My new instructor has not mentioned any of this and no checks are ever made (as indepth as above or of the Nav radios/displays) prior to departure until they are identified in the air.
Have you put it to him that when you come to the flight exam the examiner will expect you to do those instrument checks which he seems to think are unnecessary?
I mean come on he must of sat an IMC/IR flight exam at some point himself?...I find it hard to believe he never did any instrument checks on the ground during his training...
Are you doing IMC or full IR? Reason I ask is that I'd be very surprised if an instructor employed by an FTO offering full IR training would not teach instrument checks. For IMC rating the instruction can be surprisingly dodgy though...