Failed NCT retests 3 times

Duke of Marmalade said:
I agree they can get away with outrageous scams, but putting citizens in mortal danger? There must be some way to stop them.
Click to expand...
Dangerous drivers are a far bigger danger, killing far more than poor maintenance. Very few get put off the road, never permanently and even then you regularly hear of banned drivers getting caught driving again.

A court order could be sought here. The burden of proof that would be required would be very difficult to meet and enforcement would be unlikely. Unfortunately word of mouth and online review sites are likely as impactful as you will get.
 
Brendan Burgess said:
I agree that registration of car mechanics would be a step too far.

But there should be some way of stopping guys like the Duke's friend's mechanic.

Brendan
Click to expand...
There is, Brendan. It's called the market.
Duke of Marmalade said:
The State's primary responsibility is to protect citizens from life threatening actions by malevolent actors. Not really nanny.
Click to expand...
Isn't that the purpose of the NCT, which has neatly exposed this chancer?
 
Leo said:
A court order could be sought here. The burden of proof that would be required would be very difficult to meet and enforcement would be unlikely.
Click to expand...
Unfortunately this is the key point. My friend's impression is that X is run by a "boss" (himself young) and about 4 or 5 young fellas who are presumably scarcely trained and glad for the job.
What would root out this sort of thing is a bounty system whereby people would get both immunity and a bonus for blowing the whistle. Would turn us into a stool-pigeon state rather than a nanny state, I suppose.
 
Small Claims Court for a refund of the money spent so far?

Small claims procedure

The small claims procedure provides an inexpensive, fast and easy way for consumers to resolve disputes without a solicitor. Find out how the procedure operates.
www.citizensinformation.ie www.citizensinformation.ie
 
Duke of Marmalade said:
What would root out this sort of thing is a bounty system whereby people would get both immunity and a bonus for blowing the whistle. Would turn us into a stool-pigeon state rather than a nanny state, I suppose.
Click to expand...
No micro business would last long in such an environment. Trouble from disgruntled employees and wacky, often insane, customers already does for a surprising proportion of new businesses.
 
T McGibney said:
To achieve what exactly? Refunds of a few NCT retest fees?
Click to expand...
That is just the point. My friend is not concerned by the costs of the retests and now a completely fresh NCT or even the €690 paid for supposed service and gearbox fix. But he has been without a car for over a month now and that looks like going on for another month now that he is looking for a fresh NCT with a proper mechanic. And no he didn't have to hire a car as they are a two car family, but it sure was and is an inconvenience.
Besides he is very upset at the risk to life and limb that X submitted him to.
I know from experience that the Small Claims Court works well albeit max €2k. But how do you put a monetary value on the true inconvenience and exposure to risk caused?
 
Duke of Marmalade said:
That is just the point. My friend is not concerned by the costs of the retests and now a completely fresh NCT or even the €690 paid for supposed service and gearbox fix. But he has been without a car for over a month now and that looks like going on for another month now that he is looking for a fresh NCT with a proper mechanic. And no he didn't have to hire a car as they are a two car family, but it sure was and is an inconvenience.
Besides he is very upset at the risk to life and limb that X submitted him to.
I know from experience that the Small Claims Court works well albeit max €2k. But how do you put a monetary value on the true inconvenience and exposure to risk caused?
Click to expand...
He'll have to put up with it. A few weeks ago he was driving a car that was clearly already defective. The fact that he went to a bad mechanic who made a bad situation worse doesn't really alter that. If you wish to mimimise inconvenience and exposure to risk, it's probably a bad plan to drive an 11-year old car.
 
T McGibney said:
If you wish to mimimise inconvenience and exposure to risk, it's probably a bad plan to drive an 11-year old car.
Click to expand...
Reminds me of a true personal story. I had a E Class Merc. Its first NCT was 4 years after I bought it. Taking no chances I spent €1,700 on service and attendant fixes with the top Merc garage in the land. That was Friday. Saturday it failed the NCT!! I could not believe it.
Reason. The VIN (never heard of it) was covered by the inbuilt carpet. Apparently I should have cut 3 sides of a rectangle around it so that the NCT people could see it.
I was not a happy camper. Blamed both. The Merc garage for not being aware of this requirement. NCT for what on earth had the VIN to do with safety but especially why could they not have made the necessary cuts?
 
Duke of Marmalade said:
The VIN (never heard of it) was covered by the inbuilt carpet. Apparently I should have cut 3 sides of a rectangle around it so that the NCT people could see it.
Click to expand...
That's odd as the VIN is usually visible via the windscreen.
www.myvehicle.ie

What is a vehicle identification number and how to find the car VIN number?

Find Car VIN Number- A vehicle identification number (VIN) also known in Ireland as a chassis number, is a unique code, including a serial number, used by the...
www.myvehicle.ie www.myvehicle.ie
 
ClubMan said:
That's odd as the VIN is usually visible via the windscreen.
www.myvehicle.ie

What is a vehicle identification number and how to find the car VIN number?

Find Car VIN Number- A vehicle identification number (VIN) also known in Ireland as a chassis number, is a unique code, including a serial number, used by the...
www.myvehicle.ie www.myvehicle.ie
Click to expand...
Well my dear @ClubMan I am not telling a lie. I of course studied this VIN thing upon this my first learning of it. Apparently the VIN is as you say visible either in the doorpost or maybe some other similar area. But that display is apparently easily tampered with. The definitive VIN is engraved into the body work of the vehicle so as to be completely tamper proof. It is that VIN that the NCT people could not see as it was covered by the carpet.
This was all so bizarre that I developed a bit of paranoia on it. The car had been purchased in my native city, Belfast and had been imported to the RoI, everything legal of course. Did some disgruntled NCT staff member take issue with those origins?
 
Last edited:
Clubman's link said:
Before https://www.myvehicle.ie/car-news/things-consider-buying-new-car (buying a used car), it is quite important to check the VIN as thieves will often replace the VIN of a stolen car with the VIN of a similar vehicle that is already legally registered.
Click to expand...
So maybe after all these years the penny is dropping with me on this incident. I guess being an imported car the engraved VIN was more necessary to prove it was legally registered. But why oh why did they not just cut round the carpet even if they needed to ask my permission to do so? Though I still don't see what it has got to do with safety.
 
Last edited:
The NCT staff do not carry out any work on cars. They just do the test.
If you are not satisfied with the decision of the NCT to fail a car there is a complaint procedure. Firstly complain directly to NCT. If you are not satisfied with their resolution, you can then make your complaint to the AA. The AA act as a complaints regulator for NCT. The AA service is free of charge.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top