'L' Plates

[hipo1024]

My girl friend wants to lean to drive before she starts her lessons....so she added to my insurence, she paying, so I dont cair lol

I have got some "stick on the windows" type L plates, do I have to remove them when Im driving or can they stay up even though Im not a learner? - just that they attract dush and other...stuff...so they wont last very long if I have to keep removing them.

Chears!
Dan

[inky160]

cant seem to find any thing under leaving them on but if you use use rigid L plates with velcro pads to attach them to the car can take them off

[Gazeddy]

technically they need to come off when your driving and the need to be off on motorway.

[James Bass]

Only learner drovers are permitted to display L plates, UNLESS you're a registered driving instructor.

[Paul A]

The magnetic ones (Halfords 6.99) are real good, the whole back is magnetic (a la fridge magnet) not like the cheapie ones from the local pound shop that just have a couple of strips.
Dead easy to just slap on and peel off.

[mickh]

I bought the daughter some when she was learning that were magnetic. Slap them on and take them off when your done,easy peasy.

[country_Est]

Magnetic ones are good, just make sure the surface is dry, bit on a problem on a slopey bonnext in the wet when I was teaching my boy to drive.

Trev

[jmc]

And they are a bit of problem on an espace

[Big Dav]

the plastic Espaces are good aren't they! new ones got steel in them 'cos they're now built by Renault!!

[jmc]

[gregster]

Just pop rivet a steel plate on the Espaces bonnet Julian...magnetic plate will stick then and it will help the frag yard magnet to pick it up when the cambelt goes and it destroys itself!
Or if you shower it regularly with grinder sparks...you will soon be able to stick the magnetic plates on everything, even on the screen! Just be ready to buy new wiper blades every fortnight!

[gregster]

Hipo....have you a spare Driving lamp cover...if not, get one of fleabay and attach the L plate to it...

Thats the front sorted...just need to ponder on the rear now...

I am kinda thinking that a towball cover mod might work...

[inky160]

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Velcro-Tape-Adhes ... 53dd5136c6

[hipo1024]

oops, better take mine down then. I have the ones that stick to the windows, well 1 does, the back 1 must of had a fight with the rear window in a previous life because it doesnt wona stick to it lol.

I have to admit that to say its the 1st time shes been out on the road (my girl friend that is) she did prity well! until a stupid coppa pulled up behind and made her nervous and stall, then he/she (trying not to be sexist) was up our trump all the way down the slip road and along the short stretch of A14 on the way home. I have to say the cops around here never seize to amaze me how bad they are at driving!

We were out for about 2 and a half hrs and she went from stalling almost even time she wanted to set off, to crying saying she cant do it and that shes rubish at everything....yarda yarda yarda. calmed her down and gave her a cudle....then we set off and as if by magic she only stalled about 3 or 4 times after that...(about 2hrs ish). So I have to say I was very proud of her! Just needs some more practice then when shes got the hang of it we can work on her gear changes to try and get them a little smoother and progress from there!! I think I'm just as exited as she is lol.

[john (smifffy)]

the only thing with leaving them on all the time is that you might get pulled over by the police

just to make sure you have a full license could get inconvenient

[Big Dav]

Hipo, are there any industrial estates you could use at weekends to assist in gear-changing manouvring practice without other traffic causing stress?

[hipo1024]

haha...fat chance of the cops giving you the tug around here...I think your lucky if you see more than 2 in a week! and that includes driving past the nik - and anyway it must be a good feeling to get pulled over and show them up! lol

We go out after she finishes work (8pm) so there isnt much trafic around. Today we used the back of the local tescos car park (its not a weekend so it wasnt full of chaves luckily, although there was plenty of tyre marks where you could see they have been drifting lol) to practive her pulling off and clutch control.

Update Report: She has prity much marstered the clutch now and can pull away almost as fast as any normal driver. Tomorrow we will focus on her gear changes, try and speed them up, and thus reduse the amount of whiplash we get lol. Generaly she can get all the gears, its just shes to slow and by the time she bring the clutch up the engine is at idle, and the car jults as the engine revs back up....mainy just practive I think, but will focus on that tomorrow.

[Spike.]

Ah I see you're suffering exactly the same behavior as I am Hipo. lol!

I've had the white knuckles gripping the steering wheel, the tears, the "I'm rubbish", "I'm don't want to do this anymore", "I just can't drive" etc etc.

My girlfrind has been learning with an instructor for over a year and he's taught her next to nothing, not even basic clutch control. He's just been teaching her lke a robot and not actually telling her why she's doing things or the effects of what she's doing.

She learned more from me in 2 hours than she's ever learned from her driving instructor. Needless to say he's been sacked!

[hipo1024]

too right, he should be sacked!! thats just plain stealing!!

I hope your girlfriend picks it up much quicker now that your teaching her!

We drove from Cambridge to Hunstanton and back last night (middle of the night in the rain), 50 to 60 mile round trip and lots of roundabouts for her to practice her gear changes on etc. and she only stalled the once and most of her gear changes up were nice and smooth, just need to marster the art of changing down smoothly. Oh and not to let stupid LGV driver get to her when they can clearly see its a learner yet insist on keeping the rear of the car dry from the heat of the front grill! He was scairing me at some points, I'm sure he was less than a ft away most of the time!! Oh and shes now had the hart attach of driving through a puddle and having the windscreen covered in water, I wasnt looking forwards at the time so I didnt see it coming and I dont know who was more shocked lol.

But apart from that she did very well, I almost fell asleep on the way back lol.

Everyone keeps telling her that if she can drive "that thing" you can drive anything, so thats boosting her confidence!

[Roo]

My Friend had the stick on ones, just keep an eye that they don't blow off, as hers did a couple of times

Cheers
Roo