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Wednesday, December 23, 2020

How to get your Car's Sand Blasted Headlights Cleaned in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia (Updated)

Originally Posted on Monday, July 15, 2013:

After traveling 40,000 km in KSA, the headlights of my car got really dirty and the intensity of light on the road got very dim. This happened mainly due to sand storms and the terms used in KSA for that is sandblasted headlights. Dim headlights can be dangerous and can lead to accidents.

I visited 4 branches of Petromin Express as they offer headlights cleaning, the conclusion of those visits is as follows:
  • Charges for cleaning 1 headlight is SR 75 so SR 150 for 2 headlights
  • Some branches do not have the facility of cleaning headlights
  • They only clean the headlights from outside and they are not sure if cleaning the headlights from outside would serve the purpose
  • It takes 2-3 hours for the chemical to dry after sunset so better to visit in daytime
  • They didn’t look very keen to perform this task

By asking here and there I got to know about a Car Wash (Talmiya) service who clean headlights. Their details are:

Name: New Car Talmiya
Coordinates: 24.747706,46.774646
Google Maps Link: http://goo.gl/maps/pzyfZ
Address: Petromin Pump, Khalid Ibn Al Walid St, Ar Rawdah, Riyadh

They checked and confirmed there is no need to clean the headlights from inside, after some negotiation they agreed to clean the headlights and to place a protected sheet on the headlights for SR 150. The sheet has a guaranty of 1 year and you can easily get it replaced which I think is better then getting headlights cleaned again and again. After cleaning, the headlights look as good as new.

Update (5th August 2015):
After some time of my 1st visit in July 2013, I visited New Car Talmiya again but this time, they asked for a lot of money, they were asking a lot of money even for removing the last protection sheets they had installed. I checked around and someone guided me to cheaper shops nearby, I went their took their services and it was a disaster, they damaged 1 headlight and bumper paint while cleaning the lights. So I would highly recommend not to visit anyone who is not expert in cleaning headlights!

After some time, I visited New Car Talmiya again and after some negotiations, they charged me around SR 150 for the same services. I couldn’t find the same Filipino there who did the cleaning for the 1st time, he was very good, this time, the cleaning was not that good.

I asked some car mechanics from time to time about best headlights cleaning services available in Riyadh and some informed me to visit Al Garabbi Street, Al Batha. On 17th June when I visited Al Garabbi Street for new tires, I asked around and found the following person:

Name: Bashir
Nationality: Bangali
Mobile: 0538678714
Work: All Car Decoration related work including Headlights Cleaning, he doesn’t have a shop, he will take you to the relevant shop to get the work done.

For Headlines Cleaning from inside and outside and applying protection sheets, he took me to the following shop:

image_thumb[1]

Name: Cool Zone
Worker: Abdul Raheem‎
Nationality: Pakistani
Mobile: 0581153364
Coordinates: 24. 6459 46. 720381

This is the best Headlights Cleaning Service I have found so far. 1 headlight required cleaning from the inside, both headlights were cleaned from the outside, previous protection sheets were removed and new were applied, this all cost me SR 150. This shop is highly recommended!

Update (20th April 2016):
A reader (Muhammad Wasi) has informed that Abdul Raheem‎ has change his work. He is now doing work of Vehicle Sand Protection, Vehicle Weather Protection, Wind Screen Glass Protection, and Seat Cover work. But he can still guide you to a person for headlights cleaning.



NameX-Drive
Worker: Abdul Raheem‎
Nationality: Pakistani
Mobile: 0581153364
Coordinates: 24.647161, 46.720982




Useful Tip from a Reader:
Tashfeen Qayyum: Can be done yourself. Use toothpaste, rub it in, rub it off, this is especially effective for plastic headlamps (xenon). I also found a headlight cleaning kit from Hyper Panda, cost 30 SR. Contains paste and sand paper and polishing mitt. Mitt is attachable to a drill machine. I use it now once a year and the lights stay as good as new. Only use 3M branded light plastic covers.



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It is no surprise that the weather has been a bit hard to handle lately. We complied a few tips that will help you survive the sandstorm here and basically anywhere else. For Drivers Reduce speed a…
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-urShadow




Review: Agoda.com

I found the cheapest rate on agoda.

I was looking for cheapest hotels available in busy season and found agoda offering that. I registered in agoda and completed my booking. Everything was quick and easy. I will definitely check hotels on agoda in future as well. 






-urShadow

Research on 4x4 Off-Roaders

 

Name

Price

Comments

Votes

Jeep Wrangler Unlimited/Rubicon

$24,545

(Not good for Road) The Jeep Wrangler is the classic off-road vehicle. It has everything from real performance to image to military history. To top it all off, there's immense aftermarket support. You can kit out your Wrangler however the hell you want. http://usnews.rankingsandreviews.com/cars-trucks/Jeep_Wrangler/ The Rubicon is like a mountain goat. It might take a while to get there, but it is perfectly capable of crawling over just about anything.

