# Penalty points for no NCT.



## Towger (13 Apr 2009)

According to the news we will now get 5 penalty points for not having or 3 for driving a car which failed the NCT. By the sounds of it outside Deansgrange test centre (and others) will overtake the Stillorgan dual carriage way as the Garda's favourite hotpot issuing tickets!


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## carpedeum (13 Apr 2009)

Towger said:


> According to the news we will now get 5 penalty points for not having or 3 for driving a car which failed the NCT. By the sounds of it outside Deansgrange test centre (and others) will overtake the Stillorgan dual carriage way as the Garda's favourite hotpot issuing tickets!



They need to enforce more against dangerous driving. Noticeable problem now of people driving through roundabouts without stopping or yielding to people already on the roundabouts! The amount of people holding mobile phones to their ears while driving is still unbelievable. Driving behind them is risky as they don't signal when turning off the road. On the M50 a lot recently. The weaving to and fro over the new three lane system including overtaking at speed on the inside is wreckless. Where are all the promised cameras? Penalty points using camera evidence is the fairest system.


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## dewdrop (13 Apr 2009)

Slighty off point and excuse my stupidity..I have a car registered in January 2006. Is it in January 2010 it will be due for the NCT? My confusion arises because i think a garage would regard the car as a four year old which is when the test is required.


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## Frank (13 Apr 2009)

NCT is on the cars 4th Bday. 

If reg in dec 2005 then NCT dec 2009.


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## Smashbox (13 Apr 2009)

I hope they enforce this rule then. I have seen loads of car's without valid nct, which always made me wonder why i used to fork out for a service and then the nct on my old car. Since my oh's car failed the nct last month, he's been driving my old car and i have been on the lookout to see how many people are driving on an expired test, and there's loads out there.


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## keithrf900 (13 Apr 2009)

Just another way for the goverment to get more money from the joe public . They are going to force us to buy a new car, like it or not.


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## jasconius (13 Apr 2009)

Goverment here is only enforcing the law - no car should be on the roads without the appropriate NCT.

The number of cars without NCT is horrendous.
Does this apply to foreign reg cars? presumably not as there is no record of them. It is my understanding that foreign cars belonging  to residents in Ireland who have owned the cars for longer than six months overseas, must be registered here in Ireland.


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## DeclanP (13 Apr 2009)

keithrf900 said:


> Just another way for the goverment to get more money from the joe public . They are going to force us to buy a new car, like it or not.


 Agree. It is another revenue generating ploy on the part of the Government. It is a bit ridiculous that a four year old car requires an NCT when it should apply to much older vehicles. Their time would be better spent trying to address the problem of boy racers and their dangerously modified cars.


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## extopia (13 Apr 2009)

Boy racers need an NCT too.


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## Pique318 (13 Apr 2009)

No NCT, 5 points. Hitting a bridge because you can't understand that a 15' tall truck won't fit through a 14' bridge, 3 points. Slight error in the order of priorities IMO.


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## carpedeum (14 Apr 2009)

jasconius said:


> Goverment here is only enforcing the law - no car should be on the roads without the appropriate NCT.
> 
> The number of cars without NCT is horrendous.
> Does this apply to foreign reg cars? presumably not as there is no record of them. It is my understanding that foreign cars belonging  to residents in Ireland who have owned the cars for longer than six months overseas, must be registered here in Ireland.



In fairness, I have been come on Garda roadchecks in recent weeks and they have seemed to be impounding foreign cars by putting them on removal trucks. Has anyone else seen this e.g. Just off the M1 exit at Airside?


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## extopia (14 Apr 2009)

Pique318 said:


> No NCT, 5 points. Hitting a bridge because you can't understand that a 15' tall truck won't fit through a 14' bridge, 3 points. Slight error in the order of priorities IMO.



How do you make that out? Driving an unsafe car is far more likely to result in a fatality than a truck hitting a bridge, I think.


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## Pique318 (14 Apr 2009)

extopia said:


> How do you make that out? Driving an unsafe car is far more likely to result in a fatality than a truck hitting a bridge, I think.


No NCT does not mean that a car is unsafe, and there's the difference !
My car did't have an NCT for ages. However when it did have it, the guy at the centre said it was in great condition.


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## RonanC (14 Apr 2009)

DeclanP said:


> address the problem of boy racers and their dangerously modified cars.


 
Surprising that my highly modified 'boy racer' car passed the NCT without any problems on two different occassions.


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## joeysully (14 Apr 2009)

jasconius said:


> Does this apply to foreign reg cars? presumably not as there is no record of them. It is my understanding that foreign cars belonging  to residents in Ireland who have owned the cars for longer than six months overseas, must be registered here in Ireland.



