[raj_5004]

I am quite surprised by the driving habits of the people in Dubai.

The roads here are really good - well paved and well marked and upto international standards. However, I see atleast 2 brutal crashes every week and hear about numerous others. And that is only because people drive here like maniacs.

Most of them have pretty powerful cars here, right from 2.0 L sedans to 6.4 L SUV monsters! And since the roads are smooth, they drive flat out. Tail gating at 120-140 kmph is so common here that people dont even realize the risk behind it.

The route I use is a massive 6-7 lane express way and I have seen cars cutting across 4-5 lanes in one go! Just yesterday I saw a Toyota Hiace which had crashed into a Honda City moments before I arrived on the scene.

Of course, Dubai is much better in driving manners than Abu Dhabi. I usually steer clear of cars with AD registration. And once you exit these two cities and go to places like Fujairah and Ajman, the driving standards become outright dangerous.

Anyways, my car is nearing it's 1,00,000 mark now and I am planning to give it to Mitsu this time for it's major service.

[voyageur]

Originally Posted by raj_5004

I am quite surprised by the driving habits of the people in Dubai.

The roads here are really good - well paved and well marked and upto international standards. However, I see atleast 2 brutal crashes every week and hear about numerous others. And that is only because people drive here like maniacs.

Most of them have pretty powerful cars here, right from 2.0 L sedans to 6.4 L SUV monsters! And since the roads are smooth, they drive flat out. Tail gating at 120-140 kmph is so common here that people dont even realize the risk behind it.

The route I use is a massive 6-7 lane express way and I have seen cars cutting across 4-5 lanes in one go! Just yesterday I saw a Toyota Hiace which had crashed into a Honda City moments before I arrived on the scene.

Of course, Dubai is much better in driving manners than Abu Dhabi. I usually steer clear of cars with AD registration. And once you exit these two cities and go to places like Fujairah and Ajman, the driving standards become outright dangerous.

Anyways, my car is nearing it's 1,00,000 mark now and I am planning to give it to Mitsu this time for it's major service.

Try Ajman for a change mate, and you will cry your eyes out. Indicators don't exist and the traffic culture is very poor to be called UAE. Dubai is far far better I tell you.

Tailgating is a common problem on the Emirates road, I try not to drive on the fast lane. May be a lane or two down. Also people don't understand that if you drive slow move out of the fast lane. I have seen umpteen number of times when people drive at an 80 on a 120 limit road, they are allowed to travel at 80 but not expected to stay at the fast lane. That's what the traffic rules say.

Congrats on your car. Wishing you many more happy miles.

[raj_5004]

Lancy is just 400 kms short of touching the 1,00,000 kms mark now.

Have booked her "semi-major" service at the Mistibishi A.S.S for this weekend. I had decided that all her major services will be done in the Authorized Mitsubishi service centre and all the minor services (oil and filter change) will be done outside.

This service will consist of oil and filter change along with a basic check up of brakes, belts, other fluids, etc. Will update this thread after the service.

[raj_5004]

Got my Lancy serviced at 1,00,019 kms at the Mistubishi A.S.S.

Work done:

Engine oil changed (Mobil)
Oil filter changed
Drain plug changed (???)

They have claimed to cleaned the Air filter, topped up fluids, checked the belts and lubricate the suspension. However, I am not sure about that!

Total hit on wallet = AED 921 (Approx INR 15,350)

I should have taken it to the express lube at petrol stations or a FNG for this kind of service. I had not done a thorough check up of the vehicle since the day I bought it. I was hoping the A.S.S. will do that in this service. They have reported no other issues. I am hoping they have bothered to look for issues, if any!

[raj_5004]

Did a small trip to the Jebel Al Jais mountains this weekend. It is known as the UAE's best driving experience. The below map of the road will hint at the fun you can have there -



If you want to have a better perspective, the below AD was shot there -

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YC08No-sxHQ

Lancy behaved extremely well on the twisties. Fully composed with excellent steering feedback and road manners. The chassis seems to be built for such roads. This is one place where the Mitsu can leave the Toyotas and Nissans behind!

Not even once did I use the Auto mode for gear shifts. Paddles were used extensively and I still wish Lancy has a conventional A/T instead of the CVT.

While returning, it was pitch dark and Lancy's cornering headlights were a real boon. You do not understand it's importance on well lit city roads!

Some pics I could capture:

[raj_5004]

Need some advice friends -

I am slowly planning to customize my Lancy. First on the list was a carbon fibre wrap on the bonnet. Second on the list was a FFE. Due to strict Dubai regulations, both of the above had to be put on hold!

