Your worst stalls
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I've never had any completely catastrophic stalls, but I have had a few embarrassing ones. The worst of these was when I was just about to pull away from a crossroads towards the end of a lesson - my instructor said something along the lines of "You've done really well today, and you haven't stalled once," (the previous lesson I'd stalled loads and my confidence had got shot to pieces). No prizes for guessing what happened, or why it was so ironic 
I stalled this morning in rush hour, right at the front of a traffic light.
What's worse is that I have a new car which is VERY different to my old car. In the old one you could just turn the ignition again quickly and it would be almost like you didn't stall. But in this car I seem to have to put the handbrake on, turn the ignition fully off, then turn it again.
Obviously by this time the lights had changed back to red and I had a lot of angry drivers behind me.
What's worse is that I have a new car which is VERY different to my old car. In the old one you could just turn the ignition again quickly and it would be almost like you didn't stall. But in this car I seem to have to put the handbrake on, turn the ignition fully off, then turn it again.
Obviously by this time the lights had changed back to red and I had a lot of angry drivers behind me.
Two spring to mind :P both within about 3 months of passing. Passed in a diesel and was driving a petrol so took some getting used to!
The first was in the middle of the high street in my town. I'm not sure how I managed it but I stalled and rolled back down the hill. Couldn't work out what was happening and brain didn't engage to tell me to brake to stop moving backwards! Luckily it was late evening so no cars about, just teenagers laughing at me
The second was at McDonalds.... I placed my order at the machine thing you speak into and went to drive off and stalled ... a total of 4 times. Queue of cars behind me. When I finally got round to the window to pay the guy laughed and asked how long I'd been driving for! My brother was in the car with me (typical 16 y/o saying how he could've done better, that I was embarassing etc.!) which didn't help! Had a whhheyyy every time I stalled!
Don't think I've stalled since then and I've been driving about 4 and a half years!
The first was in the middle of the high street in my town. I'm not sure how I managed it but I stalled and rolled back down the hill. Couldn't work out what was happening and brain didn't engage to tell me to brake to stop moving backwards! Luckily it was late evening so no cars about, just teenagers laughing at me
The second was at McDonalds.... I placed my order at the machine thing you speak into and went to drive off and stalled ... a total of 4 times. Queue of cars behind me. When I finally got round to the window to pay the guy laughed and asked how long I'd been driving for! My brother was in the car with me (typical 16 y/o saying how he could've done better, that I was embarassing etc.!) which didn't help! Had a whhheyyy every time I stalled!
Don't think I've stalled since then and I've been driving about 4 and a half years!
Original post by SpottedZebra
Luckily didn't cause a crash, but made me realise....the whole thing's a learning curve, you carry on learning way past when you pass your test
Luckily didn't cause a crash, but made me realise....the whole thing's a learning curve, you carry on learning way past when you pass your test
Lol yes this!
When I passed I wasn't very confident driving without my instructor, and I was still making loads of mistakes. But then it gradually gets better. My parents still make mistakes occasionally!
Original post by GooglyEyedMonster
The second was at McDonalds.... I placed my order at the machine thing you speak into and went to drive off and stalled ... a total of 4 times. Queue of cars behind me. When I finally got round to the window to pay the guy laughed and asked how long I'd been driving for! My brother was in the car with me (typical 16 y/o saying how he could've done better, that I was embarassing etc.!) which didn't help! Had a whhheyyy every time I stalled!
Don't think I've stalled since then and I've been driving about 4 and a half years!
The second was at McDonalds.... I placed my order at the machine thing you speak into and went to drive off and stalled ... a total of 4 times. Queue of cars behind me. When I finally got round to the window to pay the guy laughed and asked how long I'd been driving for! My brother was in the car with me (typical 16 y/o saying how he could've done better, that I was embarassing etc.!) which didn't help! Had a whhheyyy every time I stalled!
Don't think I've stalled since then and I've been driving about 4 and a half years!
This is one of the benefits of having a car- you don't even have to get out of it to get a Mc Donalds. I <3 the drive through
(Even though it is a bit annoying because the service window thing is so high up when you have a small car)the stall which sticks into my mind is the one i did on my test! but the examiner said it was nerves and i controlled it well, and he passed me first time so i didnt really care :P
Original post by GooglyEyedMonster
Two spring to mind :P both within about 3 months of passing. Passed in a diesel and was driving a petrol so took some getting used to!
