Enough is enough, I am taking my Pilot into the sand...

muhtar
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Hello all,
I have been registered to this forum more or less two years ago, hoping to have a proper 4x4 and have some desert fun... The problems with job, financials etc and I still dont have the desert car; yet recently bought a 2006 Honda Pilot.

Why a Honda Pilot? Well, long story short it was not my first choice (actually it was not even a choice) but at the end of the day it is what I have got now.

I am wondering if this car is fine for at least newbie sessions? I really want to spend some time in desert this year, I will dive in with or without a group. I just dont want to wait for another year until I got a Jeep or sth like that, I want to take it whenever it goes.

Honda stucks in desert and wrecked? Let it be...

I am here to ask if I would be a pain in the convoy with this car, please let me know clearly. I keep checking this web site twice every week for 2 years yet afraid every time to join any trip with this concern.

Now I want to resolve it: Yes or no, "Come and we will sort it somehow" or "Sorry akhi, but this is not a beach club". No offence will taken, we are all trying to have fun here...

Thanks for honesty.

PS: Wife can cook amazing Turkish dishes and deserts. Consider what would you be missing guys... ;)
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Agalon
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Muhtar Hosgeldin :)

It is nice to see another Turkish guy around here :) As i am a newbie too i cannot have any comment technically on your car but for sure there will be responses from experienced members. But i just feel like you might have problems with plastic parts (bumpers) as most family type on-road oriented SUV's have. It will for sure be a nice chance to attend a CM drive when announced (be fast, many out there are waiting eagerly) to get the initial idea and take on spot expert opinion too.

Anyway, once more welcome to the family and see you on sand...
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AGALON
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alshamsi_m
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Dear [MENTION=2569]muhtar[/MENTION]

Welcome to your second family [MENTION=3080]Agalon[/MENTION] was totally right. You can bring your car in the first Club Members drive as long as it is a 4X4 car which means that you have 4H & 4L not 4WD ALL TIME.

I personally believe that if this car sold by other dealer it would be more popular. I remember that we had a member with the same car but he stopped coming so I can't tell you much about the car until I see it or other Marshals check it for you.

Good luck & happy hunting for the next CM drive.

Regards

P.S : Your cooking is welcome in our club too :ORLY:
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Arun Pandyat
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Hi @muhtar welcome to the family.

"""" I really want to spend some time in desert this year, I will dive in with or without a group. I just dont want to wait for another year until I got a Jeep or sth like that, I want to take it whenever it goes.

Honda stucks in desert and wrecked? Let it be...""""""

Please don’t go alone in desert (you, your wife, kids and grand parents in one car. Yes of course you are not alone - I didn’t mean that). Recently I encounter a situation – 4 guys in one Nissan Patrol in the middle of desert and they were side stuck (their right hand side door facing the floor) and narrow escape from roll over. There was no body to help them and they don’t know what to d o. They were lucky the dune was very small. The driver was shivering and sweating when we recovered them.

So please don’t never ever go alone in desert. Join our Club Member drive and the Marshals will help you.

See you soon in the sand.
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caprihorse
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muhtar;37843 wrote:Hello all,
I have been registered to this forum more or less two years ago, hoping to have a proper 4x4 and have some desert fun... The problems with job, financials etc and I still dont have the desert car; yet recently bought a 2006 Honda Pilot.

Why a Honda Pilot? Well, long story short it was not my first choice (actually it was not even a choice) but at the end of the day it is what I have got now.

I am wondering if this car is fine for at least newbie sessions? I really want to spend some time in desert this year, I will dive in with or without a group. I just dont want to wait for another year until I got a Jeep or sth like that, I want to take it whenever it goes.

Honda stucks in desert and wrecked? Let it be...

I am here to ask if I would be a pain in the convoy with this car, please let me know clearly. I keep checking this web site twice every week for 2 years yet afraid every time to join any trip with this concern.

Now I want to resolve it: Yes or no, "Come and we will sort it somehow" or "Sorry akhi, but this is not a beach club". No offence will taken, we are all trying to have fun here...

Thanks for honesty.

PS: Wife can cook amazing Turkish dishes and deserts. Consider what would you be missing guys... ;)
I'm sure, you can drive a while with this car. Watch this -
[video=youtube_share;dh-aqpr_P0g][/video]
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Muhittin
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muhtar;37843 wrote:
I am here to ask if I would be a pain in the convoy with this car, please let me know clearly.
Muhtar Abi,

Welcome to the club, in my believe i think that the success of the sand driving is about the driver more than the vehicle, so don't worry, bring your car to the CM drive, and it is easy and smooth drive to test your ability and your car performance.

