and the driver side door is hitting the left side yellow frame cover when opening and closing. The car is in the garage as as the upper engine chaises frame needs to be pulled re welded and set etc. If my car isnt returned by Wednesday I may also very very sadly withdraw.

@Hisham Masaad is this what the frame reinforcement work you mentioned many months ago is designed to prevent?

@Ashok chaturvedi very sorry to see this damage and its a first for me seeing such a split in that location... the older versions of our cars had a known issue needing reinforcement (not in this spot i thought) .  Was there any other damage (spindle for example).  

Good luck for a speedy repair! 

Many congrats @Shaaz Sha 🍻🎉

same positive experience as Ilya - however you must get the valves fitted by a reputable/experienced place (Formula Tires in Dubai seem the go to place for even the garages that sell the valves).  they should advise if the XXL or XL vales are required for your rims.  There has not been a single negative with the valves in my experience.  

TPMS sensors will likely have to be removed (some can be retro-fitted back however the garage will advise). 

Oh no!!!! @Zed you really don’t value my opinion on how to care for your 💙LC💙 

well I guess I have to congratulate you for being a superb driver and hope intermediate drives don’t lead to extreme!  

many congrats- well deserved and really looking forward to being a drive again real soon! 

Apologies @Ale Vallecchi I have to drop from Saturday’s event.. thankfully you are spoilt with the convoy and support.  Have a super drive all! 

45 minutes ago, Zed said:

Temperature via ScanGauge/OBD PID during every break.... and fluids maintenance include transmission fluid & transfer case oil & diff gear oil.

Thanks to your previous advise Zed- I have been tracking the AT oil temp in real time during drives using an android device and an OBD2..  I also have gone through the service manual to keep in mind the range the AT should work within … not a single drive it’s gone over 126c including the recent Liwa trip and driving in summer  (… during a break I put into neutral and keep the car running which I read brings the temp down (and proven to for me).  I haven’t tried a sustained 4L drive … Ashok if you do experiment with 4L then def leverage OBD2 to observe the AT temp and have this as a backdrop for a decision/review.  

@Ashok chaturvedi also take into account the group and their link to certain garage(s) as a backdrop for their recommendations to run full ride in 4L.  

Also testing their recommendation comes at your own risk (vs theirs) - if you do play around with it to form your own decision, be sure to share your findings.  I accidently kept in 4L after a recovery and did a few climbs before noticing - I didn't 'feel' the benefits/difference however it was hardly a scientific test. 

@Mario Cornejo in the other camping post I mentioned ‘the Milky Way spot’ as a potential camping venue which is actually in Al Qua- easily accessible it seems and if willing, a short drive past it on the dirt track could take you past all the saloon cars and likely a quieter spot.  

Do keep me posted on plans you make for Al Qua as it’s on my bucket list also… to drive and camp! 

AL Quaa Milky way Spot
https://goo.gl/maps/rt9SFPG2abJ7SKtz6

Okay @Mario Cornejo you are clearly gifted with an incredible memory to call out my post here!  

Considering a number of folks who declared interest in camping decided to not camp during the Liwa event!! ( I will not name and shame or judge anyone who made that choice as I am a respectful and considerate member) - let’s explore an easier combination of camping + drive to start and I would would welcome thoughts/ideas? 
 

option - Easy camping + drive!  

• Camp in Quadra area on a Friday evening.
• Join a drive on Saturday AM. 
• Pros:
  • access to Quadra shops/station for restrooms and food (limiting prep needed)
  • A central location to leave from on Saturday morning drives.  
  • Can enter without deflating. 
• Cons:
  • Busy area with many other campers
  • Not a remote camping experience 

Option - Just camp

• Drive to a scenic venue on a Friday to camp.  
  • A focus on finding a nice spot which would serve as a base to enjoy socializing and preparing a meal for that evening.  
  • Potential to connect this to a photography drive (so picking somewhere dark such as the milkway spot on AD? 
  • Beach Camping spots open up
• pros:
  • Dedicated camping trip so much easier to bring family.  
  • Likely to find a more remote and enjoyable (private) camping spot and if paired with a dark site- stunning stars at night. 
  • Easy access as not an offroad drive therefore opening up to more members / larger groups
  • Social opportunity to meet members 
• Cons:
  • not linked to a drive (though there is nothing stopping folks doing one ok the day or the next morning)
  • Remote locations will require more prep and consideration 

Other options welcome...

proposed dates (ideally plan a monthly event)

• December: Any weekend after the 9th December (most schools finish by then) excluding Christmas eve/day as many would likely have plans. 
• January: 7th onwards
• February: no limitations
• March: No limits (starts to get warm)

Simply the greatest drive I have personally experienced with Carnity! 
 

@Wrangeld I know you left tired, drained mentally and physically, however, all the care you put in paid off! THANKYOU! 
 

brilliant convoy - any stucks were all masterfully self recovered, patience and good humor throughout! 
 

thank you @Pacific @Vaibhav @Waqas Parvez @Daniel Rodas  @AlexM and @Jeepie for making this such a special trip! 
 

@Srikumar I apologize for not keeping to my word and staying back post drive- I finished on such a high that it felt best to use that energy to ride home in daylight! 
 

safe and fun day 2 drives for those still there in Liwa 

I am now likely to leave DxB late so am staying in a hotel and will meet you all tomorrow morning - love the idea of some nighttime astro @Pacific!!! we need to arrange the next winter drive with camping as a astro photography trip and convince Fred to take us to AL Qua

Safe travels today and looking forward to seeing you all tomorrow morning!

