Hello Amy! Well done passing your C1 test, and we have passed your thankful comments onto your Instructor.
Reference the vehicle maintenance, the instructors and the mechanics are working on the vehicles daily, significant amounts of time and money being spent to ensure they are in best condition for everyone.
Ref the gear knob, as you say we popped into the workshop instantly to remedy it, a testament I think to the setup we have. No other company has this ability. It has been into the manufacturer to solve this and is not something we can predict of course, it is a common fault with these type of vehicles and the manufacturer has replaced it.
We hope to see you around and good luck with the rest of your training!!! :)