Note: soon you will see more camping over the nights of Thursdays, then your family can inspired us with the famous Turkish food. :like:
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muhtar
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Hello all,
Thanks for the replies, much appreciated...

@Agalon: the plastic parts are not that much of my concern, but one car gets stuck all the time is not quite fun. Yet the point is taken.

@alshamsi_m: uhmmm, no :( Pilots do not have 4L/4H yet they have a -not bad- electronic diff lock. I tried this -so called- VTM this weekend with L driving over some sandy parts and seems working somehow but not tested in real dune bashing. And I agree, as a family SUV they are great. Pretty surprised to see that a fully loaded Pilot sells cheaper then Edge for instance...

In addition, I am a CMAS too. If dune bashing does not work for me, maybe we should arrange a Dibba rock diving session. ;)

@Arun Pandyat : I would not do this anyways, that is why I am here in this forum. The biggest risk would be taking the car 100 mt off the road. 18yrs driving, paragliding, diving and motocycling; yes I am an adrenaline addict but not idiot. Thanks for the warning, and will be remembered.

@caprihorse: Never saw this, pretty impressive. She survives huh... Thanks...

@Muhittin: I would not want to set the expectation very high if you are already raised in Turkey. :)

Anyways, thanks for the responses. I will try to join to the first CM drive, test the car & my driving & us and we will see how it pans out. (iving a second thought, I could invest a 20K ish for a desert only car if the desert fever catches the family.)

See you soon.

PS: I take it CM drives are announced on the forum, so I should keep checking? I remember receiving a few emails for the drives before but somehow not received any after Ramadan gathering (during which I was away)
Any idea not to miss the CM drives before it is full?
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Agalon
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muhtar;37853 wrote: PS: I take it CM drives are announced on the forum, so I should keep checking? I remember receiving a few emails for the drives before but somehow not received any after Ramadan gathering (during which I was away)
Any idea not to miss the CM drives before it is full?
Just come check the forum once in a while during the day, before sleeping at night and when you wake up. You will get shocked when you see a drive is announced at midnight and full in the morning :) When you visit, check the chat box for the hints of an upcoming event. The only way to register the drives is through the forum.

Happy hunting :thumbsup:
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AGALON
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hello there [MENTION=2569]muhtar[/MENTION]

I am new to the forum just like you and I think the driver is the most important part of the car just like [MENTION=9157]Muhittin[/MENTION] said.
However just to let you know what to expect, I did a quick search for your car specs and IMO there will be 3 points that will hamper you in the sand:
- Your 4WD system is not a proper 4x4 setup, it is based on the front wheels pulling and sending power to the rear only when the front ones start to slip, the lock button will lock you in 50/50 only in 1st and 2nd gears and speeds under 30 km/h, at least that's good when you get stuck. :Psmiley:
- I don't know what tires/wheels you have on your car but the stock size (235/70R16) seems too narrow for your car and might not help.
- Your front bumper should be fine with dunes but I can't say the same about the rear one as I think it will touch, but careful driving will protect it from breaking

For your tires you might need to deflate more than others but then you have the risk of a pop out. Just a piece of advice for your first drive, try to keep the car as light as possible because all extra weight in the car will not help too.. (well that does not apply to food, take as much as you want :thumbsup: )
These will be tricky to deal with in dunes but not impossible to live with, and what's a desert drive without a challenge, right?


On a different note, I would really like to do some diving with fellow divers, that was another reason why I registered here.. so looking forward a dive trip too
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Melfi
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Hello [MENTION=2569]muhtar[/MENTION] and welcome to the club!

2 years stalking, uh? Not bad - I think you beat the record. It took me 6 months because I was too worried of going with a bunch of strangers and didn't want to get into anyone else's car. Wish I had known about them before! :thumbsup:

The video that Capri shared is certainly impressive, but please do not fool yourself. The plastics and bumpers may be the least of your worries, but the problem is when you hit something else that damages other running parts of the car. In my case, I've broken the cooling liquid reservoir, making the engine overheat and drink up all the oil and finally dying. I've also changed the front right upper arm and other bits. Total bill paid so far for my own stupidity: almost 30,000 AED out of pocket + 1 year carless + now with a car that I cannot drive in the desert.
All that for not following marshals' advice on investing on some things earlier: Skid plate 1,000; Suspension (2nd hand): 1,400. Yeah, not funny.

So yes, your car may be nice to try out in a CM drive, and you probably won't be doing anything too damaging (although make sure that you have hooking points!) but if it's your only family car, do reconsider.

Also, make sure you have Offroad insurance. Otherwise, like me, you'll be spending more in repairs than in much better alternatives.

Anyway, we do hope to see you and your family at our drives. Welcome again!
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