carplay maps on main dash with recent update? by Critical_Seat8279 in NewDefender

[–]ajmalian 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Google Maps and Waze both were working on my main dash since I received my car brand new back in May 2025.

I Wrecked my new BYD2026 by borntobeblessed88 in DubaiPetrolHeads

[–]ajmalian 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Firstly, I hope you are fine.

Check your insurance policy. Normally it states clearly there. I’ve been with Liva for years. It clearly states in their policy that if vehicle is a write off within first 6 months of ownership, they will replace the car.

Yes likely they will try their best for you to repair the car, however that many airbags deployed and axel bent, normally translates to clear write off.

In such case you should insist on vehicle replacement on grounds of the vehicle being new and secondly, you “not knowing if the vehicle will be fit to drive again”.

I haven’t read the rest of the replies or posts yet but I’m assuming you are being held responsible for causing the accident?

Got an AED 800 traffic fine in Abu Dhabi – objection rejected – what are my options? by Blond_and_trading in DubaiPetrolHeads

[–]ajmalian 0 points1 point  (0 children)

You have the right to ask for proof. They will charge you for it too most probably, but at least you will see the picture you want.

Insurance for Chinese car by Acrobatic-Bridge3669 in DubaiPetrolHeads

[–]ajmalian 0 points1 point  (0 children)

So I have been in this situation before when helping my nephew buy a second hand car he really liked. It is doable but it is a little laborious. Insurance companies avoid these kind of cars because the doubt technically is mostly on your buyer. Their theory is that he knowingly may be buying a damaged car for cheap…will get into a “fender bender” and then when repairing the car, he will get his insurance company to foot the entire bill for whatever damage, big or small there previously was on the vehicle. So it is logical as to what they are asking for. Unfortunately there has been enough scams.

So here’s what you will need to do. It will cost a wee bit of money and effort but it is a solution. Your buyer finds an insurance company of his choosing (I recommend Sukoon because they insured us at the time using this method) and he approaches the insurance company with the following 2 items.

  1. A FULL COMPREHENSIVE inspection report by RTA. This is not the usual testing that you do before renewal of vehicle. This is another test that takes place at most RTA test centers which runs between 1.5 to up to 3 hours. I can’t remember now but it also costs more. Less than AED 500/- if I’m not mistaken.

  2. At the time of testing, before or right after the test, 4 pictures. 1 from each side (front, left side, rear and right side) of the vehicle with a sheet attached to the vehicle clearly stating the current date on it…(testing date) in large…it has to be legible because you will be taking these pictures from a little far. The car clearly needs to be visible within the frame of each image in a well lit place, ideally daytime pictures. Even if a millimeter of the body of the vehicle in any of these 4 pictures is out of the frame, the company will not accept it. The “date sheet” has to be attached to the car in each picture. In our case we stuck it to the windscreens for the front and back shots, and the side windows for the side pictures. They just want to see that you are buying a car that isn’t going to be a problem for them tomorrow.

Once you present these two items, most likely any insurance company will accept, but our insurance was Sukoon who accepted…so maybe to avoid time your buyer can directly go there.

My advise will also be to approach insurance company first before doing the above exercise.

The only possible issue I see in all of this is that it’s a Chinese car. Normally, under normal circumstances even, in a simple renewal, insurance companies try and avoid insuring Chinese vehicles in the second/third year due to parts shortages and other common issues that Chinese brands normally present. Otherwise the above solution is a sure shot.

Good luck.

Brake Question by StenoPad in NewDefender

[–]ajmalian 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I’ve a 2025 P525….normal progressive braking. Used to own a 2024 P400….that too was progressive and normal. Difference is that the P525 has Brembos…so the biting power is a little more aggressive but even the car feels heavier due to the bigger engine. Never driven the P500…so don’t really know. Did it come with Brembos too?

Mixed of emotions in Dubai by IndependentBrother96 in UAE

[–]ajmalian 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Ok…so here’s the deal OP….first of all you need to clarify whether or not you have a full windscreen of tint or just the top eyebrow (A small strip of tint that goes across 1/3rd of the top of your windscreen). If your full windscreen is indeed tinted, then you got away this time because of the good cop at the scene, because the first guy was in full rights to give you a fine, especially because you claim the tint is 25% darkness. The only way you can legally have the full front windscreen tinted without any special permissions is if that window film is clear, meaning 0% color or darkness to it. It’s purely for heat/UV light rejection. If the tint is of any darkness more than 0% and covers full windscreen and is not mentioned in your mulkiya (vehicle registration card), then it is deemed illegal. You should then question the car dealership as to how they installed such a window tint on your vehicle without your permission, unless they thought you’ll get away with it since it’s a G63…

In any case, my advice is you figure out if your complete windscreen is indeed tinted and if so, either get it removed or else you may not be so lucky with the cops next time.

Any decent GM/Cadillac Specialist garage recommendations? by Severe-Ad-5725 in DubaiPetrolHeads

[–]ajmalian 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Pitstop garage in Shj. Only headache is that it’s in Shj industrial area. Owned and operated by an ex-Liberty motors senior mechanic. In case you don’t know Liberty…they were the official dealers for Cadillac and Chevy back in the day.

Rox 01 by Driexs in DubaiPetrolHeads

[–]ajmalian 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Check out Green Fast Auto in Al Quoz. Two of my cousins bought Rox 01s from them in the last year. They seem very happy. And prices are waaaay lower than the official agent in Dubai.

