Learning to Drive.

[bartelby]

Yep, think thought it was because I was last thing on a Friday. Everyone I know who failed there test did so on a Friday afternoon and all were trivial reasons, yet some people who did appaling things on a Monday passed!

An ex-driving instructor I now know told me a while ago they used to have quotas to reach each week and once they hit that they could only pass people for exceptional reasons? 😱

Also driving examiners are on continual non stirke action at the moment.
They are being extra strict in order to try to fail people on a "Dangerous" manouver. If you fail this way the test ends there and then and you have to pull over.
Ususlly the examiner will drive you back to the test centre. At the moment the examier will take the keys off you and walk back to the test centre. If he's late for the next session it will be cancelled. The learner will then be reimbursed any costs inccured for the day. This causes much disruption!

 

[After G]

No. Not changing lanes. Leaving a roundabout.
We drive on the other side remember!

I meant moving to the left lane to leave the roundabout...perhaps you didn't have to do that. You did change from the roundabout lane to whatever lane you turned into though. 😀

Other than that I have no idea why you'd have to look at a mirror looking out on a curb to turn left. I'd be looking for pedestrians instead.

 

[iGav]

Wherever you are must be lenient ... here curb hit = automatic fail.

It was on a really narrow road, and the kerbs on the T junction were literally 90 degree's, because the road was so narrow, and the examiner left it so late to tell me which way we were turning at the end of the road (left) I had postioned myself neutrally in my lane (the only thing I could do), and I had come to a stop when he told me we would be turning left.

I had only 2 choices open to me, kerb the rear nearside wheel, or I would have had to pulled clear of the kerb, which would have taken me into on coming traffic.

Because there were no pedestrians around, I told him I was going to kerb it, and I told him why I'd have to. It was the safest option open to me, short of turning right.

And I passed first time. 😉

 

[After G]

It was on a really narrow road, and the kerbs on the T junction were literally 90 degree's, because the road was so narrow, and the examiner left it so late to tell me which way we were turning at the end of the road (left) I had postioned myself neutrally in my lane (the only thing I could do), and I had come to a stop when he told me we would be turning left.

I had only 2 choices open to me, kerb the rear nearside wheel, or I would have had to pulled clear of the kerb, which would have taken me into on coming traffic.

Because there were no pedestrians around, I told him I was going to kerb it, and I told him why I'd have to. It was the safest option open to me, short of turning right.

And I passed first time. 😉

Oh, I see. Here, when you tell the instructor you can't do something and explain why, they don't mark you off for it. Or at least not as much. Sounds like that kind of situation.

But I'm wondering if you could have reversed, or if there was someone behind you...?

 

[iGav]

Sounds like that kind of situation.

It was. 😛

But I'm wondering if you could have reversed, or if there was someone behind you...?

I honestly don't recall if there was a car behind me (it's 12 years ago), but given the nature of the lane and traffic, it would've been potentially more dangerous to try and reverse safely, and then reposition the car, than to drive over the kerb with one wheel, when it was completely safe to do so. Certainly safer than trying to clear the kerb and pull into oncoming traffic. 😱 😛

 

[iGav]

Yep, think thought it was because I was last thing on a Friday. Everyone I know who failed there test did so on a Friday afternoon and all were trivial reasons, yet some people who did appaling things on a Monday passed!

Come to think of it... I think I passed on a Monday morning. I was certainly one of the first tests 8.30 or 9 something like that.

I did the weeks intensive course, couldn't be bothered to drag it out and I love driving so it wasn't so intensive as such for muggings here. 😀

An ex-driving instructor I now know told me a while ago they used to have quotas to reach each week and once they hit that they could only pass people for exceptional reasons? 😱

Why am I not surprised by that one. 🙄

Anyway... are you still racing? weren't you trying to save up to go back to Indy Lights???

 

[siurpeeman]

Yep, when automatics first came out -- people were too dumb to drive them.

Now they don't even know what a clutch is. 😱

Funny how they willing fork over an extra $1000 and several MPG for an automatic, and don't even bother asking about the manual vehicles.