Coming to the third option, I was planning to change the alloys. But I have 18 inchers and the good ones are freaking expensive (BBS & OZ) and the cheaper ones look crap. So, I thought why not paint/powder coat the existing wheels itself?

I need suggestions on the colour now -

* Want to avoid black. It looks good while the car is stationary but on the move, it looks as if the car has lost it's wheel cap!
* Silver is too common now.
* Chrome is for SUVs IMHO.

My final two choices are bronze or gunmetal. I think bronze looks good/sporty on a red car. I am thinking of a shade as shown in the pic below. Need some suggestions now...

[dr. sen]

Dea Raj,

Hello n Greetings.
Belated congrats, for your trophy. it really looks stunning. as stunning as your ashl buses. what happened to them. sold or still running.

coming to shade, go for a brighter one as you have a black tyre to come in between and then the red. a darker shade will compete with your black tyre colour. Hope you know what i mean. You can try a brighter colour of the gunmetal / bronze.

your amazement of the gt2000, is well founded. like all cross country and rally cars, its front and rear end suspensions are tied. i think you have failed to notice it. That is the singlemost, biggest reason for any vehicle to perform well in steering and suspension dynamix.

Try putting the same type tie rods in any sedan or hatchabck, and see the difference. i had done the same on the original maruti zen 1993 -94 model, all aluminium 1000 cc engine. At that it was the hottest hatch in india. my buddy in dubai had suggested me to tie its fron and back suspension with tie rods. so as not to distort the body while taking twisties in the upper himalayans. (haridwar to gaurikund, 1985 to 1993 in old maruti 800, and 1994 to 1996, in the zen, annual summer, pilgrimage to kedrnath, open roads, very very less traaffic, screeching tyres, total nirvana, which you acheived in the dubai mountins ! ) .

During past couple of years, due to the sheikhs intevention, the traffic accidents have reduced a lot. The nails in the centre are one of the main reason, for it. It is the locals and the lebanians, who drive like maniacs, not the pakis, indians or the egyptians or bangladeshis. correct me if wrong. My buddy's uncle came in 1973 ! my Buddy came in 1983. About 50% of the population left in last 2 years, due to the melt down. Had seen new mercs, bmws, bentleys, abandoned outside the aiport, with sticker attached to the windscreen. The sheikh was generous enough not to press for charges, and bank debts.

One of the reason you got your vehicle costly (in my opinion, a relative term, if compared to a merc or bmw), might be the uniqueness of mitsubishis charm among the local population in middle east. mitsubishis and toyotas have ruled the roost in these part of the world since middle of 1980's.

After the ist kuwaiti invasion, people lost everything, the poormans toyota, the hyundais and daewoos, started taking the marketshare. Daewoo lost out. Toyota and mitsubishi slowly went out of reach of normal middle class FAMILY-MAN indians. mind you, family man. The young and the braves like you always went for the mitsubishi or the toyota celicas and supras. Those were the days. The locals no more bays for them, and the indians and pakis no longer can afford the celicas and supras.

Thanx Vikram, you made me nostalgic.


Drive carefully. Avoid eye contacts with the locals in the red lights. avoid the american cars on your rear view mirrors, specially the black suvs.

cheers !

regards,

dr. sen

[raj_5004]

Originally Posted by dr. sen

Dea Raj,

Hello n Greetings.
Belated congrats, for your trophy. it really looks stunning. as stunning as your ashl buses. what happened to them. sold or still running.

Greeting Dr. Sen!

Thank you very much. My AL buses are very much still running and have not been sold! The recent I have not updated that thread is because I am here in Dubai!

coming to shade, go for a brighter one as you have a black tyre to come in between and then the red. a darker shade will compete with your black tyre colour. Hope you know what i mean. You can try a brighter colour of the gunmetal / bronze.

Point noted. I will try for a lighter shade since this is exactly the reason I am avoiding black!

your amazement of the gt2000, is well founded. like all cross country and rally cars, its front and rear end suspensions are tied. i think you have failed to notice it. That is the singlemost, biggest reason for any vehicle to perform well in steering and suspension dynamix.

Well, thank you. I am not really aware of what this is and what it means. I will do some googling to help myself!

One of the reason you got your vehicle costly (in my opinion, a relative term, if compared to a merc or bmw), might be the uniqueness of mitsubishis charm among the local population in middle east. mitsubishis and toyotas have ruled the roost in these part of the world since middle of 1980's.

Yes, I noticed that Mitsubishis hold their value really well here. A couple of my friends who have lived here for years swear by their reliability (namely the Pajero, Lancer and Lancer EX). The only grouse everyone keeps is that their parts are very expensive.

Drive carefully. Avoid eye contacts with the locals in the red lights. avoid the american cars on your rear view mirrors, specially the black suvs.

