“I Failed My Test 3 Times—Here’s How Rhodes Turned Me Into a Pro”

Posted by Jerry Dennis on Oct 9th 2025

“I Failed My Test 3 Times—Here’s How Rhodes Turned Me Into a Pro”

“I Failed My Test 3 Times—Here’s How Rhodes Turned Me Into a Pro”

Real teen driver story from San Antonio


The Meltdown at Helotes DPS

July 12, 2025: Helotes DPS, 94°F. Examiner Ms. Lopez stared me down as I faced parallel parking between two massive F-350s.

Attempt 1: Crunch—curb kiss. FAIL. Attempt 2: Gave up midway. FAIL. Attempt 3: Stalled and cried. “See you in 30 days.”

License-less and crushed, I swore off driving forever. ?


Discovering Rhodes Driving Schools

That night, Googled “driving school san antonio teen failed.” Top hit: Rhodes Helotes—4.9 stars, private lot, orange cones.

Called (210) 695-8883. Miss Rosa: “We love third-time failers!” Appointment set.


Coach Mike: My Driving Hero

6’2”, car tattoos, Oakleys.

“Three strikes? Now we hit homers.”

Handed me a “Fail to Pro” workbook with stickers!


14-Day Transformation

Days 1–3: Parking Mastery Tennis ball on string for curb distance. Blindfolded parks after 47 tries. Cone slalom: From 3 knockdowns to zero.

Days 4–7: Highway Confidence 1604 merges at dawn. 4-Second Gap Rule + Mirror-Signal-Shoulder. Waved at truckers by day 7!

Days 8–12: Emergency Drills Moose Test: Swerve Bambi cutout at 40 mph. Phone Drop: Ignored mid-turn. Nerves? Gone.


Test Day Triumph

July 26: Rhodes Third-Party Test. Their dual-brake Corolla.

Maneuver Result
Parallel Park 11 sec PERFECT
Highway Merge FLAWLESS
Emergency Stop Examiner clapped!

100% in 9 minutes. Hugged Coach Mike—Oakleys fogged! ??


Your Fail-to-Pro Roadmap

  1. Call your spot: Helotes (210) 695-8883, Ellison (210) 680-3980, Eckhert (210) 523-7483, Culebra (210) 233-1094.
  2. Online theory: 32 hours with memes.
  3. 7 behind-the-wheel hours

Now?

Daily driver, truck-flex parker, sister’s future coach.

Coach Mike: “Refuse to stay broken. The practice Lot awaits!”