@Anoop Nair this is great news!!! Many congrats and looking forward to our next drive together 🎉🍻

Massive congrats @Hisham Masaad - what a well deserved rank and cannot wait to join your lead again very soon!  An absolute natural leader! 

Based on the above advice (thank you @Wrangeld) - I have now decided to camp  ... i aim to arrive at the meeting point in the evening (after work approx 8PM).  safe travels all and see you Tuesday night / Wednesday morning. 

8 minutes ago, Ale Vallecchi said:

Dear Desertnauts.

@Bernard Kalaani, @Alain Canivet-Abikhalil, @Rsjiv Samuel, @Mohamad Anwer, @Adhir Saxena, @Thomas Varghese, @Naim Aoun and @Santoso Marjuki, welcome to this Mid-week drive. Just a few pointers, before handing out the convoy numbering, tomorrow afternoon. 

As mentioned in the drive's presentation, "Il Te' nel Deserto" is the original title of "The Sheltering Sky" a 1990 award winning movie by Italian director Bernardo Bertolucci, with Debra Winger and John Malkovich. Immediately after WW2 a couple arrives in Northern Africa, and ventures into the desert, travelling eventually as far as Niger, on a camel caravan route. Everyone in Italy has heard about the movie, which became very famous worldwide thanks to its stunning photography (by Oscar winner Vittorio Storaro) and the sound-track by also Oscar winner Ryuichi Sakamoto (you can look it up as The Sheltering Sky Soundtrack on Spotify). As you'll have guessed, the Italian title means "A Tea in the Desert", and as such it has become a catchphrase, used referring to any outing to any desert (usually by Italian tourists visiting Tunisia, Morocco, Egypt or other friendly desert destinations). 

In this case, I have thought of making our own caravan, from Qudra's oasis,  across a mix of terrains, to reach the date palm trees of Ganthoot, under which we will enjoy our own "tea in the desert" just before sunset. Besides dunes, small natural springs, mud formations, sabkhas and palm trees, we'll see oryx (usually quite a lot in the Ganthoot area), so bring your camera (and become your own Oscar winning photographer), download a suitable soundtrack (the original one or otherwise), and carry your own favorite brand and blend of tea (or coffee), to have toward the end of the drive, under a lonely palm tree, miraculously surviving amidst the sand. It will be a great and relaxing beginning of the long National Holiday weekend.

Final update, convoy numbering and radio channel, coming tomorrow. 

 

@Ale Vallecchi please do make these "tea in the desert" trips a regular - would love to have joined had it not been for the Liwa adventures the next day.  look forward to the pics. 

On 11/25/2021 at 10:30 PM, Daniel Rodas said:

Considered the same, but expensive to save only 1h or so...

I'd rather go for a camping in case we have more people, otherwise will make the move from home.

Have decided to drive up direct from Dubai as it’s just over 2.5 hours - look forward to seeing you all in the morning - let me know those camping and I’ll try pick you all a fresh coffee from the fuel station on my way there! 

@Harshad Ashraf @Tom V @jeetu sharma @Azeem M @Nathan @BHANU PRAKASH VISHWANATH @Nithin Vaidir @Kaleem Ur Rahman @kiranshinde @Karthik Raptor @Alfred Alinazar @Jean Jarjoura
@Srikumar @Dinesh Kumar A

Perfect morning drive thanks to the super convoy, showing support and patience plus impressive driving!  I really enjoyed being part of this group, meeting many for the first time and huge appreciation to @Srikumar for such an exciting and fun route… perfect mix today and this sets the bar extremely high for future newbie rides!  

Hope to see many of you in Liwa!

16 minutes ago, Daniel Rodas said:

With @Nikion this drive, I'm sure this is going to be a blast!

Btw, anyone planning on camping the night before?

@Daniel Rodas I was considering camping … let’s see who in our group is thinking the same … (my alternative was to grab a hotel closer by in AD and save an hour in the morning).  

8 minutes ago, varunmehndiratta said:

Hahaha... @Ilya  with all these things added to list, better and cheaper to buy soft bikni top ....😂😂 Rubicon co branded Dyson vacuum that's another level ..👍👍

Really doubt FJ guys can compete with this @Niki @Hisham Masaad @Ahab Shamaa

I am following this with so much envy!!!!! Though the feeling of having a bit more cash in my pocket as we don’t have such a wealth of Accesories or needing a professional valet every weekend is getting me through 

Hi @Srikumar - if you would like some support happy to join and bring my shovel 

2 minutes ago, PaoloMaraziti said:

@Niki I hope it's unbreakable, if it is not, any spare will reach your grand-grand son in time for their 21st birthday

Now you understand why i left the brand/name of the car out of the original post  ... its a polarizing vehicle and i wanted to focus/learn about the impact/benefits/limits of the choice in engine for our type of offroading (dunes).   

During the drive the guys from xQuary (so partially independent from Ineos) mentioned the performance was not limiting (power to weight) and that the torque was a positive for dune driving (he did state a turbo means being more intentional with regards approach speeds)

Have been following the Grenadier since concept and intrigued by the approach they are taking (parts, service, warranty, support etc ... its nothing like what's out there at present - which makes it a gamble, but exciting)