Everything you need to keep an OBS Icon running properly in the UAE — written by an owner, for owners.
I bought a GMT400 because I wanted the burble of an American V8. I've also got a V8 Land Cruiser 100 — and it's amazing, but it sounds like a tractor. My truck was registered as a 1996 Tahoe, and after some investigation turned out to be a 1993 K5 Blazer. Which led me straight down the rabbit hole of: now I've got it, what next?
These trucks are genuinely brilliant — proven, rebuildable, practically indestructible when maintained properly. They carry and tow with an ease that modern vehicles twice the price cannot match. And when you finally get them into the sand to play, there's nothing quite like it. There are a lot of them here in the UAE. People love them.
The problem is that owning one in the UAE is a journey into the unknown. The information exists — scattered across American forums, YouTube channels filmed in Ohio winters, and Reddit threads that assume you have access to a RockAuto account and a 20°C garage. None of it is written for someone standing in Sharjah Industrial Area trying to explain to a mechanic what they need and why.
The trucks also came from the factory with some choices that made sense for a 1990s American buyer and make considerably less sense for a heavily loaded vehicle operating in 47°C heat. The braking system offers suggestions rather than convictions. The steering communicates a general direction of travel. The cooling system copes, until it doesn't.
None of this is unfixable. In fact most of it is straightforward and affordable — if you know what to do, where to get the parts, and what to tell the mechanic. That's what this guide is.
No agenda. No shop to sell you parts. No affiliate links. Just the information that should have existed already, written down properly so you don't have to find it the hard way.
Community resource — not affiliated with GM, any parts retailer, or any workshop · Use information at your own discretion · Prices indicative, verify locally
Every guide starts with the symptoms. Read the "Know the Signs" section first — if it sounds like your truck, you're in the right place.
Each guide lists exactly what you need, with part numbers and UAE sourcing — Sharjah Industrial first, Dubai for specialist parts. Call ahead with the part numbers.
Hand the mechanic section to your workshop — it's written in plain English and Arabic so nothing gets lost in translation. Then enjoy a truck that works properly.