The roads are not bad... But...the sand in the desert will ruin ur car... to minimize damage..please use the protective coating which looks like mud. It comes in cans and can be sprayed on to the car. Once u reach ur destination..it can be washed off... with pressurized water.. I guess it is available in all the shops selling car accessories...

The front bumper, grille, fog lamps, headlamps, hood and the areas around the wheels (fenders) should be covered. If u r driving at night..the fog lamps and headlamps can be spared..u can apply liquid soap (lux liquid) on to the lamps..

Whatever u do..some amount of paint damage is inevitable.. So..if u really love ur car..take a flight..

I just drove thru the desert in my brand new BMW 330i.. and had to pay a hefty amount to replace the fog lamps and to fix the paint..