Yes, I like to keep my fair share of distance! I dont like to hog the fast lane either... Thanks for your advice.

[dr. sen]

DEAR RAJ,

Thanx for the post. Please check your 2nd post on page 1. see the 4th picture, immediately after the "boring cvt". just look carefully in the 4th picture, starting from top. just below the wind screen, inside the open bonet. those 2 circles, joined by a rod. The Circles are actually encircleing the suspension end, and hey both are tied by a super steel, high strength tension rod. All rally cars, have the same, in their back suspension also, inside the boot. perhaps your gt 2000, too have it. Please check, and post it.

Thanx.

Cheers.

dr. sen

[benbsb29]

Originally Posted by raj_5004

I am quite surprised by the driving habits of the people in Dubai.

The roads here are really good - well paved and well marked and upto international standards. However, I see atleast 2 brutal crashes every week and hear about numerous others. And that is only because people drive here like maniacs.

Most of them have pretty powerful cars here, right from 2.0 L sedans to 6.4 L SUV monsters! And since the roads are smooth, they drive flat out. Tail gating at 120-140 kmph is so common here that people dont even realize the risk behind it.

Tailgating and intimidating other vehicles has always been part of the driving style of the locals in the UAE. I've observed this right from the time i was a kid growing up in the UAE.

When we used to do trips to RAK and UAQ, many a time we've seen street racing on public roads, as well as SUVs trying to keep pace with roadsters. Keep off the fast lane, and watch out for maniacs coming behind in your RVM - the mantra to avoid getting into any mishaps.

[raj_5004]

Originally Posted by dr. sen

DEAR RAJ,

Thanx for the post. Please check your 2nd post on page 1. see the 4th picture, immediately after the "boring cvt". just look carefully in the 4th picture, starting from top. just below the wind screen, inside the open bonet. those 2 circles, joined by a rod. The Circles are actually encircleing the suspension end, and hey both are tied by a super steel, high strength tension rod. All rally cars, have the same, in their back suspension also, inside the boot. perhaps your gt 2000, too have it. Please check, and post it.

Thanx.

Cheers.

dr. sen

I got the drift after you reading your post yesterday. I went and peeped inside the bonnet and was glad to see a strut bar there!

You are right, all Lancer GTs have strut bars as standard. I feel dumb that I never noticed it till now!

Originally Posted by benbsb29

Tailgating and intimidating other vehicles has always been part of the driving style of the locals in the UAE. I've observed this right from the time i was a kid growing up in the UAE.

When we used to do trips to RAK and UAQ, many a time we've seen street racing on public roads, as well as SUVs trying to keep pace with roadsters. Keep off the fast lane, and watch out for maniacs coming behind in your RVM - the mantra to avoid getting into any mishaps.

Spot on.

Just yesterday, I was in the fast lane driving at 120 kmph. All cars were driving at 120 in the fast lane because it was rush hour traffic towards Sharjah. 2nd and 3rd lanes were much slower.

This manic in a GMC Sierra comes flashing behind me. I have no space to move to the right. He is literally inches off my rear bumper, so much that I cannot even brake to get to the right lane. In the end, I had to swerve to the right (in between a small gap between two cars) and brake hard to avoid being rear ended!

[dr. sen]

Dear Raj,

Hello n Greetings.

Good you found the tie bar. Please do check your boot also, and let us know, if a smae tie bar is there.

Coming to tailgating, which is world wide phenomenon, and police and authorities are finding different ways to tackle with them. As clarified earlier the locals, specially the ones with the US make SUV's, and any big black suv's are the worst of the lot. one of the reason, why indian / paki single male or young married with family buys an american suv is their size. (luxury and US SUV dream are actually not the actual reason, subconciously, the safety factor plays to it. )

Safety has always been on any SUV driver's mind, while he is on vehicle hunting! its amazing. The SUV have a dismal record, when tackled side ways. They are to be feared, in a head on collision, and a side on 90 degree collision, when you are on the receiving end, of the " T ".

The following methods are deterrent, and have been practiced world wide.

1. Putting a rear wind screen camera and a front wind screen camera. Now you have to put either a bumper sticker or top rear wind screen sticker, letting the tail gater to know that he is video taped. i.e. " BEAWARE, YOU ARE VIDEOTAPED" OR " TAILGATERS, YOU ARE 'LIVE' ON CAMERA".

It has worked 95% of the time, tailgaters have actually slowed down, and only "showed off", their bravado. But please dont brake and try to put them off. Middle East is not the right place to threaten the tailgaters, with sudden braking. It works, in America, Australia, Europe, Asia. But not in Middle east.

