Penalty points and NCT

liaconn said:
I know somebody else who failed it because they had newspapers strewn across the backseat!!!
Click to expand...

Ah but you see with the window open, a breeze could have caused a big double spread to flap and flutter around the interior like a paper pterodactyl and the spine could just settle on the bridge of driver's nose like a big tent - then of course there would be lots of flapping around yelling and panicking (but no attempt made to actually remove the paper) and before you know it the front bumper would be hugging both sides of a tree trunk - and one wheel would be invariably slowly rolling down the road (but thankfully no-one would be injured).

At least that's what happens on tv anyway.
 
Caveat said:
I know what you mean, but if you were observed during your smoking ritual by a garda who decided you were not driving with due care and attention (not looking at road/hands off the wheel etc - whatever) you could still be done anyway.
Click to expand...

You could and that's exactly the point ! No need for a separate law governing mobile phone use while driving at all imo. Existing road traffic laws should have been enough to cover the use of mobile phones while driving. There's a big difference road safety wise between answering a call while driving an automatic car versus,for example, making a call while driving a manual car or texting while driving yet the offence is that of " holding a mobile phone " so in each case you will get the same penalty points! If you are going to have a separate offence for mobile phone use while driving you might as well introduce other new driving offences for fiddling with the radio while driving , opening and eating a Mars bar or lighting a cigarette etc.
 
Penalty points for having no NCT can only be applied by the court. They will not be applied by normal ticket like speeding.

It is an extra weapon for the gardai to use to ensure that unroadworthy vehicles are kept off the road. If your NCT is out by a couple of months, you have no worries, but if you drive a car that is obviously defective and dangerous and there is no nct for it, then you will receive the additional penalty of 5 points.
 
Now this I have an issue with.
Hubby brought car for NCT test,it needed some minor stuff done.
According to the hubby it was to be brought back by May 29th,so off we went and got the failed things sorted.
I go to the NCT centre this morning and was told I was supposed to have it back by the 27th and not the 29th! to avail of the free check.Fair enough ,our fault,
Now I have to go for the full thing again!
This seems to be a money making racket,when it was only done a few weeks ago,up to two days ago it would have been a free check for the failed items,but as it was 2 days out it has to go through the whole system again.Surely this is a waste of the testers time,a waste of taxpayers money,and when so many people are trying to get their cars tested with the new penalty points system it seems crazy.
We were in the wrong by not getting the date right,my issue is why it has to have a complete check again.
I just dont get that.
Help me understand.
 
Last edited:
There is no understanding to be done . . . the NCT is a mess, the administration is a mess, the arbitrary pass/fail mechanism is a mess, the arbitrary mini/full re-test criteria are a mess, the fact you can't book online is a mess, the fact they don't send out reminders is a mess. It's all a mess.

I have my car serviced regularly - I don't have any problems getting an appointment to get this done, I'm happy that the garage do a good job, I'm happy enough that my car is roadworthy and safe. I would like to get the NCT to verify this, but I have tried and tried and tried and tried to make an appointment and can't contact them.

I don't understand why they don't just open up their booking system and let people put in reservations for 4 months ahead. If the person doesn't turn up they still get charged. NCT don't lose but the customer (and the rest of us) at least gets to make an appointment. At the moment customers can't even make this appointment.

My insurance company *have* to send out a reminder in advance of expiry of my policy, the local authority have to send out a reminder before the tax expires, so why not the NCT ?

z
 
Smashbox said:
Wonder what happens if you get pulled over on your way to the test centre?

:D
Click to expand...

Well the chances of getting pulled over is very very slim.IMHO!
Its a bit like the laws about using mobile phones/speeding/going through red lights,and on and on and on..all these rules and no one implementing them! And each and every day I see all the above happening.:confused:
Knowing my luck though........
 
My car (4 years old) failed it's first nct on emmissions - way over the limit. I couldn't believe it and insisted the mechanic check it again, what do you know - ten minutes later the emmissions are way below what is necessary to pass! I asked how this could happen and wasn't given an answer, just an indecipherable grunt and a shrug. Good job I didn't accept the first result.
 
ophelia said:
My car (4 years old) failed it's first nct on emmissions - way over the limit. I couldn't believe it and insisted the mechanic check it again, what do you know - ten minutes later the emmissions are way below what is necessary to pass! I asked how this could happen and wasn't given an answer, just an indecipherable grunt and a shrug. Good job I didn't accept the first result.
Click to expand...

