# NCT Fail - Visual Defect - rusted dent



## rmelly (6 May 2008)

I had my third NCT at the weekend and failed because of a rusted dent in the small/thin panel between the rear bumper and the boot door (hatchback car).

NCT Says:

ITEM: Bodywork
DESCRIPTION: Primary Structure Condition
REASON: Damaged/Broken

This has passed 2 previous NCT's EXACTLY as is, and I have previously confirmed with garage / crash repair etc that there is no structural or safety issue and car was serviced in last month.

I plan to get estimates tomorrow, but only plan to hold on to the car for another year or two and expect to scrap it after that (00 car that has had a few unfortunate incidents, generally repaired other than above). As such only want to spend a few hundred repairing.

I'm assuming that if I do nothing and bring for the Re-test it will fail again, fair enough.

What would happen if I did nothing, let the time run out for the Re-test (within 1 month) and apply for a full test again? Would they review the original test and re-fail me? Or take it from scratch?

My instinct tells me that someone else would overlook this, that this fail was discretionary.

Any thoughts? I'm reasonably happy to spend a few hundred Euros, but effectively it's money down the drain.


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## z103 (6 May 2008)

> I'm assuming that if I do nothing and bring for the Re-test it will fail again, fair enough.



Not from my experience. If you bring the car back they assume you've fixed the issue. There was something wrong with the wipers in a friend's car and it failed the test. We did nothing. Brought it back for a visual inspection and it passed. It really is the luck of the draw.

Just patch up your rust with a bit of pollyfilla and paint, and bring it back for a visual inspection.


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## DrMoriarty (6 May 2008)

Second that.

Better still, have Mrs Melly bring it back (or any member of the, ahem, fairer sex).


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## michaelm (7 May 2008)

leghorn said:


> Just patch up your rust with a bit of pollyfilla and paint, and bring it back for a visual inspection.


That's what I'd do too.  If it fails then let the time lapse and do a full test at a different NCT centre.


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## stefg (7 May 2008)

I reckon a couple of cheap supplies from halfords e.g. sand paper, undercoat and paint, and you could sort it.

It may not look great but it will be an improvement on the rusted dent and should pass the NCT... it worked for me before.


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## Soldier (7 May 2008)

crazy a little dent failed it do you have to pay each time it goes back. believe it or not i chanced putting my car in with a broken speedometer and it actually passed!!!


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## csirl (7 May 2008)

They tend to miss things, so can be luck of the draw - I know someone who passed in spite of not being able to turn on the hazard warning lights as the switch was broken off.


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## Caveat (7 May 2008)

On a previous NCT, the 'technician' left a screwdriver sitting in my engine bay - only realised it was there when the smell of the the melting plastic handle alerted me the next day.

They are far from perfect or vigilant.


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## Paulone (7 May 2008)

Why not dispute the result of the test, citing the fact that the car has had the same 'defect' for the last two tests and did not fail either of those tests.

Trouble is that now one of the testers has decided that this is a problem, you'll have to either swallow hard and fix it or get them to formally change their perception.

Agree with all the other posters' points about seeming inconsistency. My own car was 'fail-advisory' on misaligned headlights twice before passing this time round despite the lights not having ever been touched - was particularly pleased too as fail-advisory had been abolished since the last time.

Sounds like you have good grounds to appeal the result of the test. My missus's car has obvious, unsightly and quite deep dents in one of the doors but because it doesn't affect the performance/safety of the car at all and we don't worry about its appearance, I'd have been ripping if they had failed her car on that (they didn't).


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