Why would a foreign registered car need an NCT ? they have their own testing in respective countries. if a person is living rather than visiting ireland then they need to register the car in Ireland - they then need to do an NCT when they change the registration. this however does not always happen 

its great news anyway - the NCT test is probably the cheapest car check over that you can get in the country. there are very few garages that have the equipment that NCT centers have and if they do have them they will charge you a lot more than the cost of the NCT.


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## extopia (14 Apr 2009)

Pique318 said:


> No NCT does not mean that a car is unsafe, and there's the difference !



Be careful about making general assumptions based on your own limited experience. Obviously, not every car that takes the NCT is unsafe. Obviously, some of them are. The NCT system is a powerful "motivator" and undoubtedly has contributed to road safety. Most countries have a similar system, and I would be wary about driving in the countries that don't.


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## FKH (14 Apr 2009)

It's the 3 points for driving a car that failed the NCt that's also a problem. My car failed last year as one of the headlights wasn't correctly aligned. Fixed it that day but took 3 weeks for the retest. I would have been annoyed to get 3 points for that when it's only 2 for speeding.


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## Slim (14 Apr 2009)

NCT phone engaged all day. Website slow and not functional. Are they on a privilege day too or just busy? Slim


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## extopia (14 Apr 2009)

FKH said:


> It's the 3 points for driving a car that failed the NCt that's also a problem. My car failed last year as one of the headlights wasn't correctly aligned. Fixed it that day but took 3 weeks for the retest. I would have been annoyed to get 3 points for that when it's only 2 for speeding.



I doubt if that would be a problem, as it is legal to drive while waiting for a retest (which has to be done within a certain period of time).


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## Grizzly (14 Apr 2009)

Yeah! Website the pits. Mrs Griz needs to change the dates of her booking but cannot access the calendar section.
I see that they have also put up the price of the test as well!!


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## Grace80 (15 Apr 2009)

Just bought a car with NCT expired since March. Rang the "lovely" NCT people today as obviously want to get it sorted before this rediculous new law comes in on May 1st. I asked the woman on the other end what the waiting list is like and she said "you're looking at the end of May at least". 

So I said "well then surely if I book it now and have written confirmation from you that I am on a waiting list, that will suffice if I am stopped by the gardai in the meantime - considering the backlog is not my fault??" She replied "No not at all, its up to whatever guard stops you whether they give you the points or not, even if you have your test date" 
No way! They can't give you the full 5 points if you are waiting for your NCT??   Can someone clarify this as Mrs NCT lady has me in a right state!!


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## Smashbox (15 Apr 2009)

I know both my brother and my mother recently booked a test in the Athlone branch, and one has a 4 week wait and the other has a 5 week wait in front of them.

Ridiculous really, and this was all BEFORE this news came out.


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## Caveat (15 Apr 2009)

Grace80 said:


> No way! They can't give you the full 5 points if you are waiting for your NCT??  Can someone clarify this as Mrs NCT lady has me in a right state!!


 
I wouldn't worry about it.

Think about all the other things that were never enforced - if you, the NCT and everyone on this board know about the wait, the gardaí do too.

Do you have evidence of a test date?


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## gillarosa (15 Apr 2009)

Caveat said:


> I wouldn't worry about it.
> 
> Think about all the other things that were never enforced - if you, the NCT and everyone on this board know about the wait, the gardaí do too.
> 
> Do you have evidence of a test date?


 
Quite true, but also the commencement will co-incide with the May BH weekend when there are extra road checks anyway and often during the first days / weeks of a new penalty being introduced there tends to be extra Gardai vigilance on that particular issue, so there is a possibilty that there will be enforcement from May 1st.


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## demoivre (15 Apr 2009)

Caveat said:


> I wouldn't worry about it.
> 
> Think about all the other things that were never enforced - if you, the NCT and everyone on this board know about the wait, the gardaí do too.
> 
> Do you have evidence of a test date?



I agree - put the confirmation letter/e mail in the car as evidence of booking the test and I reckon you should be fine.


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## croi (15 Apr 2009)

Whatever about having evidence, I cannot get through to the NCT on the phone, I have two numbers, and now they have a generic message on their website, explaining that they are very busy, but to keep trying, so you can no longer book on-line now either!! What department runs the NCT?


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## Smashbox (15 Apr 2009)

SGS Group


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## Smashbox (15 Apr 2009)

Due to the recent announcement, NCTS are currently experiencing an unprecedented demand in the number of people requesting a booking. Please be aware that our Call Centre is fully operational however, you may experience problems getting through to us and this is purely down to the volume of people trying to contact us, we do ask that you bear with us on this and that you keep trying. 