20

Toyota FJ Cruiser

$24,180 - $28,361

It looks like nothing else on the road. And with the TRD package, it is capable of some serious ass hauling on just about any surface. http://usnews.rankingsandreviews.com/cars-trucks/Toyota_FJ-Cruiser/ This one shocked us, as we never thought of the FJ Crusier as an off-road machine. Amazingly, it really is very good as getting down and dirty. The interior and the exterior are striking and like it or not, it sure does stand out in a crowd like The Hulk in a shopping mall. The issues spring up from in the interior, as visibility is poor, the rear seats are cramped, and it can be tough to get in them. The motors are strong and the fuel economy is fairly good and let’s not forget Toyota’s reliability is superb, no matter what the news media is trying to tell you.

15

Nissan Xterra

$22,750 - $24890

 You could do much, much worse than this solid off-roader from Nissan. The Nissan has serious off-road abilities and the V6 is very powerful. It can carry so much cargo in so many different places, making it great for camping trips. This is easily the most everyday off-road machine in its class. We aren’t too fond of the interior and the brakes are a bit mushy. If you need something to climb hills and mountains in, yet also drive to the grocery store, the Xterra is a good choice.

11

Jeep Grand Cherokee/Limited

$28,797 - $62,915

Wrangler too mediocre on road for you? Too hard-core? Too compromised as a car? The Grand Cherokee is a killer, full-sized off-road SUV. Just don't drive around in it without some mud on the sides. Reviewers say that few SUVs can match the 2014 Jeep Grand Cherokee’s combination of extraordinary off-road performance, user-friendly tech features and a comfortable, high-quality interior. Last year, the Grand Cherokee would have come in the top five, but certainly not in first place. The 2011 Jeep is out of this world good. On the road, the interior is quiet and refined and both the V6 and V8 motors are wonderful. We would recommend the 5.7-liter V8, as it provides tons of grunt and pretty darn good mileage for such a big machine. There are some issues that need to be addressed, such as the navigation system, but that’s a minor flaw. If this is what we are going to see down the road from Jeep, we are very excited. Prices start at $30,215. If you need a vehicle that can do the school run and then drive home through the fields, most of the vehicles on this list can accomplish that goal. The Jeep does it better than any other, even though we have a special place in our hearts for the Land Rover. It looks good, driver=s great, and for the first time in years, has an interior that is on par with the Lexus GX. What a machine. I have never seen a Cherokee go 130 miles deep in the desert, why? Because it can’t, it’s not made for it and most of all it’s not a landcruiser.

10

Toyota Land Cruiser

$68,000 - $73,933

This thing is a legend in some of the toughest areas of the world. Places like the jungles of South America and the Australian Outback that don't just kill trucks, but have a very limited supply of spare parts. http://usnews.rankingsandreviews.com/cars-trucks/Toyota_Land-Cruiser/ Obviously, when you think of an off-road SUV, the Land Cruiser comes to mind. It’s wonderful on the road too and the V8 motor is strong. There is no doubt that this vehicle is pretty darn good, but for that price, it’s hard to not just get the GX and be done with it. The cargo space is limited and the third-row is cramped. We really like the way it looks inside and out as well. It has a very Japanese look to it. Honestly, in my 7 years of working here, I have never seen an off roader as the Toyota Landcruiser! It just won’t fail, any terrain and conditions, the damn car just keeps on going. at the end of the day it really is down to you , your budget, and what you really want to do with the vehicle.
Lets be honest most probably 90% of off raod vehicles never even mount a kerb, let alone go off road.
For the Middle East bearing in mind that at some time you may have to sell te vehicle then you really only need look at Toyota and Nissan. I have had both and really there is not alot to chose between the two makes within the range that they offer.
Porche, Bmw, Merc, Audi etc are nice for shopping and taking kids to school.
I am a landrover man, but the defender is my one of choice which I do not think is available here.
I always explain the 4 x 4 vehicles in this way. For 3 years I worked on the edge of the Empty Quarter for ADNOC. if you turned up to drive to the site in anything other than a Nissan Patrol or a Land Cruiser you were told to park it up and they would take you in their own trucks. In all my 35 years here the only vehicles I see the Bedouin use today are Nissan and Toyota and if its good enough for them then its good enough for me, Nothing comes close to Land Cruisers for off road... Ask who own them, I for one, they testify for that.