Some vehicles the magazines like Consumer Reports cannot even find a manual model to test, even if it is offered.

i had to borrow my mom's car (automatic) today, and the first thing i did was put my left foot on the brake, thinking it to be the clutch. then i put my right foot on the brake (on top of my left foot), thinking to myself that something didn't feel quite right. felt silly after realizing my mistake.

my car isn't offered in automatic, and i love that.

 

[Lau]

I did the weeks intensive course, couldn't be bothered to drag it out and I love driving so it wasn't so intensive as such for muggings here. 😀

Ooh, really? I've been thinking of that, but have been generally advised against it. You reckon it was good then? Presumably even if you fail at the end you could have a few more hour long lessons to top you up before you took the test again. I'm not likely to own a car for ages, but it would be useful to have a licence for hiring the odd car or van if I had to.

 

[iGav]

Ooh, really? I've been thinking of that, but have been generally advised against it. You reckon it was good then? Presumably even if you fail at the end you could have a few more hour long lessons to top you up before you took the test again. I'm not likely to own a car for ages, but it would be useful to have a licence for hiring the odd car or van if I had to.

Intensive courses are the best way of learning to drive in my opinion. I certainly think it's preferable over the one lesson a week routine.

How it works is that you book an assessment lesson, and they'll see if you're suitable for an intensive course (not everyone is) and then they'll work out how many lessons you'll need to reach the required standard.

They then apply for your test, and whilst you're waiting for that to come through you plan out when you're going to do the week (or 2) of intensive instruction, I did mine over a week something like 5-6 hours a day. But my driving instructor had the absolute easiest job in the world that week, because I'd been able to drive for 4 years at that point (Southport Beach, aerodromes, car parks etc), I knew (and still do) the Highway Code inside out so we didn't have to spend valuable driving time going through it, or him having to demonstrate how to do maneuvours etc. He was a cool as sh*t ex-punk too! 😀

Anyway, look at me straying from the F1 threads... I better get back in there. You've not seen me ok. 😉 *scampers off*

 

[Lau]

How it works is that you book an assessment lesson, and they'll see if you're suitable for an intensive course (not everyone is) and then they'll work out how many lessons you'll need to reach the required standard.

Oh, I see. I did wonder about my ability to learn in a mere week. 😛 Actually, that's good, because it was the end part of the learning I thought was more of a waste of money if you don't have a car when you just need to practice. Hmm. Cheers Gav, I'll look into it. My highway code's good cause I've ridden a bike on the road a lot, I just need to learn how to drive the beast. 😀

Anyway, look at me straying from the F1 threads... I better get back in there. You've not seen me ok. 😉 *scampers off*

Yeah, yeah, you know you couldn't stay away. 😉

Apologies for hijacking your thread, Jimmieboy, and best of luck with learning to drive.

 

[SpookTheHamster]

Ususlly the examiner will drive you back to the test centre.

Never allowed, the only people insured to drive the instructor's car are the instructor and their students. I've only heard of one of my friends seeing an examiner walk back miles to the test centre. Imagine how embarrassing it must be to be locked in a car, waiting for your instructor to return.

One of my major problems was driving too close to the side of the road. My instructor used to open the door while I was driving (sometimes upwards of 60mph) to show me how close I was! That stopped me doing it pretty quick.

 

[Kardashian]

I've been learning to drive over the past 4 months.

The car I got from my Dad is a petrol, and the car I learn in is a Diesel. It makes a difference, as a petrol engine is a lot easier to stall than a diesel. When I first drove my petrol car, I stalled it 17 times in a row.

It should take 3-4 seconds after you reach a 'bite' on the clutch, to take your foot fully off the clutch pedal.

Make sure you have plenty of acceleration, around the 2/3 mark, when you slowly release the clutch and get a 'bite' - go slow, around 3 seconds from here.

My tests booked for next week 🙂

 

[bartelby]

Never allowed, the only people insured to drive the instructor's car are the instructor and their students. I've only heard of one of my friends seeing an examiner walk back miles to the test centre. Imagine how embarrassing it must be to be locked in a car, waiting for your instructor to return.
.

