Driving school lessons in a diesel car?

[bluey]

Been teaching the daughter to drive in the manual diesel Polo. Making good progress. Most of her friends seem to be clocking hours in autos. Apparently, people don't buy manuals much these days.

With the modern requirements for learners clocking loads of hours (100 in Qld), there's no way she'd be doing a lot of that in a driving school car. But I presume she's better off having her test in a dual control driving school car.

Seems a shame to have to relearn the characteristics of a modern petrol engined car, with all the revs they need to get going.

So wondering if there are any driving schools out there with manual diesel cars in Brisbane??? (Can't find anything so far in the yellow pages or google)

[Guest001]

Been teaching the daughter to drive in the manual diesel Polo. Making good progress. Most of her friends seem to be clocking hours in autos. Apparently, people don't buy manuals much these days.

With the modern requirements for learners clocking loads of hours (100 in Qld), there's no way she'd be doing a lot of that in a driving school car. But I presume she's better off having her test in a dual control driving school car.

Seems a shame to have to relearn the characteristics of a modern petrol engined car, with all the revs they need to get going.

So wondering if there are any driving schools out there with manual diesel cars in Brisbane??? (Can't find anything so far in the yellow pages or google)

Probably wont hurt to do a few hours in a different car as she wont always be driving the one car.

Is always best to do a bit with an instructor before going for her test to iron out Mum or Dads bad habits anyway.

No offence but we are all worlds best drivers till we go for a run with someone else LOL

[yowie]

As you will probably be aware, driving school hours have a discount factor in accruing the 100 logged hours, so a few hours there will save you time.
I agree 100% about sourcing a school to get some basics under your belt.
I wouldnt use any of the schools we had though, cant recall names, but we went with the cheapest and got what we paid for.

Having a manual license and being aware of diesel-petrol and manual-auto is good for future ownership flexibility. Just means the learned driver has to add those in their pre-drive mental cockpit check. (What car is this? Manual or auto? Diesel or petrol? Rear-wheel drive or front? ABS or non-ABS? etc) while they are checking seat and mirror positions. Not hard and good general orientation in my view, they may go on to a scooter, boat or truck license. Who knows what will be built on those foundations.

I think the 100 hours requirement has taken the pressure off driving schools to get people skilled up in the least number of lessons. So the quality of instruction or the amount of information passed on in one lesson may slip. I dont think there is any magic in using a school car for the test anymore. Just put two kids through in our old Golf, both got it first go. Its an auto by accident of what was available. I think picking your Department registry might have more to do with it. Those inner city or unfamiliar centres, and peak hour testing may add to the pressure.

We got all our hours up in two long holiday drives. Not recommended. Kangaroo at dusk and hours of sitting trying to remember you are driving from the passenger seat are recent memories.
Have fun.

[gldgti]

I wouldnt be concerned about using a driving school car for the test at all. By the time the test comes around the learner should be more than proficient anyway, and it will be much better that they do the test in the car they are most used to.

I tought my wife to drive.... took a long time as it was largely inconvenient to do practice, and I'm also a pretty hard taskmaster. As it turned out she passed with flying colours... Also, she never had any 'professional lessons' but me being only 10 years out from getting my own license, I hadnt forgotten it all like I might have done by the time I've got kids that are old enough to learn (if we are still driving cars then anyway!)

Also, the RTA tester commented that she had never been in a mk1 cabriolet before

[kaanage]

Since she is going for a manual licence, then the biggest issue may the (relative) lack of take off torque in the testing petrol engined car - it'd be much easier to stall one of these than a Polo 1.9 Tdi like ours.

Down here, I knew of an instructor who had a diesel Gemini (anyone else remember those?)

[Jarred]

I've actually seen one or two old diesel gemini's.

I would check with the RTA in QLD, but I'm pretty sure she would be able to sit the test in a 'private' car.

Giving her experience in some different cars (where possible) would be beneficial for learning (It was for me - learning to transfer driving skills in different environment) in my opinion atleast.

As mentioned, it probaly wouldn't hurt to have a few lessons pre-test, mainly to make sure she knows what to expect when she actually does the test, and can practice parking manueves etc, and knows what the testors will be looking out for.

[Mysticality]

When I was learning to drive, I was in my mum's '06 Rio 1.6ltr 4spd auto sedan, dad's '06 Santa Fe 2ltr CRDi 5spd auto AWD and then my '07 Rio 1.4ltr 5spd manual wagon... Sort of got the best of both worlds.
Technology galore in the AWD, and power steering in my little manual.

There's nothing like a tiny petrol engine to teach you how to use power.

[Guest001]

When I was learning to drive, I was in my mum's '06 Rio 1.6ltr 4spd auto sedan, dad's '06 Santa Fe 2ltr CRDi 5spd auto AWD and then my '07 Rio 1.4ltr 5spd manual wagon... Sort of got the best of both worlds.
Technology galore in the AWD, and power steering in my little manual.