10

Land Rover Range Rover

$82,650 - $99,100

http://usnews.rankingsandreviews.com/cars-trucks/Land-Rover_Range-Rover/

9

Toyota 4Runner

$30,945 - $39,847

(Not Available in KSA) It may be a Toyota SUV that's primarily driven by soccer moms, but it has some real performance hidden in there. Take the 4Runner back from the latte-sipping masses and get it dirty. http://usnews.rankingsandreviews.com/cars-trucks/Toyota_4Runner/

9

Land Rover LR4

$49,100 - $49,100

The LR4 isn't quite a Range Rover, but it can still keep going over just about any terrain. http://usnews.rankingsandreviews.com/cars-trucks/Land-Rover_LR4/

7

Toyota Tacoma

$16,865

(Not Available in KSA) The Tacoma is already a killer truck. The TRD version makes it a killer off-roader as well. We can't wait to drive the TX Baja version.

6

Ford F-150 SVT Raptor

$43,565

If your idea of off-roading involves more racing across the Arizona countryside than crawling over boulders, there's no vehicle you want more than this one.

5

Land Rover Range Rover Sport

$59,293 - $74,303

Land Rover's off-road course is used by other manufacturers to see if their own trucks and SUVs have what it takes. They know what they're doing. The Range Rover Sport is the obvious choice for a reason. Reviewers say the 2013 Land Rover Range Rover is a fantastic off-road SUV with great on-road handling and powerful engines. http://usnews.rankingsandreviews.com/cars-trucks/Land-Rover_Range-Rover-Sport/

5

Nissan Frontier

$28,510

We love a good pick-up truck. The best pick-ups aren't just the ones that can haul a lot of crap. They're the ones that can kick the metaphorical ass of the toughest terrain around.

5

Mercedes-Benz G-Class

$107,100

Let's face it. The G-Wagen is just bad-ass. The new Land Rover Defender might end up being a chic little mall hopper. But the G-Wagen still looks like it will kick you in the balls and make fun of you for blinking when it happens.

4

Land Rover Range Rover Evoque

$41,067 - $43,202

The 2013 Land Rover Range Rover Evoque has good off-road abilities and a high-quality interior, but its low reliability score and poor rear visibility may limit its

4

Toyata Hilux/Fortuner

3

Nissan Patrol

3

Porsche Cayenne

$48,200

It may be widely regarded as heresy, but we say it's not. The Cayenne is a race winner. It may not be the types of races the Porsche is best known for, but anything that wins the Transsyberia Rally is awesome in our book.

2

GMC Sierra 1500

$32,180

It's basically a Chevy Silverado Z71. It's a little lower on the list because it's a little...prissier.

2

Ford Expedition

2

Land Rover Defender

2

Nissan Armada

2

CHEVROLET TAHOE

$37,280.00

The Tahoe is a big improvement over the previous generation, but it’s still not there yet. The third row doesn’t fold flat and we aren’t sold on the looks inside and out, not to mention the interior built quality. On top of that, it can go off-road, but not very well. A little sand and gravel might be alright, but rocks and muddy trails are best avoided. It can tow quite well, but we’re looking at all-terrain vehicles and the Tahoe isn’t one of them.

1

Ram 1500

$30,010

It's a big, American pickup. What more do you want?

1

Ford F-150

1

Hummer  H2

1

Hummer  H3

1

Jeep Liberty

$23,360

Jeep makes damn good off-roaders. The classic Wrangler might be the hard-core option. But there are capable alternatives available for those who would sacrifice a little off-road performance for a lot of on-road usability.

1

Chevrolet Silverado 1500

$32,795

The Chevy's Z71 package adds a ton to the Silverado, which is already a great truck.

0

FORD EXPLORER

$29,280

The Explorer, despite its name, is like the Tahoe and the Yukon. It’s far better on the road than off it, though it’s not as bad as you might think. The cabin is roomy and quiet and the ride and handling are quite good for a truck-based SUV. Some of the interior plastics are a bit low grade and the interior is dated. Yet, there is hope for those who need an on-road SUV, as a new Explorer is coming for 2011. That one won’t be able to make this list, but it should fair well in our mid-size SUV test.

0

Honda HR-V

-1

GMC YUKON

$38,020

The Yukon carries over the same issues as the Tahoe, but at a higher price tag. It might be fairly good on the road with its decent motor and ability to tow, but just like the Chevrolet, going off-road isn’t its best area. If you want the Yukon, just look at the Tahoe and save some money, because even if you’re badge shopping, a GMC badge isn’t that much better than a Chevy one.

-2

Hummer  H1

I have towed the H1 when it got stuck

-2

Toyota's RAV4

£18,000

And it's the same with Toyota's entry-level RAV4. It looks good and, with a price tag of £18,000, seems like good value. But it only has two-wheel drive.

-2

BMW X5

-3



http://jalopnik.com/this-is-what-makes-a-vehicle-unstoppable-off-road-512501606

http://www.edmunds.com/car-comparisons/


-urShadow