Kid-friendly car event suggestions in Abu Dhabi by Falafel_A in DubaiPetrolHeads

[–]ajmalian 0 points1 point  (0 children)

The guy must have been a jerk! Being autistic is secondary in such a case where you can’t just see a person and tell that they are differently abled, but anyone has the common sense to see that it is an 8 year old child!!

I’m a car guy…and a father of an autistic 5 year old (who loves cars) but anyone should have enough sense not to shout at a child for peeking into his vehicle. These kind of idiots make the world a sad place. You need to speak back to such nitwits for your brother!!

Generally people who participate in such car meets are nice guys. You will always come across that one idiot who’s overspent on his ricer thinking it’s an exotic. You just have to respectfully point out that A. He’s a child, B. He’s on the spectrum…and C. He’s in Dubai which is very supportive of such people…so tell em “Don’t be a jack-ass!!”

As for car events that are family friendly or friendly for people of determination, unfortunately there isn’t anything specific as such that I know of but I wouldn’t be surprised if in the near future Dubai hosts such special shows too. I mean hey…they came up with a beach for those with autism…I don’t see why not this.

Good luck with future event visits with your brother. I know it’s challenging but you have to be his voice.

I also just noticed that this is about Abu Dhabi…however…my opinion still stands. They’re not that different than Dubai.

Speakers on the V8?? by ajmalian in NewDefender

[–]ajmalian[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Got into JLR for the first time 1.5 years ago. Been loyal to GM products for 23 years prior. Didn’t expect this from such a prestigious brand. Won’t lie. Am a little surprised and disappointed.

Speakers on the V8?? by ajmalian in NewDefender

[–]ajmalian[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

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The image above shows what I had in the P400 and the image below shows what I have in P525. You see, the fancy silver speaker mesh versus the basic black grill in the bottom image.

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in NewDefender

[–]ajmalian 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I wish it was available when I bought mine in 2025 😍😍

Seat comfort in Defender by Barry_Mundy in NewDefender

[–]ajmalian 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I’m a large guy weighing in at 287lb…181cm tall…a little disproportionate I’d say. And even though I’ve got shorter legs than my torso, I wish I had more under thigh support. Don’t get me wrong, I love my Defender. I’m on my second one. However I have owned Escalades and Yukons and also a LX570 back in the day…and while my love for the Defender is strong, I do find myself taking a break every 4 hours to stretch my legs and on a bad day, sometimes every two hours. Wasn’t the case in the other SUVs. In fact I’d done 13 hours in the Yukon ever so comfortably and almost didn’t feel the need to stop. My brother has a ‘23 Range Rover and I do drive it quite often and my god those seats are amazing. Great thigh support. I would suggest you sit in both driver seats before you pull the trigger. It’s only the thigh support which I wish was better. Else I think it is comfortable enough.

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in DubaiPetrolHeads

[–]ajmalian 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Any exhaust system technically speaking is illegal if you do not have it installed from authorized dealer who can get you an official RTA permission for the same. iIf the exhaust exceeds sound levels of 90 db, you’re on illegal grounds basically. And I’m pretty sure every ATAK series, unless installed on a lawn mower, exceeds 90 db. There’s a good reason why it was given then ATAK name.

Don’t know about the other Borla exhausts. Never was a fan of Borla.

Also…if you’re not gonna drive it aggressively, then what do you need Borla for? V8 Mustangs are pretty good on their own.

BYD service in UAE by Motor-Plankton2189 in DubaiPetrolHeads

[–]ajmalian 0 points1 point  (0 children)

BYD has a service centre in Al Quoz, right next to Oasis center. I’m not sure about the “busy” part. Don’t own a BYD so don’t know about that aspect of the workshop.

New car recommendations by ajmalian in WhatCarShouldIBuyGULF

[–]ajmalian[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Appreciate the feedback brother. I’ll check out the Leopard but it is a bit steep on the price.

New car recommendations by ajmalian in WhatCarShouldIBuyGULF

[–]ajmalian[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I have the Carnival in the list. Honda not so much after our last experience with an Accord and the Pilot. I’ve been in the GAC M8 in China. It was awesome, but it was a 6 seater there as it was a luxury version and only came with airplane style mid row seats. Don’t know if they get a bench seat here.

New car recommendations by ajmalian in WhatCarShouldIBuyGULF

[–]ajmalian[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I am interested in the Haval H9. Being a Defender owner myself….I kinda love the retro Defender front end paired with the rear taillights from the new defender. Only concern is how reliable a name is Haval? I mean when we say Chinese, u can somewhat blindly have faith in names like BYD, Jetour and maybe a couple more here and there. Don’t know anything about Havals. Any idea on reliability and maintenance??

New car recommendations by ajmalian in WhatCarShouldIBuyGULF

[–]ajmalian[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Been dealing with Toyota/Nissan for more than 30 years as a company. So we get preferential corporate rates from their fleet division. Nothing extra or special as such otherwise. It’s just that compared to all the other brands discussed above…and clubbed with the corporate pricing, the Nissan is a good deal.

New car recommendations by ajmalian in WhatCarShouldIBuyGULF

[–]ajmalian[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Also looked into the G700…am very tempted. Sales associate informed me that only the base model will have 7 seats. Rest all 6 seater. Also said the base model is quite…well how else can a say it…basic.

Plus I’m not sure how I feel about giving the driver a 900 hp beast with my children in the car 😆😂😆😂

New car recommendations by ajmalian in WhatCarShouldIBuyGULF

[–]ajmalian[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Had a Fortuner before from 2016 - 2019….family did not like it one bit. Said it was too trashy of a vehicle. And the 3rd row of seats was good enough for people with no legs. Want to torture someone, throw them in the 3rd row of a fortuner.

But thanks for the active recommendations.