Driving test!

wilkobob · Post by **wilkobob** » 25 May 2005, 05:01

good luck

jeremy · Post by **jeremy** » 30 May 2005, 11:54

He's probably been celebrating!
Jeremy

vanny · Post by **vanny** » 30 May 2005, 14:25

ActivaV6 PASSED his theory test! He's been busy all weekend, satrday he was clening his Activa and sunday he brought it to the FCS where it was put on a rolling road and getting stupid figures!

ActivaV6uk · Post by **ActivaV6uk** » 30 May 2005, 22:48

Yes I passed, and it was a high pass with 70 points on the hazards (over clicked on the first one so had that one dropped (so i could have had a 100% score with that one too!) and 34/35 on the multi guess section. i have to say that i dont believe in my self much but those are stonking results, as of tomorrow i'm in an intensive cause with luck i will then get my practical test soon, i will teel you all what happens. (please note that if your in the redditch/birmingham area you are advised to get life insurence ASAP!)
Best wishes all and thanks for your suport!
Andy

oilyspanner · Post by **oilyspanner** » 31 May 2005, 00:33

Well done and good luck.
Stewart

Paulmi16 · Post by **Paulmi16** » 31 May 2005, 12:57

Well done, and good luck for the second episode.
Paul.

ActivaV6uk · Post by **ActivaV6uk** » 31 May 2005, 16:59

Ok first 2 hours in a car for a while, In my onpinion not good, the instructor thinks i can pass with in the time it takes to get a test date. these were my problems...
Didnt check the rear mirror enough, always tried to pull away in seccond unless totaly parked up (this i have to say i havnet had a problem with in the past as the cars have had more than enough torque and evne this car didnt compain but still...) sat to far back when weighting for trafic to clear (i think this comes from driving a BX DTR estate ware you needed slightly more room to do things)...
the main problem will be the mirrors, the gears I will have to just try and remember that this car can actualy drive in 1st under 15mph
Will post every day to tell people how its going!
Andy

Kowalski · Post by **Kowalski** » 31 May 2005, 17:48

There are two schools of thought on the pulling away in second thing.
There are those who will tell you that first gear is just to get the car roling, once roling you should be out of first. This is a bit of a throwback to gearboxes that didn't handle the torque of first gear very well and the fact that first didn't always have synchromesh on it.
Then there are those who will tell you not to slip your clutch except in first gear. You can do a lot of damage to a gearbox by sticking it in top gear, opening the throttle fully and dropping the clutch...
Personally, I'm somewhere between the two. If the car is going fast enough to idle in 2nd gear, I'll use second gear. If the car will go into first (it won't always happily go in if you're moving) I'll use first.

jeremy · Post by **jeremy** » 31 May 2005, 19:39

the driving test is a test to show that you know how to drive a car in the approved manner rather than in the way you will undoubtably drive it after a few months. This is the same for all sorts of practical test - eg for a forklift you must use the handbrake every time you change direction or adjust the forks. In reality you will probably never use the thing again except for parking but those are the rules.
Very rarely will I move a car off on the level in anything other than first as sadly I have to pay for my own clutch repairs and the more its slipped the quicker it will wear. I would have expected driving test approved practice to be to move off in first at all times except possibly down a steep hill. At least you now have synchro first and not crawler straight cut non synchro firsts and there isn't the temptation to use second all the time.
Jeremy

ActivaV6uk · Post by **ActivaV6uk** » 01 Jun 2005, 17:58

Hours 3-4
Ok so day 2, this time doing manoeuvres (reverse around a corner, and turn in the road (3point turn). both completed fine after having to remove my seat belt while reversing round a corner due to being 6ft9 and in a Corsa. the good news is that that means I just need to do an emergency stop and parallel park and I have all the hard bits nailed.
Issues from yesterday, I spent some time yesterday thinking about the lessons and the fact that often I was doing signal, vision and then manoeuvre. So I have spent my time imagining coming up to a junction looking well in advance then signalling slowing down and then turning. It actually was worth doing to day 50% of the time I looked and followed the procedure perfectly, and for the first hour I even checked my rear mirror every 3-4 seconds. I think this will now be a case of thinking about it and practice makes perfect.
The instructor has now said that if I am happier to do engine breaking as well as conventional breaking I can so this gets rid of one issue that being putting my clutch down and costing into junctions/stops.
the instructor also said that I was far to hard on my self after not driving for 3 years yesterday I got into a car and drove fine and he still hasn’t had to interfere with my driving once (in any way other than verbally getting me to drive closer to curbs when on a wide road (I’m a line hugger).
Update tomorrow, I have to go and transfer some cash so I can pay for my test and get it booked ASAP.
Andy

Oscar Too · Post by **Oscar Too** » 01 Jun 2005, 18:47

It took me four attempts to pass my test, and I must say I'm glad - I became a much better driver between test 1 and 4. I think I'd have been more dangerous had I passed on test 1. You're doing the right thing in visualising the correct sequence of events and manoeuvres, it will reinforce the learning and the very precise manner of behaviour that the test demands. Good luck.

vanny · Post by **vanny** » 01 Jun 2005, 22:18

So does this mean im in the minority of 'one hit one wonder' class? both the theory (100%) and the test where passed 4 years ago (im only a baby) AND i have no points or anything! I'm special!
Are you hugging onto any other bad habbits Andy? Booting it through long corners for example? I think i'd be hard pressed to pass my test these days, you really do have to drive like a learner!

oilyspanner · Post by **oilyspanner** » 02 Jun 2005, 00:00

You young folks, two parts to the test........It was a bloody sight less complicated in my day, the only drama in my test was when the horse fell ill, my license is on parchment[:D]
Stewart

Post by **RichardW** » 02 Jun 2005, 02:32

No, I'm a first timer too. In my Dad's Visa Super E that I also learnt in - the same car both my Sisters also learnt in and passed their test in first time - and which had done close to 100k of Isle of Wight miles by the time my younger sister got to it, and the synchro on 2nd was getting close to non existant.... Double declutching, madam?
Good luck Andy - remember you are learning to pass the test - learning to drive comes later!

ActivaV6uk · Post by **ActivaV6uk** » 02 Jun 2005, 16:51

What’s annoying is that if I had taken my test some 9 years ago when I first had the chance I would have only had the single test rather than the 2 + 1 45min practical test.
So day 3
More manoeuvres, this time parallel park and reveres bay parking... so bay parking I’m useless at (until I adjusted my seating position again) and the parallel (the bit I have always been worried about) I can do perfectly time and time again!
today was the first time I saw the instructor worried, I was coming in on 50mph road works and because the wipers are utterly useless hadn’t, I spotted all the stationary traffic, until the car in front started breaking more heavily and I virtually had to do an emergency stop so avoid the traffic (so I can do an emergency stop too) while he took his hand off the dash board I apologised but he cant have been that worried because he didn’t use the duel controls...
at the end of 6 hours of driving I have to say I'm more confidant but my observation is still down and I do tend to expect the worst when coming in on a hazard (like the lorry reversing into the main road I stopped for, apparently I should have over taken it instead of coming to a comfortable stop some way behind it and setting of with it when it drove off..).
I have to say all in all I’m not finding it much fun and I’m getting slightly stressed while driving so that cant be a good sign either.
I wish I had taken my test when I was down south I would have nailed it so easily!
Hope every one is doing well, it’s nice to read peoples thoughts and comments. "Good luck Andy - remember you are learning to pass the test - learning to drive comes later!" is something I was told some 8+ years ago and its still true! Thanks for all your continuing support guys it’s much appreciated!
Andy