Never allowed?

Funny, my instructor told me that is what happens.
Also you wouldn't be allowed to wait in the car.

 

[Markleshark]

and the car I learn in is a Diesel. It makes a different as a petrol is a lot easier to stall that a diesel. When I first tried my petrol car, I stalled it 17 times in a row.

Oh yeah, unless you try really hard, its impossible to stall a Diesel. That, along with Fuel Economy and pro-longed Engine life, is why you learn in them.

 

[RedTomato]

Hmm. I failed my driving test when I was 18 for 'waiting too long to enter a roundabout'. This was a busy roundabout and I was driving a 15 year old skoda with the engine of a sewing machine and the acceleration of a constipated snail.

I got a full motorbike licence the next year anyway.

Fast forward 12 years, now I have a baby and partner, and want to get a driving licence cos there is a decent car share scheme http://streetcar.co.uk/ near where I live.

I can't register on the driving licence computer to book the driving theory test and keep crashing their website.

Turns out that I'm one of a very few people in the UK who have had a full bike licence for over 10 years without getting a full car licence (!)

I'm grandfathered in and exempt from the current rule that all car learners must take a theory test 🙂 They had to put the paperwork through manually for me.

Anyway, I've ridden a cycle for 20 years, and motorbikes for 12 years, both in 5-10 different countries, I have plenty of roadsense and know the high way code, (tho when I looked through a book for the theory test, I didn't know a lot of the newer or rarer signs 🙂

Learning to drive 🙁 I still can't get used to the feeling of having a giant metal cage around me, of having something that extends further than I can reach, and peering through a dusty small windscreen.

Being deaf doesn't help either, it's pretty hard to understand the instructors - I found one last year who could sign a little, but she was pretty useless - she used exactly the same sign for brake and accelerate, despite me asking her to change!

Anyone here can recommend any instructors for NW london?

 

[RedTomato]

Re starting off - it's not too hard. Push in the accelerator, feel the vibration from the engine rise, push it in a bit more, when people across the street turn to look at you, then that's enough 😀

Let go the clutch slowly, very very slowly. Yes, more slowly than that. Even more slowly.

Soon, doesn't matter if it takes 5 minutes, you'll come to a point where the car judders a little bit and takes up a little bit of the slack in the brakes. That's called the 'biting point'.

Let out the clutch a tiny, tiny, very tiny bit more, and you should start moving very slowly. Press in the accelerator a tiny bit, a tiny tiny bit more, and you will move a little faster.

You can play here with either pushing in or letting out the accelerator a tiny bit and feeling the change in the engine vibration and road speed, or doing exactly the same thing with the clutch.

It's an absolutely vital thing to learn, the two different ways of controlling your speed at low speeds, and the different effects they have.

Rev counters are useful when you are learning, so that you can learn what the noises and seat vibrations mean in terms of revs, but after that, when you're driving, you're too busy to look at it. So you do need to learn how to know what the revs are without looking at the counter.

I can do it and I'm deaf as a post 🙂

All cars have a slightly different biting point, so a very useful game is, when you first get in the car, slowly come up to the biting point then back off a few time, so that you get a feel for where it is. You can spend 10 minutes doing this, staying in the same spot, and it'll really help with your starts.

As you get more experienced, you can come up to slightly before the biting point quickly then slow right down for these last few millimeters. Nobody goes through it quickly, even experienced drivers - that's how you stall.

Hope that's been of some help.

 

[redmeister]

haha its interesting to hear the differences between euro and american driving school experiences... like failing to enter a roundabout in a timely manner (above).. haha we hardly even have roundabouts thats funny. would be totally different to have to get used to

 

[patrick0brien]

Yup. Driving would bore the hell out of me in a Automatic, doesn't appeal at all. Oh well, each to their own.

-Markleshark

I drove a manual for 10 years. Then I moved to Sunny NorCal and drove it through San Francisco.

Now I have an automatic 😀

Next one will be an SMG though.

 

[iGav]

Now I have an automatic 😀

But just imagine how great your legs would've looked had you kept the manual. 😉 😛

Next one will be an SMG though.