The first was in the middle of the high street in my town. I'm not sure how I managed it but I stalled and rolled back down the hill. Couldn't work out what was happening and brain didn't engage to tell me to brake to stop moving backwards! Luckily it was late evening so no cars about, just teenagers laughing at me
The second was at McDonalds.... I placed my order at the machine thing you speak into and went to drive off and stalled ... a total of 4 times. Queue of cars behind me. When I finally got round to the window to pay the guy laughed and asked how long I'd been driving for! My brother was in the car with me (typical 16 y/o saying how he could've done better, that I was embarassing etc.!) which didn't help! Had a whhheyyy every time I stalled!
Don't think I've stalled since then and I've been driving about 4 and a half years!
The first was in the middle of the high street in my town. I'm not sure how I managed it but I stalled and rolled back down the hill. Couldn't work out what was happening and brain didn't engage to tell me to brake to stop moving backwards! Luckily it was late evening so no cars about, just teenagers laughing at me
The second was at McDonalds.... I placed my order at the machine thing you speak into and went to drive off and stalled ... a total of 4 times. Queue of cars behind me. When I finally got round to the window to pay the guy laughed and asked how long I'd been driving for! My brother was in the car with me (typical 16 y/o saying how he could've done better, that I was embarassing etc.!) which didn't help! Had a whhheyyy every time I stalled!
Don't think I've stalled since then and I've been driving about 4 and a half years!
Lol the McDonald's thing must have been quite embarrassing, but I couldn't help but laugh while reading it!
Posted from TSR Mobile
I stalled just as I turned into a junction which was a very steep hill and a narrow road. I had a bus stuck behind me, a couple cars stopped just up the road I had turned into, the bus was blocking the road I was turning off from which had stopped cars in both directions. Ughhhh, I still cringe thinking about it, it took a good 5 minutes to sort out ahaha oh dear!
As a learner, I drove with my dad down to the post office to collect my AS exam results a few years ago.
Now, being a learner, stressed, scared and a bit tired (hadn't slept the night before), it caused me to stall on a mini roundabout. Not once, or twice, or even three times. Six. six full times on the same roundabout, at about 8.30 in a town (therefore I got lots of blaring horns as people rushed to work; I wanted to break down and cry). Anyway, it turned out I'd put the car in 3rd and hadn't noticed, hence the continuous stalling.
Horrific. It wasn't even on a hill, just me being terrible.
Needless to say, I got my dad to drive home...
Now, being a learner, stressed, scared and a bit tired (hadn't slept the night before), it caused me to stall on a mini roundabout. Not once, or twice, or even three times. Six. six full times on the same roundabout, at about 8.30 in a town (therefore I got lots of blaring horns as people rushed to work; I wanted to break down and cry). Anyway, it turned out I'd put the car in 3rd and hadn't noticed, hence the continuous stalling.
Horrific. It wasn't even on a hill, just me being terrible.
Needless to say, I got my dad to drive home...
I stalled 4 times on my first test because I didn't realise the car was in 3rd. Oops.
Original post by GooglyEyedMonster
Two spring to mind :P both within about 3 months of passing. Passed in a diesel and was driving a petrol so took some getting used to!
The first was in the middle of the high street in my town. I'm not sure how I managed it but I stalled and rolled back down the hill. Couldn't work out what was happening and brain didn't engage to tell me to brake to stop moving backwards! Luckily it was late evening so no cars about, just teenagers laughing at me
The second was at McDonalds.... I placed my order at the machine thing you speak into and went to drive off and stalled ... a total of 4 times. Queue of cars behind me. When I finally got round to the window to pay the guy laughed and asked how long I'd been driving for! My brother was in the car with me (typical 16 y/o saying how he could've done better, that I was embarassing etc.!) which didn't help! Had a whhheyyy every time I stalled!
Don't think I've stalled since then and I've been driving about 4 and a half years!
The first was in the middle of the high street in my town. I'm not sure how I managed it but I stalled and rolled back down the hill. Couldn't work out what was happening and brain didn't engage to tell me to brake to stop moving backwards! Luckily it was late evening so no cars about, just teenagers laughing at me
The second was at McDonalds.... I placed my order at the machine thing you speak into and went to drive off and stalled ... a total of 4 times. Queue of cars behind me. When I finally got round to the window to pay the guy laughed and asked how long I'd been driving for! My brother was in the car with me (typical 16 y/o saying how he could've done better, that I was embarassing etc.!) which didn't help! Had a whhheyyy every time I stalled!
Don't think I've stalled since then and I've been driving about 4 and a half years!
