Benjamin

Good evening, all. Many who have driven with me knows that my car carries 3 different colours (primary silver, secondary red, and thirdly yellow). In relation to this I have been meaning to write a post to help anyone looking to add a new colour or colour's to their car. To begin with I originally thought I could just slap any colour I wanted onto the car (even if it was only tiny little stripes; this is not the case). Recently I had to get a new Mulkia for my car this meant I had to visit a Tajeel center which failed due to incorrect colour information. So how would someone avoid the process of taking off stickers or potentially gain a large fine for driving a car that is seen as a UFO in the eyes of RTA. This is a long process which should not be overlooked ensure you do everything legally before changing the colour of your car. To begin with the first thing your going to want to do is visit the Dubai Police Vehicle impound Yard in Warsan 2 located here https://goo.gl/maps/ZK1mWcJt7Kotb6k27, Then you will want to meet the receptionist there and say your visiting to get a colour change request who will likely point you to a CID officer ensure they know its for non-commercial purposes. Now in my case after speaking to the CID officer and expressing concerns over having two new colours added onto the car he pointed me towards using the Dubai police app, he also told me to get the stickers put on before requesting onto the app which seemed to be taking a expensive risk. Get the stickers or paint job done to your car. Once your happy with your new colours and preferably your car is still under studio lighting within a workshop I recommend heading to the Dubai police app which is available on IOS and android devices Once within the app navigate to 'services' and scroll all the way down until you reach 'traffic services' from here click into 'vehicle change colour request' You will then be greeted with this request page, fill out all the credentials, photos and videos, then submit it to Dubai police this will in turn cost a fee which I think it was 140 dhs. NOTE: Be very careful submitting this form, ensure the current colour matches the Mulkia, if you're adding onto your primary colour make sure 'colour 1' is the same as what you have put in current colour. Also if you're going to add two new colours like myself ensure you put the largest amount of 'new colour' first before worrying about the second, in my request it was Silver and Red leaving out yellow. Shortly after you will receive a letter much like this one stating your car meets their requirements and the colour change is all done. You may think your finished however the fun is only beginning! 5. This step is optional, but I recommend anyway: Now if you have a third colour the app wouldn't let you submit head back to Dubai Impound in Warsan make sure you bring a printed copy or get desk 1 print you out your approval letter go back to the building with the CID officers and ask them to correct your form and explain you have another colour; in this case mine was yellow, be prepared to let them inspect your vehicle or show a photo just to illustrate what colour you mean; in my case the Officer wrote the word 'yellow' in Arabic followed by a signature and a Dubai Police Stamp (signature and stamp will show RTA guys that the form is legit) now that you're half way through the process remember you only have 30 days to sort out the rest of the legal paperwork on the new colours 6. Make sure you're up bright and early to tackle the task of heading to an RTA customer happiness center, I'm sure any RTA center is perfectly fine to go to however I recommend heading to this one in Al Barsha https://goo.gl/maps/CSWjyTbhGfxPrwYS6 7. You could attempt to head into the main office to ask for a colour inspection much like myself however they will point you towards a Tajeel testing center which is located right behind the buidling. 8. Upon reaching the tajeel booth ask the person at the gate your there for a colour inspection, they will most likely shuffle you into the 'special services' testing bay, after waiting for your turn tell them your only there for a colour inspection and give them your printed approval from Dubai police (even if you tell them this they will still do a full inspection of the car charging you 170 dhs which is frustrating so best go when your Mulkia is about to expire. 9. Talk to the receptionist within the Tajeel side of the RTA center and explain your there for a colour inspection, she will give you a ticket and now you wait! everything should be smooth if you only added one colour and you should receive your passed note from RTA which will allow you to talk to the receptionist to get your new Mulkia printed. Congrats! BUT if you also added more than one colour your day is going to get a lot longer within RTA, much like myself you will probably be located by the RTA guys and they will tell you the colour doesn't match what you have on the Dubai police report (potentially this was my experience) point out the stamp and the colour that has been approved by the Dubai police impound. This next experience can also vary so be prepared for the unknown, when you finally pass inspection and your directed to a new line for your new Mulkia you may be told a new card cannot be submitted to you because the colours don't match from the report and your car, explain the confusion or speak to the manager showing them your RTA printed document with the print and signature Ensure you scan this police document onto your phone in case it is lost within all the RTA confusion 10. Everything should be cleared up and you should have a new Mulkia and should have all remained colours onto your car! Congrats! 11. Enjoy your stripes or new paintjob until you realize that stickers may need to be fixed every 2 years due to the hotter climate of Dubai Thanks for reading and I hope this helped someone in the long run.

From the screenshot alone that @Gaurav posted I totally agree with him. this car hasn’t been well looked after in a while, the inspection report states that the engine oil is dark, this is very vague however it could mean it was exposed to dust or dirt; either that or it hasn’t been changed in a long period of time that alone will be a very costly job especially if any of the inner parts of the car happened to be contaminated leading to a much shorter lifetime. Worn engine mounts aren’t entirely a massive issue however it is another costly job that requires an engine hoist to reinstall new mounts in. (I wouldn’t risk taking a car into the desert with worn mounts alone) however it’s completely up to you. From the inspection you could change these things listed above and everything will be fine, although it’s a risk for the longevity of the car

Well done @Theo09 well deserved! Enjoy the faster pasted journey!