Give the car a good run in third on the morning of the test. Does wonders for the emmissions.
 
thedaras said:
Now this I have an issue with.
Hubby brought car for NCT test,it needed some minor stuff done.
According to the hubby it was to be brought back by May 29th,so off we went and got the failed things sorted.
I go to the NCT centre this morning and was told I was supposed to have it back by the 27th and not the 29th! to avail of the free check.Fair enough ,our fault,
Now I have to go for the full thing again!
This seems to be a money making racket,when it was only done a few weeks ago,up to two days ago it would have been a free check for the failed items,but as it was 2 days out it has to go through the whole system again.Surely this is a waste of the testers time,a waste of taxpayers money,and when so many people are trying to get their cars tested with the new penalty points system it seems crazy.
We were in the wrong by not getting the date right,my issue is why it has to have a complete check again.
I just dont get that.
Help me understand.
Click to expand...


The main purpose of the NCT in this country seems to be to make money. My mechanic told me that they are only looking for things to fail people on. A lot of people I know just change their car when the NCT is due, because its less hassle!
 
Caveat said:
Really? Seems like a very extravagant solution!
Click to expand...

Not really. Because it has to be done on cars which are still relatively new, it doesn't cost much more to simply top up your loan and get a new one. I'm talking about people who would be changing their car every three or so years anyway, so its easier to just change it a bit sooner without the hassle of doing an NCT and having to pay a fortune to get lots of unneccessary things 'fixed'.
 
Caveat said:
Really? Seems like a very extravagant solution!
Click to expand...

It's what i've always done ( well apart from this year )

Apart from my very first car ( old banger ) i've always changed my car every few years, not just to avoid the nct, but that was one of the reasons. I've only been to one before and that was enough to put me off for a lifetime. 5 hours i was there waiting. Even with my letter stating the time and date somehow i wasn't on their system so i had to wait for a space to squeeze me in or for someone not to show up. I could of rebooked but since i had the day off work anyway i decided to stick it out. Not the most fun day i've ever had.

Amazingly the car passed!! Dont think it should of done think they just felt sorry for me being stuck there for so long.

I've heard of a few people failing over the emmissions. Is that really true to drive around in 3rd for a while?? Will have to give that a go.
 
He hasnt done anything yet, all he said was for €100 the car would pass no problem. Is there anywhere else this test can be done apart from an NCT Test Centre?

I'll have to go snooping for more info!

Btw, its not Athlone, but for €100 I'll give the name of the place by pm ;)
 
I'm not too sure how it's done either.

He wasn't approached at the nct test centre and was told this could happen. A friend of his who works in a garage looks at the car before hand and told him the emmissions wouldn't pass but for €100 he could make sure it would pass.

Funny that the price was the same. Maybe the person made sure he was free at the time the car was due in so he would be the person to test it.......

But since the tests are done by computer i dont get how he was able to change the results.

I was thinking that maybe he was just told the emmissions wouldn't pass to get the €100 from him, when in fact there was nothing wrong with the car. But he knows this lad very well grew up with him so i dont think he would of done that to him, but you never know.

either way he payed the €100 and the car was passed.
 
Awesome . .

My Car passed the NCT today. Was sure it would fail (what with all the bad news floating about at the moment!).

I actually feel like going out for a night on the town . . . .

Oh dear, I need to get out more (or at least give myself better reasons to go out ! ! !).
 
well done NorthDrum on your car passing. ( did it pass on it's own or did you pay for it to pass lol )

Go out anyway doesn't matter what the reson is.
 
samanthajane said:
well done NorthDrum on your car passing. ( did it pass on it's own or did you pay for it to pass lol )

Go out anyway doesn't matter what the reson is.
Click to expand...

Thanks very much Samantha, I feel like I should get some sort of trophy or something, I dont even have a speech prepared . . .

Well my wife went to get it tested for me (had a meeting). She brought our new born child (was sort of hoping , very deviously) that this may pluck the heart strings of those NCT lads . . .

I hope to god if there was any under the counter payment that it was in cash . . . ! ! ! ;)

Cant believe how psyched I am . . . Ridiculous, I nearly feel ashamed . . . Im going to take my dogs for a walk on the beach, I cant believe how happy I am (maybe I should get my car NCT'd more regularly, could be the new natural prozac)
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top