What would you do

Mark1989 · 23 Jun 2018 at 07:06

So my driving instructor as had to stop teaching me as she is having spine surgery and will be off road for minium of 13 months due to surgery plus the rehab.

Now she was very apologetic etc I said health is more important, I understand.

Now here comes the bit that effects me she felt I was 98% done just needed some fine tuning on manovers and I'd be test ready.

Tricky part is I'm learning in automatic, and no I won't change to manual I did 10 hours in manual and hated it swapped to auto and loved driving and its given me the confidence.

I have my own car anyway its a seat ibiza tsi. So my brother in law, is an instructor who teaches manual I have asked if he would do the last bits in my own car to get me over fine hurdle, of course he wishes to speak to my former instructor which is fine so it's not a definite yes yet.

However in this situation would you do that or find another instructor who just does auto? My theory is all ready passed aswel

My car doesn't have the dual controls etc like an instructors car would. I have insurance on mine anyway as wife is on who has driven for over 10 years she just has to be there when I'm driving it.

Slam62 · 23 Jun 2018 at 07:56

Blimey its only learning to drive, don't think about it so much, anyone will do.

Minstadave · 23 Jun 2018 at 08:14

Slam62 said:
Blimey its only learning to drive, don't think about it so much, anyone will do.

This. Get a new instructor (any will do), finish learning, take test.

Kaeo · 23 Jun 2018 at 09:41

Just have him teach you in your car. He is trained to teach both anyway, if anything teaching auto is easier.

.:SAmSuNG:. · 23 Jun 2018 at 10:19

You are worrying about it too much mate. Just find someone to jump in your car for another lesson or 2 and go test. An auto test must be super simple.

Puzzled · 23 Jun 2018 at 10:25

Any instructor / person (with insurance) will be fine.

Nothing special about learning in an automatic, you should be way past all the physical actions of driving a car (tbh in an auto there's nothing to think about anyway) so its just road awareness / responding to other drivers etc which comes with experience.

Have a few lessons, book test, get on with life

[TW]Fox · 23 Jun 2018 at 14:00

Do it in a manual. It's not difficult and gives you far more flexibility. Buying cheap autos for example is a bad place to be. IMHO unless you have a medical issue if you can't pass a manual test you'd be safer on the bus.

Jez · 23 Jun 2018 at 14:08

[TW]Fox said:
Do it in a manual. It's not difficult and gives you far more flexibility. Buying cheap autos for example is a bad place to be. IMHO unless you have a medical issue if you can't pass a manual test you'd be safer on the bus.

This 100%.
Being able to drive a basic manual vehicle is a basic life skill. We only have autos in the house these days, but wow at the thought of not being able to physically operate a manual vehicle

[TW]Fox · 23 Jun 2018 at 14:15

Don't get me wrong I hate manual cars and drive an auto but it must be seriously limiting to not be able to drive a manual. Simple things like taking a courtesy car from a garage etc.

Jez · 23 Jun 2018 at 14:29

Or tbh far more of an annoyance, when did you last get offered the option of an automatic box Van from a rental depot when you want to move some furniture etc?

No manual license would be absolutely stupid.

jigger · 23 Jun 2018 at 14:39

Get insurance. Book test.

GeX · 23 Jun 2018 at 14:55

Jez said:
Or tbh far more of an annoyance, when did you last get offered the option of an automatic box Van from a rental depot when you want to move some furniture etc?

fwiw, I've made it to 33 and never needed to rent a box van to move furniture (I do have a manual licence though).

Jez · 23 Jun 2018 at 15:42

That seems almost impossible to me! But it is only one example. Being able to operate a manual vehicle seems like a basic life skill.

jigger · 23 Jun 2018 at 15:56

Jez said:
That seems almost impossible to me! But it is only one example. Being able to operate a manual vehicle seems like a basic life skill.

Yeah, seems strange not at least having the option to drive a manual.

Firestar_3x · 23 Jun 2018 at 16:14

Is the Ibiza tsi actually classed as having an automatic box for test and insurance purposes, or is it actually licenced as a manual?

Dr Who · 23 Jun 2018 at 16:37

Firestar_3x said:
Is the Ibiza tsi actually classed as having an automatic box for test and insurance purposes, or is it actually licenced as a manual?

What? If it doesn't have a clutch pedal and it can shift on it's own it is classed as an Auto, it isn't complicated...

Mark1989 · 23 Jun 2018 at 17:49

My wife can drive manuals so if we ever needed to rent a car / van it would be covered.

But I'm perhaps as you say over thinking it! Cheers though!

When we looked for the car, we found it easy to find a decent auto car, well I'd say a seat leon is a decent car anyway!

Rroff · 23 Jun 2018 at 17:55

Slam62 said:
Blimey its only learning to drive, don't think about it so much, anyone will do.

For a couple of lessons probably yeah. My first driving instructor was poor - swapped to another one and completely different experience the second one could really tell where I was and wasn't picking things up and how to best improve on that and wasn't just effectively running through a script and getting frustrated if I wasn't learning at his pace - the first one was obviously just doing it to a script and just moving on once he'd delivered one part of it regardless of whether I was upto speed or not.

Firestar_3x · 23 Jun 2018 at 19:03

Dr Who said:
What? If it doesn't have a clutch pedal and it can shift on it's own it is classed as an Auto, it isn't complicated...

It can be, because i seem to recall some DSG cars are actually registered as manual.

Dr Who · 23 Jun 2018 at 20:08

Firestar_3x said:
It can be, because i seem to recall some DSG cars are actually registered as manual.

If they are then it is a mistake, ALL DSG cars are classed as Automatics in the UK. If the V5 says manual then it needs to go back to the DVLA for correction.