NCTS do endeavour to contact as many car owners as possible and from the 1st January this year we have sent over 247,000 notifications regarding their NCT however, it should be noted that in some instances such as, change of ownership of the vehicle, if the vehicle is off the road or if the vehicle is out of tax that can affect whether a letter is issued for that vehicle. Therefore, we would encourage customers who have not heard from the NCT but feel their car is eligible for the NCT to contact us directly and we will arrange an NCT for them.


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## WarrenBuffet (15 Apr 2009)

Hi,

We have a car at home which is rarely driven (not sure anymore if we need but in current climate you wouldnt get much for a 00 polo). 

After all the recent hooplah about the nct I decided to check the disc - out of date since March 2008!!!!! Does anyone know what will be the story with it when i decide to get the nct updated? Will i have to jump through a load of hoops, fill in forms?

Thanks,
WB


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## Guest125 (15 Apr 2009)

It is possible to test your car 5 weeks before the current nct expires.Sons starlet nct due to expire 3rd of May.Got nct done on 2nd of April in case work needed to be done luckily it passed first time.Job done!!


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## steph1 (15 Apr 2009)

DeclanP said:


> Agree. It is another revenue generating ploy on the part of the Government. It is a bit ridiculous that a four year old car requires an NCT when it should apply to much older vehicles. Their time would be better spent trying to address the problem of boy racers and their dangerously modified cars.



Yes indeed another revenue generating exercise.
Give you another good one.  I am in the taxi business.  If you decide to buy a brand new car for use as a taxi (I think only a fool would do so) it has to have a suitability test which is fine.  But then it has to have a full NCT test as well.  Imagine a brand new car being put through the rigours of a full nct test.  Absolute madness.  Plus all taxis have to have an nct done every year and plus I hear they are bringing in an annual suitability test of top of this.  Once a car is suitable once it should be always suitable unless modifications are done to the vehicle.  A visual check is all that is needed.
I'm telling you this nct crack is a pure money making racket.


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## Jester (15 Apr 2009)

Wife's car failed today due to misaligned lights. Will be fixing on Friday, but looks like a test date won't be available until well into May. I have to say I find this rush to NCT very frustrating - those who abide by the law and do the right thing by arranding their NCT in advance are now being inconvenienced by a lazy minority who are now worried about tests. Surely there is something wrong if this is the result of an enforcement measure?

Also - why do NCT not issue reminders - is there no database of results or names etc?


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## whackin (16 Apr 2009)

steph1 said:


> Yes indeed another revenue generating exercise.
> Give you another good one. I am in the taxi business. If you decide to buy a brand new car for use as a taxi (I think only a fool would do so) it has to have a suitability test which is fine. But then it has to have a full NCT test as well. Imagine a brand new car being put through the rigours of a full nct test. Absolute madness. Plus all taxis have to have an nct done every year and plus I hear they are bringing in an annual suitability test of top of this. Once a car is suitable once it should be always suitable unless modifications are done to the vehicle. A visual check is all that is needed.
> I'm telling you this nct crack is a pure money making racket.


 
Lots of nonsense there. Firstly, government will gain nothing from this as there will be no extra cars taking the test. The NCT has been enforced for the past 8 years or so and in that time every car over 4 years old has had to take the test. That has not changed. All that has changes is that if you fail to do take the test you may be subjected to penalty points and a fine (which is easily avoided by simply putting your car through the test). 

Usual ill-informed over reaction from taxi drivers.


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## DeclanP (16 Apr 2009)

whackin said:


> Lots of nonsense there. Firstly, government will gain nothing from this as there will be no extra cars taking the test. The NCT has been enforced for the past 8 years or so and in that time every car over 4 years old has had to take the test. That has not changed. All that has changes is that if you fail to do take the test you may be subjected to penalty points and a fine (which is easily avoided by simply putting your car through the test).
> 
> Usual ill-informed over reaction from taxi drivers.


 Pretty ridiculous reply. Not a taxi driver but someone who has gone through several NCT tests and come out the other end with a plus. Resent NCT and all it stands for. My car 5 years old with low milage and stil has to go this rubbish of a test. Incensed.


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## steph1 (16 Apr 2009)

whackin said:


> Lots of nonsense there. Firstly, government will gain nothing from this as there will be no extra cars taking the test. The NCT has been enforced for the past 8 years or so and in that time every car over 4 years old has had to take the test. That has not changed. All that has changes is that if you fail to do take the test you may be subjected to penalty points and a fine (which is easily avoided by simply putting your car through the test).
> 
> Usual ill-informed over reaction from taxi drivers.



Just making the point that a taxi driver has to have his or her vehicle tested EVERY YEAR even if its a BRAND NEW vehicle!  We have no choice in the matter.  I fail to see the necessity to have a brand spanking new car NCT'd.  I dont mind having to have a yearly NCT but a yearly suitability test now is beyond a joke.


