# Do I have to have a NCT Cert?



## jp.w (18 Jun 2007)

It is two years since my last nct test.my question Is

Do i have to particpate (under Irish law, if so which Act ,
and is it enforced, not all laws are enforced)with the test.

Note: Motor tax, You are sent an rewnewal 
         Motot Ins   Same as above 
            T V           Same as above
          NCT         No rewnewal notice

     Do I have to have an Nct Test ?

Please forgive my spelling


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## CCOVICH (18 Jun 2007)

*Re: nct test*

In a word, [broken link removed].


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## jp.w (18 Jun 2007)

*Re: nct test*

Another half day,and about 40euro.
thank you


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## grizzcol (18 Jun 2007)

*Re: nct test*

u can get it done on a saturday....
and they do send u a renewal notice to the address the car is registered to


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## usual (18 Jun 2007)

*Re: nct test*

If you are not notified you are still obliged to arrange it yourself. The cost is 49euro. Its available on sat and sunday in most centers.


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## elefantfresh (18 Jun 2007)

*Re: nct test*

Is it worth your while doing a pre-test in your own garage first? Or just sit it out and let the nct guys tell you what needs fixing? I have mine coming up in a couple of months.


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## CCOVICH (18 Jun 2007)

*Re: nct test*

It depends-if something isn't picked up in a pre-test, you may have to go back to the garage and spend more money getting it fixed.  I'd say that allowing the car to go for the test and fail is a good enough idea for older/poorly maintained cars.


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## usual (18 Jun 2007)

*Re: nct test*

No point in pre-test if garage does not have right equipment. They could miss something that will be picked up at test.And it could cost alot. Nct will point out problems and do a retest for 27.50.Not a big cost compared to unnecessary work a garage might do.


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## usual (18 Jun 2007)

*Re: nct test*

Sorry ccovich, my post crossed with yours, and you said it better than me anyway.Agree with you completely.


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## jp.w (18 Jun 2007)

*Re: nct test*

Thank you people for your thoughts.
i will ask for a sunday appointment.

another  ? 
can i be arrested for not displaying a current nct disc


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## vontrapp (18 Jun 2007)

*Re: nct test*

Not sure if you can be arrested but your insurer could refuse to pay out if you're involved in an accident. Have been in the same situation myself in the past (driving without active NCT), if a Garda asked I always used to say either (a) I was waiting for a test to come up, or (b) I forgot to put the new disc in.


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## olddog (19 Jun 2007)

*Re: nct test*

JP, dont know what area you are in but if you are around Dublin consider yourself very favoured if you get a time slot out of the NCT lads.

(  http://www.askaboutmoney.com/showthread.php?t=54871

and I'm still trying to get a time slot )


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## gar123 (19 Jun 2007)

*Re: nct test*

3 weeks was the lead time when i called last week


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## olddog (19 Jun 2007)

*Re: nct test*

Which test centre(s) was that for Gar ?


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## gar123 (19 Jun 2007)

*Re: nct test*

ballymun, eventually kept calling early in the morning and got a test, whcih failed so it was 2 weeks before they could give me the retest


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## olddog (19 Jun 2007)

*Re: nct test*

Lucky U

Whenever I look NCTS.ie always shows Ballymun1, Ballymun2 & Drogheda fully booked for the next 5 weeks !


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## super mam (19 Jun 2007)

*Re: nct test*

Hi all.
we must be very lucky as we phoned city west nct office on Thurs 14th and got a test booked for Fontill rd for Thursday 21st.....delighted..


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## vontrapp (19 Jun 2007)

*Re: nct test*

The nice lady in the NCT call centre advised me last week to call between 8am and 8:30 as that was the time when they would have cancellations to reassign. I rang at 8:01 last Weds and got an appointment for Mon 25th.


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## zag (20 Jun 2007)

*Re: nct test*

We had an NCT scheduled for a time which didn't suit as we were going to be away and we tried to reschedule it, but there were no slots available in Deansgrange for the next X weeks - where X was a big number.

In the end we organised for someone else to drop the car down at the time, but at minor inconvenience to us and to them.

The crazy thing is that there may well have been someone looking at the NCT website with a Thursday 1700 appointment wanting to change for my Sunday 0930 appointment, but neither of us would cancel because there was no sign of any alternative availability . . . and there was no alternative availability because 'the other guy' didn't cancel his appointment first.