The only thing which worries them, is that since it is recorded, in case of an accident or crash, the whole incident will play on a local tv, and then the sheikh also not will be able to save them. Moreover You can post the video to the local police station on line, or send the video to the local tv ststion. Try it. it will work.

The mere threat of live camera and video taapes works.

In my opinion, All vehicles should have a fron and rear camera, recording live. It costs not even a $100 US, TO GET A 3 DAYS RECORDING. The one with Motion sensors are little expensive, but they are best, they prevent crime, and vehicle theives, criminals, car jackers and other vandals are wary of them. Try having a live strream to your mobile or desktop at home. So your people at home also are aware of your location / car / danger, if any.

Hope i have been able to get you across, quite clearly.

by the way, on a lighter note ( but a fact), bright coloured (like yours ! ) good, attractive, high end fast and luxurious cars attract tailgaters like a "moth to the fire" or a "bear to the honey". They get special sadistic pleasure in getting the occupants, in panic.

regards

dr. sen

[kiku007]

Fantastic car. Lancer has a timeless design.

Originally Posted by benbsb29

Tailgating and intimidating other vehicles has always been part of the driving style of the locals in the UAE. I've observed this right from the time i was a kid growing up in the UAE.

I've seen Vans having a mirror on the front windshield which would show the driver the front bumper. They used it to stop the vehicle literally cms apart from the front vehicle in stop-go Dubai traffic.

The cruelest thing was seeing Delivery Boys in Two Wheelers in Sheik Zayed road. Do they still allow two wheelers in that road?

[dr. sen]

Dear Raj and all who face Tailgating,

I was worried about the tailgating, so just found about an article how to prevent and what to do, in case of tailgating.

Dear fellow bhp brethrens, please do go through this immensely helpful article. This have been put by group of professionals after years of researchwork. It has more than 1.15 lacs hits. please do write about your observations on the article. It will save lives.

( http://www.wikihow.com/Handle-Tailgaters-on-the-Road )

regards

dr. sen

[raj_5004]

Originally Posted by dr. sen

Dear Raj,

Hello n Greetings.

Good you found the tie bar. Please do check your boot also, and let us know, if a smae tie bar is there.

I will check the same and get back to you.

Coming to tailgating, which is world wide phenomenon, and police and authorities are finding different ways to tackle with them.

.......................

by the way, on a lighter note ( but a fact), bright coloured (like yours ! ) good, attractive, high end fast and luxurious cars attract tailgaters like a "moth to the fire" or a "bear to the honey". They get special sadistic pleasure in getting the occupants, in panic.

regards

dr. sen

I think this is a great idea. I am planning to get a reverse camera in the beginning of the next year and let me see if I can use it for recording as well!

Originally Posted by kiku007

Fantastic car. Lancer has a timeless design.

Thank you. It is really sad that this car never made it to India.

I have sat in the normal Lancer (non-GT) version and it is really plush and comfortable. My car with stiffer suspension and 18 inchers is okay for the smooth Dubai roads, but will be horrifying on Indian roads!

They should have launched this 3-4 years ago, in the segment of the City and Vento.

I've seen Vans having a mirror on the front windshield which would show the driver the front bumper. They used it to stop the vehicle literally cms apart from the front vehicle in stop-go Dubai traffic.

I think most vans are driven well now. In bumper to bumper traffic, I have mostly seen drivers keeping a good distance.

But in Sharjah, the narrow roads and frequent jams ensures that drivers are on their edge always and the driving is a lot worse than Dubai.

The cruelest thing was seeing Delivery Boys in Two Wheelers in Sheik Zayed road. Do they still allow two wheelers in that road?

Yes, they still exist! I have seen Pulsars and Unicorns blasting at 100-110 kmph on the SZ road, admist fast moving SUVs. But good thing is, they mostly stick to the 4th or 5th lane.

Originally Posted by dr. sen

Dear Raj and all who face Tailgating,

I was worried about the tailgating, so just found about an article how to prevent and what to do, in case of tailgating.

Dear fellow bhp brethrens, please do go through this immensely helpful article. This have been put by group of professionals after years of researchwork. It has more than 1.15 lacs hits. please do write about your observations on the article. It will save lives.

( http://www.wikihow.com/Handle-Tailgaters-on-the-Road )

regards

dr. sen

On the same topic, the police is doing a lot to catch such offenders. I have seen police cars standing on the flyovers which cross SZ road with cameras and they catch people who are speeding (outside the range of speed cameras), not keeping safe distance and not wearing seat belts.

They are also planning to install new cameras which will catch offenders who are tailgating -

http://www.emirates247.com/news/emir...03-24-1.542781

http://www.ahlanlive.com/tailgating-...ou-482904.html