BMW are scrapping it, replacing it with a dual-clutch system a'la DSG apparently. 😀

 

[patrick0brien]

But just imagine how great your legs would've looked had you kept the manual. 😉 😛

Naah just the left one. Probably would have developed a permanent right-turn to my walking too.

BMW are scrapping it, replacing it with a dual-clutch system a'la DSG apparently. 😀

Really? Oo. Got info or links I can research?

 

[iGav]

Probably would have developed a permanent right-turn to my walking too.

😛 😛 😛

Really? Oo. Got info or links I can research?

Can't remember where I read about it, but just Google 'BMW ditches SMG' and there's a load of links about it.

Ironically... BMW are apparently making a manual M5 especially for you folk over the pond too... possibly time to move to a 'flatter' city 'eh fella??? 😉 😛

 

[savanahrose]

Yep, when automatics first came out -- people were too dumb to drive them.

Now they don't even know what a clutch is. 😱

Funny how they willing fork over an extra $1000 and several MPG for an automatic, and don't even bother asking about the manual vehicles.

Some vehicles the magazines like Consumer Reports cannot even find a manual model to test, even if it is offered.

I drive a standard and love them better than automatics. But what gets me is that I thinking about trading it in and talked to a salesperson and he made a face (disgusting look) and told me flat out that they don't sell well and the trade in value is real low on them.

automatics are boring!!

 

[jeremy.king]

But what gets me is that I thinking about trading it in and talked to a salesperson and he made a face (disgusting look) and told me flat out that they don't sell well and the trade in value is real low on them.

Not if its a TDI 🙂

I also promote the biting point technique. Once you find the spot in the clutch, you'll know when to give it gas and then it becomes a muscle memory thing (unless you have been drinking😱 )

As for the comment about stalling a diesel, its works the same way as a gasser - at least my Golf TDI did - i.e. lift the clutch without "gas" and it will stall.

My favorite part of owning a clutch was the downhill start without ignition...Always fun to show the friends.

 

[MalcolmJID]

I've been learning to drive over the past 4 months.

The car I got from my Dad is a petrol, and the car I learn in is a Diesel. It makes a difference, as a petrol engine is a lot easier to stall than a diesel. When I first drove my petrol car, I stalled it 17 times in a row.

It should take 3-4 seconds after you reach a 'bite' on the clutch, to take your foot fully off the clutch pedal.

Make sure you have plenty of acceleration, around the 2/3 mark, when you slowly release the clutch and get a 'bite' - go slow, around 3 seconds from here.

My tests booked for next week 🙂

3-4 second AFTER you reach the bite? I hardly even reach 3 seconds in a whole gear change! Even starting off I'll be lucky to hit. Although recently, I've been a cool dude with the clutch...I can pretty much pull away with decent clutch/accelerator control at 1000rpm (just above idle), and my whole gear change takes about 2 seconds (and yes it's smooth, I've had compliments😉 )

 

[patrick0brien]

😛 😛 😛



Can't remember where I read about it, but just Google 'BMW ditches SMG' and there's a load of links about it.

Ironically... BMW are apparently making a manual M5 especially for you folk over the pond too... possibly time to move to a 'flatter' city 'eh fella??? 😉 😛

-iGav

y'know, I used to feel similar to a lot of folks around here about liking manual over automatic, but the driving in S.F. thing was only the first thing that started changing my mind. Another was that I read that German engineers kinda snickered at we Staters "archaic" preference for manual, your M5 comment is directly related.

So after some research, I found out why, and that compared with the higher-end modern automatics, shifting in manual is actually too slow.

Oddly enough, the final straw for me was that I recently got into a bit of a race with a Porsche Carrera 4 (not turbo - can't remember the other details as I was too busy jamming it to pay more attention). This car has greater specs than mine: HP, torque, etc. Yet I still beat him. And it was due to the fact he had a manual. He'd pull ahead when in gear, but I'd blast him during the shift.

It was right there and then I decided on the SMG.

And now I have some reading to do...