The debate about what type of car in learn to drive in came round again this week.
I took a pupil for PassPlus who had learnt to drive and passed their test with a different school and had learnt in a diesel car. Problem was she couldn’t drive my petrol car! and took about 2 hours to get used to it in a way that we could then carry on with the passplus modules.
The problem is that in a diesel car, you don’t need any gas on to be able to move the car off in most situations. In a petrol car you need to apply gas before bringing up the clutch to the biting point, before being able to move off.
Not too much difference but one that caused alot of pain for the young driver trying to get to grips with it.
Maybe only driving tests should be done in petrol cars.
If you learn to drive in a petrol car, it’s easy to pick up the technic for a diesel - but very difficult the other way round!
18/09/2008 at 02:08 pm
The correct technique for a diesel OR petrol is exactly the same.
If you learn in a diesel a decent instructor will teach you gas first
then clutch up as this gives the most controlled and smooth pull away.
So it makes no difference if you learn in a diesel and then go on to
buy a petrol once you pass your test.
You comment implies that all diesel instructors teach pupils to bring up
the clutch before applying gas. Not true, and unfair to diesel instructors
as you are seeking to alienate them in one foul swoop!
If you pull away with no gas in a diesel it’s jerky and plainly doesn’t feel
right.
So the issue is as ever…it’s not the car…it’s the instructor you choose.
29/09/2008 at 11:23 pm
I see two issues here. Firstly whether you learn in a petrol or diesel I believe that pupils should always be taught to use the gas pedal when pulling away. That will alleviate the differences between petrol and diesel. It will also encourage pupils to pull away faster when the need arises e.g. moving away at abusy roundabout can be dangerous if the pupil doesn’t move of quickly. It can be scary as an instructor to watch a pupil pull away very slowly at a roundabout only then to see a car flying around the corner, more gas from the pupil can save their lives. The second issue is this, I have always conducted pass plus lessons with my own former pupils. They have always been at a good standard before they started pass plus training. However my last pupil for pass plus came from another instructor. I was amazed they even passed their test let alone be allowed to have taken it in the first place. I would not have taken them to test at that standard!!
31/10/2008 at 11:14 am
I think the issue is probably not with the car but with the instructor. So one should be more careful about that.
12/05/2009 at 07:15 pm
Not too man diesel cars in the state. But i’ll try out this theory for myself. Thanks for the tip.
06/01/2011 at 09:49 pm
I’m inclined to agree with Michael on this issue - setting the gas before biting point is important when moving away to build up a normal driving speed, whether you be learning to drive a petrol-fuelled or diesel-fuelled vehicle.
However, it is ABSOLUTELY necessary when just creeping forwards slowly, like during a manoeuvre? Not at all - it depends on the vehicle. In my diesel Focus, no gas is required in this case, and to use any would simply be a waste of money. But I wouldn’t dream of saying to someone learning in my vehicle that this was always the case.
The good instructor would take time to explain the difference between a diesel and petrol vehicle and how they handle differently, not just when moving off, but also when selecting the appropriate gear for turning at junctions, etc. But it’s hardly the fault of the instructor every time a novice driver struggles to drive a different vehicle. As most experienced drivers will know, it can often take a few minutes to get used to driving a different vehicle, such as a hire car. I have stalled unfamiliar cars on many an occasion, whether that be because that particular car needed more gas, a lower biting point, etc. It’s inevitable that novice drivers will take that bit longer to become accustomed to another vehicle.
So should testing only be carried out in petrol cars, as the writer suggests? Not at all! Learner drivers just need instructors who explain the main differences between the two, and to accept that it can take a little while to acclimatise themselves to a different vehicle.
Ged
08/03/2011 at 09:08 am
Pretty good post. I hope you create more in the future..
28/06/2011 at 06:04 pm
That is an important point over looked by driving examiners and put to good use by many driving instructors. Often students learning in diesel cars can not switch to another driving school and are therefore disadvantaged and end up with their initial driving school even when they are not happy.
19/07/2011 at 04:48 pm
Very good topic and one that most learner driver are either unaware of or are simple interested in getting through their test. But you make a valid point that all learners should acquire this skill of moving off in a petrol car.
13/09/2011 at 04:22 pm
It is slightly easier to move off in a diesel car, so learners tend to think and get used to diesel cars while learning to drive and its only when they buy their oqwn petrol car that they find they are lacking in some driving skills, so you are better off learning in a diesel car from start.
http://www.drivingpianolessonsnelson.co.uk/driving-lessons-accrington