It just seems a bit weird that there is no slack at all in the schedules - if there was some slack this would encourage people to cancel and re-arrange and thereby free up their old slot so that someone else could come along, pick that one up and free up their original slot.  I know NCT aren't in the business of arranging peoples timetables, but a little bit of flexibility would help improve the customer experience.

z


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## vladamir (20 Jun 2007)

*Re: nct test*

apart from posting a link to the NCT website which states you must have an NCT cert and encforcement is a matter for the gardai - can anyone specify what powers (if any) gardai have to 'enforce' this? anyone get a fixed penalty recently? (i haven't - but got them years ago) - they list the offences - is anything NCT related on that list? i doubt it.  friend has no NCT on car for years and hasn't stopped him getting  insurance or tax and has never had any trouble at check-points.....

friends of mine are gardai and they tell me, off the record, that they couldn't give a monkeys about NCT certs if everything else is in order - not very technichal legal language but there you go!

ps - i dont think an insurance company could refuse to pay out in the event that a car they insured, which was involved in an accident, was not NCT'd - the lack of an NCT cert does not mean a car is not road-worthy - just as equally as a 23 month old NCT cert does not mean that a car is road-worthy at present. insurance companies, when renewing cover - ask you about penalty points etc - they dont ask about nct certs.


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## boaber (21 Jun 2007)

*Re: nct test*

Compulsory car testing was introduced in Ireland in January 2000 as part of an EU Directive that makes car testing compulsory in all member states. It is an offence to drive a car that is liable for testing without displaying a National Car Testing Service disc and offenders will face fines of up to 1,500 euro. 



vladamir said:


> friends of mine are gardai and they tell me, off the record, that they couldn't give a monkeys about NCT certs if everything else is in order - not very technichal legal language but there you go!



There is a thread in Letting Off Steam about falling Garda standards...I think the quote above is a perfect example of this.


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## vladamir (21 Jun 2007)

boaber:

please name the irish legislation that has transposed this EU directive into irish law - please outline which section in particular imposes a 1500 euro fine.

my comment about gardai turning a blind eye was not a comment about gardai - it was meant to strengthen my stated belief that the gardai do not actually have the power to do anything in the event that an NCT cert has expired..

i could be wrong.


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## runner (22 Jun 2007)

Was stopped by a young garda a while back, and had no nct on old car, since disposed of. Told me to produce same in station within 2 weeks. I called to the local station re same in the following days, and was told to forget about it - werent interested!


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## boaber (22 Jun 2007)

EU Directives dating back to December 1976 imposed various requirements on Member States to carry out roadworthiness tests on motor vehicles and their trailers. The various EU Directives have been consolidated into a single directive (96/96/EC) on which the introduction of car testing in Ireland is based. The main thrust of the Directive is to improve road safety and environmental protection. 

It is an offence under road traffic law to use in a public place a car that is liable for the test unless a valid test certificate is in force for the car. Enforcement of the requirement is a matter for the Garda Síochána. This is facilitated by the display of discs on the windscreen of cars, which are issued when the test has been passed. The Test and Costs The legal basis for the test is provided by the Road Traffic (National Car Test) Regulations 2003 (S.I. No. 405 of 2003). http://www.irishstatutebook.ie/2003/en/si/0405.html


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## vladamir (23 Jun 2007)

boaber,

i asked you to state the specific section of irish legislation that emposes a penalty for an out of date NCT cert - you have not done so.


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## cashmni1 (23 Jun 2007)

*Re: nct test*



vladamir said:


> apart from posting a link to the NCT website which states you must have an NCT cert and encforcement is a matter for the gardai - can anyone specify what powers (if any) gardai have to 'enforce' this? anyone get a fixed penalty recently? (i haven't - but got them years ago) - they list the offences - is anything NCT related on that list? i doubt it. friend has no NCT on car for years and hasn't stopped him getting insurance or tax and has never had any trouble at check-points.....
> 
> friends of mine are gardai and they tell me, off the record, that they couldn't give a monkeys about NCT certs if everything else is in order - not very technichal legal language but there you go!
> 
> ps - i dont think an insurance company could refuse to pay out in the event that a car they insured, which was involved in an accident, was not NCT'd - the lack of an NCT cert does not mean a car is not road-worthy - just as equally as a 23 month old NCT cert does not mean that a car is road-worthy at present. insurance companies, when renewing cover - ask you about penalty points etc - they dont ask about nct certs.


 
Absolutely right, no NCT law is enforced at the moment. You can get insurance and tax without your NCT, therefore a law that is NOT enforced. (they lost too much money first time around when people could not NCT the cars and therefore did not tax them either) That was when they introduced the NCT ....and made it manditory. They have learned by their mistakes.


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## boaber (25 Jun 2007)

Apologies Vladimir

It's Section 18 (2) of the Road Traffic Act, 1961

[broken link removed]

It refers to a fine of 50 pounds, which has been increased by subsequent amendments to €1,500 [broken link removed]


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