Haha I work at McDonald's and almost always work drive thru, weather I'm outside taking orders or inside taking orders or cash or handing you your food, and I have to admit I can't help but do a little giggle every time someone stalls
I've never had a proper bad stall, but I hated the one I did right at the start of my test. And failed because of it, just did a proper panic ahh it was horrible
I also stalled in the hour before my second test, at the front of some road works traffic lights.
When I first started, I also always used to stall in exactly the same place every week without fail
On my second lesson my nana was round at my house, and wanted to see me drive, I stalled about 5 times outside my house
Posted from TSR Mobile
Was out in a dual-control hire car, a 1.2 petrol Ford. I was used to my instructors' 1.6 diesels, and so the gears were so much higher and I was 1-2 gears higher than I would normally drive. Pulled up at a roundabout. Stalled. Cars arrived at another two of the entrances to the roundabout, waiting for me, and I stalled again about 3 more times. Finally managed to get away with spinning, screeching wheels and high revs. Got to the other side, realised I was trying to set away in 3rd.
Every good lesson I had without fail I would drive perfectly the whole hour, drive home and then stop the car at my house, put the handbrake on and forget to put the car in neutral so it'd stall. That mistake must've accounted for about 50% of all my stalls over 40 lessons, had to be the most annoying thing!! I also have my 'dreaded' traffic lights that I stall at every single time I have to wait on them changing
Never stalled once on my test though and I passed first time which shows even the worst stallers (like myself) can improve so much!
Never stalled once on my test though and I passed first time which shows even the worst stallers (like myself) can improve so much!
(edited 11 years ago)
My worst one was going up this fairly steep hill. At the time, I didn't realise that there was a problem with the spark plugs (?) for some of my gears.
On the level approach, the car was doing fine. I was on 4th gear going at 30mph. Soon as I started to climb, I noticed the car struggling, so I put it down to 3rd, and this was when it went even worse! It won't even go past 10mph, when it normally did (I've been on this hill many times in this car before), and I wasn't quick enough to gear down again, so I stalled. Fortunately, there was still a bit of distance with the car behind.
So I started the car again, and when I attempted going from 1st to 2nd, my car suddenly stalled, and when it started rolling back, the car behind was VERY close. I had to slam the brakes. Result: a chorus of beeping from the queue behind me!
When I got back on a level, I eventually realised there was a problem with second gear, when the car won't go past 5mph when in 2nd. I had to rev it up so much and go up to third gear.
On the level approach, the car was doing fine. I was on 4th gear going at 30mph. Soon as I started to climb, I noticed the car struggling, so I put it down to 3rd, and this was when it went even worse! It won't even go past 10mph, when it normally did (I've been on this hill many times in this car before), and I wasn't quick enough to gear down again, so I stalled. Fortunately, there was still a bit of distance with the car behind.
So I started the car again, and when I attempted going from 1st to 2nd, my car suddenly stalled, and when it started rolling back, the car behind was VERY close. I had to slam the brakes. Result: a chorus of beeping from the queue behind me!
When I got back on a level, I eventually realised there was a problem with second gear, when the car won't go past 5mph when in 2nd. I had to rev it up so much and go up to third gear.
I've only begun driving again this week, after passing back in July so I've been very out of practice! I live in Brighton which is FULL of hills, and I was doing some driving practice with my sister. I got to the top of a hill where there was a junction, and slowed down a little too early...which resulted in me stalling. And I kept stalling, as a huge queue of cars formed behind me. I kept getting beeped which only panicked me and made me stall more (I must have stalled about 20 times lol) and I eventually just put my hazards on and got everyone to go round. I EVENTUALLY managed to do it when everyone behind me was gone and I wasn't under pressure! It was so horrid though and I was close to tears, but I know I can (hopefully) deal with that bastad hill next time :P
I had almost finished my first lesson ever without stalling but on the final stretch back to my house I had to go up a very steep hill, got my gears and speed wrong so stalled. I then had to do a hill start with a queue behind me, on a ridiculously steep hill and kept rolling down when I tried to start - it was pretty scary for me and I didn't find my instructor too helpful!
In my test I had a oh **** moment when as I joined the carraigeway from a slip road I missed 5th gear and went into 3rd going along the bypass (speed limit 70mph) thankfully I didn't bring the clutch up although I lost a lot of sped sorting it out - that fear though...
In my test I had a oh **** moment when as I joined the carraigeway from a slip road I missed 5th gear and went into 3rd going along the bypass (speed limit 70mph) thankfully I didn't bring the clutch up although I lost a lot of sped sorting it out - that fear though...
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