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## demoivre (16 Apr 2009)

WarrenBuffet said:


> Hi,
> 
> We have a car at home which is rarely driven (not sure anymore if we need but in current climate you wouldnt get much for a 00 polo).
> 
> ...



Just ring them up and get a appointment - if they question  you ( extremely improbable ) plead ignorance ! AFAIK though if you pass the NCT your cert will only be for *one* year because it will be back dated to Mar 08.


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## Grace80 (16 Apr 2009)

Caveat said:


> I wouldn't worry about it.
> 
> Think about all the other things that were never enforced - if you, the NCT and everyone on this board know about the wait, the gardaí do too.
> 
> Do you have evidence of a test date?


 
I got my test date today - finally got through on the phone after VERY long wait. The earliest appointment they could give me is last week in May. The girl on the phone gave me a different story than the other NCT operator yesterday. She said that there will have to be a lead in time for enforcing this and as my NCT only expired at end of March (plus the fact that I only bought the car the other day!) and the fact that I have proof of a test date should suffice if the guards stop me.


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## Offaly (16 Apr 2009)

Yeah, put up the price to €50 in February apparently, but the email that I got two weeks ago to confirm the test told me it was €49 and to bring payment of €49.  So when I arrived for test yesterday with my cheque for €49  - I got short shift!! Had to pay the extra euro!!


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## briancbyrne (16 Apr 2009)

cant get thru to them - have tried at least 20 times in the past 2 days - obviously another ill thought out idea - smacks of the driving licence fiasco !


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## RonanC (16 Apr 2009)

steph1 said:


> I fail to see the necessity to have a brand spanking new car NCT'd. I dont mind having to have a yearly NCT but a yearly suitability test now is beyond a joke.


 
Just because its a brand new car, it can still have faults and as its a public service vehicle it must be tested to ensure that it if safe to carry fee paying passengers.

I dont agree with the NCT and they way they test and charge but it has helped take an awful lot of scrap from the roads


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## Complainer (16 Apr 2009)

Jester said:


> Also - why do NCT not issue reminders - is there no database of results or names etc?


According to this post, they do issue reminders, but I certainly didn't get one.


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## Nermal (16 Apr 2009)

Mechanical failure is the cause of a very small percentage of accidents.

If reducing accidents is the priority then making speed limiters and built-in breathalyzers  mandatory is the only thing worth spending money on.


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## Complainer (17 Apr 2009)

Slim said:


> Website slow and not functional.





Grizzly said:


> Yeah! Website the pits. Mrs Griz needs to change the dates of her booking but cannot access the calendar section.


The booking site seems to be available again after being down for a few days. I didn't get any reminder so I don't have a booking ID. It seems that I need the vehicle registration date, but god knows where the certificate is!


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## zag (21 Apr 2009)

What a joke.  I tried the website and got the message posted above about them being very busy.  I tried the phone line and it doesn't even connect anymore, just goes to busy as soon as the number is dialled.

So, I can't contact them to arrange a test.  Sure, I can keeping ringing them every few hours for the next few days, but that's a big waste of my time.  What a joke.

This is just so typical of the way enforcement and regulation operates here.  It's like the extended waiting list for the driving test that has been going on for ever.  You need this, but we're going to limit who can give it to you, you're going to have to pay them, you're going to have to wait ages, you can be failed on the most bizarre things which don't reflect reality, you can't challenge the outcome, oh and we're going to allow them to just stop sending out reminders without telling anyone or changing the regulations and (get this) we're going to let them continue to under-resource the operation and be un-answerable to anyone for wasting a lot of time for a lot of people for a lot of years.  Lucky whoever set up this world of wonder didn't set up the regulations for the the barrier-free toll system.  Oh, wait . . .

z


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## JOEC26 (29 Aug 2009)

Also, truck drivers note!! Penalty points apply if your truck OR trailer do not have an Doe or VTN (the equivalent of the NCT for HGV's)


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## Arabella (3 Oct 2009)

Just realised that my 1995 Totota's NCT expires tonight at midnight. Have looked at web page and am trying to get a date but all dates seem to be n/a. What next?


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## Sarn (4 Oct 2009)

You'll need to give them a ring. Mine was up in June, unfortunately I was making the booking around the same time as the issue of 5 penalty points arose and the earliest I could get was Oct 19th! I keep the confirmation letter in my car just in case.


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## Capt. Beaky (21 Nov 2009)

Have snail mailed the NCT to get an appointment. My NCT is up this month. The web site seems to be stuck. If I get stopped by a guarda what is the worst thing that can happen? I need the car for work.


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