There's nothing like a tiny petrol engine to teach you how to use power.

I learned to drive in my Fathers milk truck a 1954 Bedford 1 1/2 tonner.
Bloody cop took me up a hill on my test and I had to apply handbrake. Unfortunately at 15 wasnt strong enough to release it after truck rolled back on it a bit. Was a bit embarrassing but cop was Ok and did it for me but then made reverse down and around a tight corner that then went up hill ( like the top half of a Y) Got the licence luckily.
Also made my son go for his in a manual as if went in an auto thats all you could drive.

[Idle]

My, how things have changed.

I never did a licence test at all — could drive round the farm from the age of about 8 (had to stand up -- couldn't reach the pedals from the seat.)

Car was a 1923 Dodge 4 -- could be started in gear if left on the flat or pointed downhill and t'was easier to shift gears without the clutch than with it, also the handbrake worked better than the foot pedal.

Was in the local town one day doing the weekly shopping when buttonholed by the local gendarme who said "You must be 18 by now -- come up to the station and give me five bob, I'll give you a licence and then you won't have to park out by the saleyards and walk in. (this was during WW2, Pop was in the Army and I was running the farm single-handed, which of course the cop knew.)

Several years later I got a motorcycle licence in another country town -- test consisted of going down to the end of the block, doing a u-turn and coming back while the cop leaned on his front gate and watched me.

It was a different world.

[bluey]

Giving her experience in some different cars (where possible) would be beneficial for learning (It was for me - learning to transfer driving skills in different environment) in my opinion at least.

Agree 100% that it is useful to gain experience in different vehicles. But I think one can do that at any time after getting a licence.

I'm thinking the hardest part is basic car control in a manual transmission and the second hardest part is traffic awareness. When one has time and confidence with those, then branching out into other vehicles is not so much of a burden.

[bluey]

So after clocking up her 100 hours before having a paid lesson, she decides to sit her test on Xmas eve with one lesson the Saturday before as a dry run. She had her lesson in our car.

The lesson threw her off a bit, because the instructor told her to do some things she wasn't used to and in part don't make sense.
a. reversing with two hands on the wheel
b. always changing down to third when stopping

So, she did her test in the Polo diesel and passed, yay! Pinged 2 non-critical driving errors for "clutch coasting", because she has been taught to put her foot on the clutch when stopping before the engine gets down to idle speed, or it will stall. She said she didn't put her foot on the clutch until 1000rpm (idle 900-950), in 3rd.

Afterwards, I did more reading. Queensland's "Q-Safe" testing program has a manual describing the testing criteria. Google found a pdf copy of the manual. One of the criteria for "clutch coasting" - "Coasts with clutch depressed for a duration of
between three and five seconds.". I think the examiner misinterpreted the clutch coasting being unfamiliar with a diesel.

The Q-Safe manual clearly states driving with one hand on the wheel is acceptable when reversing.

So, with the benefit of hindsight, I'd say one needs a copy of the Q-Safe manual from day one and no driving instructor lessons would be required.

BTW, talking to my partner, we both agree that driving a manual seems better for driving concentration and awareness. Wonder if any proper studies have been done...

[gldgti]

Good job!

I taught my wife to drive in the cabby (which ofcourse is manual and diesel) and apart form the tester commenting that she'd never tested anyone in a mk1 cabby, she passed without a hitch (no 'professional' lessons either).

I was always of the firm opinion that it would be better to teach to the letter of the book, with some good old fashioned commonsense thrown in, than to employ a driving instructor/school who may or may not instill good and bad habits. (When I was learning to drive my parents got me 2 lessons with an instructor in the week before my test, which only served to make me nervous and he called into question habits my parents had tried hard to instil upon me, rightly or otherwise).

Now 12 months on from my wife getting her license, she drives with purpose, awareness/alertness, and is a better driver than many of my family members are who have way more experience but only drive auto's.

I think it helps!

[jets]

BTW, talking to my partner, we both agree that driving a manual seems better for driving concentration and awareness.

And far more satisfying with more involvement. Before we bought our Polo we both drove a late model Polo auto & both disliked the experience.

[bluey]

Have rented a few Audis over the years with DSG. Generally, the DSG boxes do a pretty good job of changing where a human would in Sport mode. Only noticed the occasional bad/snatchy change. Every other auto I have driven, seems that I'm fiddling with the levers and buttons to try to get it into the right gear.

[Skooter]

Too many years in an underpowered Holden Apollo Executive (the only 16 valve Toyota motor with a carburettor??!!) and automatic. Great for lazy peak hour stuff, but the 6-speed manual Octavia Scout is just fabuleux - throw in a very grunty 2.0 TDI and I'm in heaven.

Been reading a few DSG woes in the Skoda/Octavia thread and I'm so glad I have this slick little 6-speed Manuel (he's from Barcelona )