ender4 Posted March 13, 2012 Share Posted March 13, 2012 is it best to get someone to show me the basics before I actually start having lessons (because I literally dont have a clue) or is it best to just jump straight into it with the proper instructer? also how many lessons does it normally take before you are ready for your test and how much do they normally cost all together? straight to instructor. don't get bad habits from friends/relatives. somewhere between 20-40 lessons, depending on your skill at learning. took me 28 lessons. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BOF Posted March 13, 2012 Moderator Share Posted March 13, 2012 don't get bad habits from friends/relatives. You would (like to) think that someone who is teaching someone else to drive would be able to teach them the right way to do things and not just their own ways. That can come later in the advanced class Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Voinjama Posted March 13, 2012 Share Posted March 13, 2012 I passed when I was 21 second time. Toook me a while to get the hang of things, but eventually I got used to it. Need to do some refresher lessons though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stevo985 Posted March 13, 2012 VT Supporter Share Posted March 13, 2012 don't get bad habits from friends/relatives. You would (like to) think that someone who is teaching someone else to drive would be able to teach them the right way to do things and not just their own ways. That can come later in the advanced class Plus I don't think Leemond was on about having proper lessons with a non-instructor, just learning the very basics, such as actually making the car move. I don't think you'd be in much danger of picking up bad habits for those things. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Si. Posted March 13, 2012 Share Posted March 13, 2012 Im currently learning...had about 20 lessons or so but now starting to get sick of my driving instructor. He has no patience whatsoever. I had a lesson earlier I made 1 mistake n he was on my back which lowerd my confidence, which resulted in numerous mistakes after. On the plus side he does really want me to suceed. I think he wants me to so much he loses his patience when I make silly mistakes and for the first 15 or so lessons he was brilliant. I really dont know if to stick with him because ive had 20 lessons or start again with a new instructor. If i get a new one it feels like ive thrown £400 down the drain, as the new instructor might start me from the begining or teach me in a different way. Anybody been in this situation before? Pieface is this similar to the situation you was in? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
villaajax Posted March 13, 2012 Share Posted March 13, 2012 I passed second time, would have been first time if it wasn't for that dodgy Renault I had to drive, the handbrake alarm came on when it was all the way off! That car was horrible, one night when I was having a lesson, my instructor took me onto a dual carriageway which was very poorly lit so I had to put the headlights on full beam so I pulled the switch back, nothing happened, tried again, still nothing, then again and this time the headlights switched off completely! driving near 70 miles per hour down a dark dual carriageway with no lights on. I didn't really get on with my driving instructor either, he tries to beat driving into you rather than teach it and one time he even made me drive to Basingstoke! *shudder* Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thetrees Posted March 13, 2012 Share Posted March 13, 2012 I remember my first lesson, I was pretty much hitting the curb on one side of the road and then when trying to straighten up, hitting the curb on the other side of the road Luckily no other drivers were about. Did you curb your habit and stop hitting the kerb? :winkold: Sorry, i couldn't resist Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PieFacE Posted March 13, 2012 VT Supporter Share Posted March 13, 2012 Anybody been in this situation before? Pieface is this similar to the situation you was in? My situation was nearly the same, rather then 20 lessons it was more like 10. I have to say it was the best thing I could have done. I didnt find my new instructor went over things i'd already learnt unless he knew I weren't good enough at them. How close do you feel you are to taking a test? If you feel you're only 50% there then it could be worth getting a new instructor. If it's more like, 85%, then may be worth just sticking with it. There's nothing worse then not liking the person trying to teach you something, it will result in you not wanting to learn from them, or more importantly, not wanting to learn at all. I hated my instructor so much I gave it a year before I could face another .... I wish I had of just changed instantly with hindsight. I remember my first lesson, I was pretty much hitting the curb on one side of the road and then when trying to straighten up, hitting the curb on the other side of the road Luckily no other drivers were about. Did you curb your habit and stop hitting the kerb? :winkold: Sorry, i couldn't resist Doh! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Si. Posted March 13, 2012 Share Posted March 13, 2012 Anybody been in this situation before? Pieface is this similar to the situation you was in? My situation was nearly the same, rather then 20 lessons it was more like 10. I have to say it was the best thing I could have done. I didnt find my new instructor went over things i'd already learnt unless he knew I weren't good enough at them. How close do you feel you are to taking a test? If you feel you're only 50% there then it could be worth getting a new instructor. If it's more like, 85%, then may be worth just sticking with it. There's nothing worse then not liking the person trying to teach you something, it will result in you not wanting to learn from them, or more importantly, not wanting to learn at all. I hated my instructor so much I gave it a year before I could face another .... I wish I had of just changed instantly with hindsight. To be honest id say about 50%. So it is probably worth getting a new one. I actually dread having lessons with him and as you said, its going to result in me not wanting to learn and im obviously going to learn more if I enjoy it. Thanks for your input mate Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mjmooney Posted March 14, 2012 VT Supporter Share Posted March 14, 2012 Took me four goes, possibly because I left it late - didn't learn to drive until my early 30s. I was fine on the lessons - I enjoyed the driving, and the instructor said I was basically there - but when I got to the first test, I was so nervous I couldn't control the car as my legs were shaking so much. Utter disaster. Second test was much the same. Third time I managed to control my nerves and did much better, and only failed narrowly. Then I sacked my instructor (who was a pretty laid back older bloke), and got a young guy who was more drill-sergeant like. It was what I needed, it made me remember the things I should and shouldn't do - passed the test fine. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bazdavies79 Posted March 14, 2012 Share Posted March 14, 2012 I'm one of those people that actually enjoyed learning, found it dead easy. Passed no problem, no nerves, no big deal. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stevo985 Posted March 14, 2012 VT Supporter Share Posted March 14, 2012 I passed second time. First time I failed with 3 minors and 1 major. The major was "going through a gap that wasn't wide enough" I still don't know what incident he was referring to. And seeing as i apparently got through this gap unscathed, I fail to see how it could have been too narrow. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mjmooney Posted March 14, 2012 VT Supporter Share Posted March 14, 2012 I'm one of those people that actually enjoyed learning, found it dead easy. Passed no problem, no nerves, no big deal.That was what was strange about me. I enjoyed the learning, too. I was relaxed and confident in lessons. It was just doing the test I went to pieces. Which was weird, as I was always cool as a cucumber in (written) exams, even if I hadn't revised. I think it was because it was the first time in my life I'd ever been tested on something practical, under observation, in real time. I found it totally unnerving for some reason. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GarethRDR Posted March 14, 2012 Share Posted March 14, 2012 The major was "going through a gap that wasn't wide enough" I still don't know what incident he was referring to. And seeing as i apparently got through this gap unscathed, I fail to see how it could have been too narrow. Giggity. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BOF Posted March 14, 2012 Moderator Share Posted March 14, 2012 The major was "going through a gap that wasn't wide enough" I still don't know what incident he was referring to. And seeing as i apparently got through this gap unscathed, I fail to see how it could have been too narrow. Giggity. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KevMur Posted March 14, 2012 Share Posted March 14, 2012 Best advice I was given prior to my test. 1. Always look in your mirrors. 2. Tell no one when you're doing it (the test, that is). I passed it first time. It was on a Friday, I was flying to Australia the following Monday, on a 12-month visa. So there was a little pressure. But it all worked out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VamosMiAstonVilla Posted March 15, 2012 Share Posted March 15, 2012 How many lesson will it take if you've never driven before and don't have access to drives someone else's car about? Do you not find driving to be expensive? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
djdabush Posted March 15, 2012 Share Posted March 15, 2012 How many lesson will it take if you've never driven before and don't have access to drives someone else's car about? Do you not find driving to be expensive? It depends on how quickly you pick it up and obviously whether you pass the first time. I was in exactly that position and passed in about 25 lessons, my fiancée has had over 50 and still is nowhere near taking her test. Again, getting a good instructor is key, especially if you can't practice in someone's car you know. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheDon Posted March 15, 2012 Share Posted March 15, 2012 I passed first time... just about. 15 minors, one mores a fail. My test went perfectly up until my manoeuvre, I had 0 minors and then I got asked to do a turn in the road, which is by far the easiest manoeuvre, and I **** it up. Ended up doing it in 5 rather than 3 because I **** up on the first reverse and didn't get close enough to the kerb for fear of hitting it. After that I started over thinking everything, and **** up the basics. Driving is easy if you don't think too hard about it, it's when you start trying to micromanage everything that you get overwhelmed and start **** ****. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Si. Posted March 16, 2012 Share Posted March 16, 2012 Took the advice and binned my instructor. Now on the lookout for a new one in the Stourbridge area. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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