@M.Seidam video is all done you can find it above

Just working around some new editing software sorry for the delay 😛

@M.Seidam fantastic drive! Much like your FB drives &FB+ it gave the opportunity to enjoy a range of different skills on a more advanced level. I’ll look forward to the next one for sure! also I’ve got a POV of the shovel recovery if you happen to want to see how it looked from the exterior of the car following this I should have a POV video edited and posted which I’ll share a link to when it’s ready @Rajiv Sam sorry about the tyre mate but it happens to everyone. I’m just glad you spotted it before moving on from the bowl so we could drive accordingly to prevent any accidents. @Joji varghese @Waqas Parvez@topgear amazingly well driven certainly made most of the night crusade. @Davie Chase I’m afraid your not escaping the title smooth operator! Fantastic in the back as usual hopefully I’ll see you soon!

Looking forward to it @M.Seidam!

@Hisham Masaad confirmed

Hi @Vishnu Ramankutty I totally agree with @Gaurav automatic should serve you very well with most of all off-road situations. personally I do use my manual tiptronic option on my wrangler as it allows me to have full control over the car and which gear it is in within relation of the RPMS. (Note you should have no problem doing automatic all the way to intermediate). Using tiptronic can help you control large climbs but for the most part auto will assist you. if you plan on using auto-manual I highly recommend using it on normal roads to understand more thoroughly when to shift and what your car is comfortable doing. This is only because tiptronic will put more stress on your transmission and engine using low gears to climb dunes (note: I don’t recommend “slamming” the rpm’s ensure you always steer down when you’ve lost momentum to ensure safety of you and your car.) In the wrangler I find starting in 2nd to gain maximum torque then shifting down to 1st tends to impact the best. However every car is different I hope this helps from someone who uses auto and tiptronic

😂 yup I agree! Was just chasing CID officer myself this morning apparently all ‘clear’

Hey @Hisham Masaad I’ve added myself to your waitlist. If you need any support on your longer convoy I would be happy to help

This looks awesome @Stumpy Paj! Your pajero has made a massive change since we started driving together in Newbie 😂 have you got that fuel tank fixed yet? also I’m interested in your subframe drop would this be categorized under chassis modification? I only really thought about it because I was looking at the new black points law because I’m looking to put the stickers back on my jeep long story short apparently you need permission for engine modification and chassis modifications (alongside stickers and paint)

Congrats @Arun Menon enjoy the pace and new challenge

Totally based on preference and what you need your jeep for! 2dr is like a gokart in the desert and extremely capable and light but sacrifice boot space 4dr is capable same engine and components as 2dr; though long wheelbase cars will require more thooght into corners and approach angles of some dunes, alongside some fishtailing, they are a little heavier but much more space for passengers and luggage I’ve had no issues with mine!

Considering your budget I reckon the best option for you is a second car for sure! Keep an eye out on dubizzle and Facebook marketplace, scout the best prices for your ideal off-road car 6 years old at most and check the VIN number every car has one and it will tell you if it has been in any accidents in the past (keep an eye out in Sharjah for this happening) personally I have a jeep wrangler 2018 JL and very happy with its offroad capabilities I agree with @Gaurav and @Pavel Pashkovskiy this option will definitely give you the best of both worlds without sacrificing a 300k car in the desert. look into jeep JLU’s and Xterra’s alongside FJ’s these brands are usually very good in the desert but every off-road car has its own charm and it’s all based on personal preference, have a look and test drive a few different brands and models to find something that suits your best. hope this helps in the slightest! 😂

@M.Seidam this was a great drive in the dark to add toward to the infinite dark loops series! I always look forward to these and hope to see you again soon. everyone drove amazingly and it was incredible to see the large convoy manipulate the dunes like a oversized playground! Till next time everyone amazong support @Davie Chase (smooth operator) and @Simon D always great to learn something new with you guys

congrats @BIBIN THOMAS enjoy the new rank

@Varun Mehndiratta I’ve added myself to your drive I’m confirmed!

@Hisham Masaad confirmed

Came over the crest at high speed. With wheel still locked left causing a sand wall to build up on the right side of the car starting from the front then making its way quickly to the rear causing a roll over. how to avoid this: when coming over a crest or any situation your vehicle is sideways begin to turn down when the wheel begins to feel heavy. Continue to fight gravity either fishtailing, refusals, or rollovers occur much like this one

Congrats @Mohit Gurnani enjoy the faster pace

I usually make a coffee before leaving depending on the time. Nescafé machine with the little pods, from there I either use vanilla extract or just froth some milk, that usually leads to a pretty good cup of joe for me! 😂 however at petrol stations I can’t resist a good Karak Chai; potentially a cappuccino

Cheers Luke I’ll Catch you on the next one Thank you Anoop! I will see you soon I will do Mario! I will see you soon mate

Thank you @Krishna R means a lot mate! I will see you soon

Thank you all I will push to do my best