Licence Upgrade?
 

Hi All,

After fifteen years I finally decided to upgrade my automatic licence to a manual one as it would make it easier to hire vans etc.

Has anyone else undertaken this leap of faith?

Between last October and this Monday I took seven lessons and passed at about 9am.

It was quite different having to use my left foot for more than just jamming under the steering column.

The black art of clutch control is a little to get use to.

As seems the custom these days my instructor took a photo, I may appear in pain or constipated however it was just the combination of a brisk westerly wind and the suns rays.

Scott

Congratulations Scott on becoming a 'proper driver' haha. I don't know of anyone who's upgraded from an auto to manual, most people go 'tother way. So what's actually involved in the test as obviously you have a license to drive?

luckily I didn't have to resit a theory test or the hazard perception, just take lessons and book a test, however this could only be done over the phone as it is classed as a 'transfer' and the booking site is only geared for provisional licence holders.

Apart from that a lot of un-learning bad habits picked up through automation, mainly approaching junctions far slower than I would normally and using clutch control where an automatic would creep on its own.

Weirdest change would be that the test has parking on the wrong side of the road as a manoeuvre there is no reverse round a corner or turn in the road!

Scott

Ok, thanks for that Scott, I was curious as to what was involved in the test. I suppose it's a strange situation as it's a driving test you can't really fail, you would just have had to carry on driving autos.

It was the same as an ordinary driving test with scope to fail, keep in mind parallel parking and reversing into a bay requires a lot of clutch control, if you screw it up past the point of no return then you can rack up some points against you then only a few more needed leading to a fail.

In the great scheme of things if you need to hire an automatic car it will cost at least double that of a manual car, in some cases only large or executive cars are available for hire meaning for example my long weekend in Denmark last year I was left with only one option for my hire car an Audi A4 estate costing me more to hire than the flights and hotel combined.

Holiday in a country where automatic cars ar less common and it is far more difficult to find an automatic car to hire.

If I wanted to hire a van I cant as only manual vans are availble to hire, in simple terms at this later stage in life having only an automatic licence can become rather prohibative.

Scott

I'll plug myself in to this thread..

First of all: congratulations.

There's no fun without clutch (I say so even if I drive automatic)

Anyway..

Whilst I passed my test on manual (therefore being able to drive both), for quite a while now i was thinking of improving my skills.

Especially managing skids.

No, I'm not to become some mad drifter, I'm way too old for that (weeelll.. maybe sometimes, off road, I would). What I'm thinking is the time I had just few days ago, on A2 between Warsaw and Poznan. It was snowing. Heavily. With mere 50mph (speed limit 87mph) I did feel car drifting slightly to the sides. And yet other cars were wheezing by..

Frankly (and don't act surprised, these things happen), this was my first time driving in such conditions.
Maybe panicked isn't the right word, but stressed and tense I definitely was.

So I'm thinking of some course.

I just read trough IAM Roadsmart website, while it does sound interesting, and I may go for it for different reasons, it doesn't seem to have that training where they fit shop trolley wheels to the rear axle and set you off onto training ground.

Does anyone know where to find that?

Thanks in advance.

Well done on upgrading the license successfully.

I've so far avoided owning (except company cars) autos, you can't beat the extra control and interaction of a clutch IMO.

Like 'ThomasG', I also took my test in a manual car - way back in 1966 - so also received automatic entitlement. I've driven autos continuously since 1984 and have no need of a hire car. I was loaned a manual as a courtesy car some 10 years ago and have to admit that I forgot about the clutch at the first halt.

I too think 'rustytoba' is to be congratulated on his initiative in taking his 'manual' test. His post also strengthens the case for the compulsory retesting of all drivers say every 10 years. Cars and roads can change rapidly and dramatically in that time, and as 'rustytoba' implies, we may also have developed bad habits over the years.

Another licence anomaly concerns motorcycles. A friend passed his bike test on a Honda 50 in the late '60s, and, as far as I know, still retains the entitlement to ride the most powerful machines available. He is now in his late sixties and hasn't ridden a bike for more than 40 years! Although I know he wouldn't, some may be tempted to get on a bike after 10, 20 or more years without further training, just because their licence says they can.

Regards, John.

I've been connected with the IAM since 1978, 'ThomasG', and as far as I am aware, training such as you describe is not routinely offered. Years ago, the Derby Group organised a visit to (IIRC) Derbyshire Police's skid pan, and it is possible that you might be able to hook up to a similar visit in your area.

Regardless, I would strongly commend doing the IAM course to you. One of the best bits for me was honing my commentary driving, something I still do today, especially in difficult conditions.

Best, John.

Well worth doing an advanced course Thomas with Roadsmart or RoADAR, as John mentioned skid control is not something included in the course. If you Google 'Skid Pan Training' there is lots on offer.