Engine blown in N.C.T test

W

westie

Guest
I had my diesel car in for an n.c.t. a few days ago.
Whilst my car was being tested the tester revved the car.. and revved and revved it. Until there was a massive bang and smoke coming out of my engine. He then pushed my car out of the test centre and left it there. He refunded me my 55euro and sent me out the door saying ''you will have to bring your car to a garage''. And I walked home, thank god I didn't live too far away. The other tester that was there that evening said he shouldn't have done that, that nothing could have withstood that amount of pressure. I had to fill out a complaint form and fax it to N.C.T and I still haven't heard anything, its been nearly a week now. I am really angry that this was a huge inconvience to me and my family as this is our only mode of transport.

I got an estimate of the damage done and its costing me 1,500 to fix this, I think n.c.t. are to blame as my car was fine going in the door that evening.. do I have a chance going up against n.c.t for this damage or am I as well off pay and fix it myself??
 
Speak to a supervisor. If you are not satisfied, tell them that you will contact Joe Duffy on RTE and/or Conor Pope in the Irish Times.
 
WOW - I can't believe that... it's a wonder you didn't "blow" his head off... don't delay anymore, but contact supervisor as soon as possible. Put in writing everything that happened, including time frames etc...& contact the NCT center also...
Details:
If you are unhappy with any aspect of the National Car Testing Service and wish to make a compliant then please contact our Customer Service team for a customer complaints form.
Phone: 1890 200 670
Fax: (01) 413 5996
e-mail: info@ncts.ie
Address: National Car Testing Service
 Lakedrive 3026,
 Citywest Business Campus,
 Naas Road,
 Dublin 24



Initially I would suggest making contact via phone, then email & if you get no where, register letters. Make sure you record EVERYTHING... conversations, names of people you talk to (full names), dates, times etc...
 
Sorry about your predicament.
Have a look on the NCT site. I believe the testers manual is there for download.
For example you can read :
"2. With the engine at normal operating temperature, raise the engine speed slowly to 2,500 rpm or half the engine manufacturer’s recommended governed speed whichever is less and hold for 20 seconds in order to purge the exhaust system. If the engine
emits any unusual noises the test should be abandoned. Slowly raise the engine speed to its maximum rpm and note if the governor operates within the vehicle manufacturer’s recommended rpm setting. If not the test should be discontinued. Do not hold the engine at maximum rpm for any length of time"
There are different guidelines for cars of different ages. You may need to seek the guidance of an expert. If for example the cambelt snapped then you would be in trouble. I have a sneaking feeling however somewhere on the form there was something about this where you effectively sign a disclaimer stating that you know that this revving will take place and you judge your car to be in a condition to undergo such tests. I could not find it on the site but I did not dig far.
I fear that getting compensation, if any, might be a lengthy process so I'd not bank on getting paid before having the car fixed. However with the new controls in place since recent scandals surrounding the NCT you might be better served.
Good idea to publicise as it will at least usually get you an official reply even if you don't get the answer you want in the first instance. It sounds on the initial story that you just may have a case.
 
yea a few people reckoned if I don't get anywhere to ring the radio stations and maybe send a solicitors letter!! I'm going to ring them tomorrow and see what happens..
wish me luck!

thanks for the advice..
 
Thanks woodie, I hope I have a case just N.C.T. are a big company to go up against but still and all im sure they are well covered for these kind of things..I didn't expect to go down there with a perfectly good car and have to leave without it.
 
At my last NCT (diesel car),I signed a disclaimer about damage caused in the test.This is because the timing belt could snap if it has not been changed as per manufacturers service schedule.
So,2 questions
1.Did you sign the disclaimer
2.Had your timing belt been changed if needed
 
Do you actually think you signing a disclaimer will mean that they will not be liable to damage done to your car ?
 
You could make a case that you signed the disclaimer under duress as it was the only way you could get the NCT to complete the mandatory test on your car.
 
Ants09 said:
Do you actually think you signing a disclaimer will mean that they will not be liable to damage done to your car ?
Click to expand...
I'm not so sure its a disclaimer per say but I know that word was used in the thread. I think the point is that submitting the car to be tested I am sure somewhere there is something like vandriver said that you acknowledge that you have maintained the vehicle including the timing belt in accordance with the manufacturers instructions.
Maybe if you have knowledge of disclaimers it mayu also help to enlighten less us knowledgable types on here:)
 
Westie,

I recently had a bad experience with complaining to NCTS about damage done to the car during testing. I am sure it was completely accidental and thought that they would just resolve it. They first told me that it was not possible for it to happen, then that they had asked the tester and the tester had denied it. To them this was the end of the story.

I showed the damage to another tester but unfortunately did not get their name. It is critical that you write down all the information you have; who was the tester, which line was it on, what was the name of the other tester, any witnessses. NCTS Customer Service Department in CityWest only communicate by letter which you can then follow up with a call. If you email them, they will write back to you.

Good Luck dealing with an organisation that seem to believe that the customer is always wrong.
 
hey there, I sent in a complaint to nct on saturday and i didn hear back.. so i rang them today and they reckon they never got or heard about this so i'm going emailing them my complaint now and faxing on the damages from the mechanic..

Yes I did sign a disclaimer beforehand but if I didn't sign it they wouldn't do the test so I had no choice but to.
 
If you give the make of car,someone here could check exactly what the timing belt interval is.
 
Hi Westie,

How did you get on with your claim?

I know someone with a very similar issue.
 
Hi,
I'm still waiting.. they reckon its my fault but could have guessed they'd say that.. so I'm still working on it!
what happened to the person you know hazer?
 
westie said:
Hi,
I'm still waiting.. they reckon its my fault but could have guessed they'd say that.. so I'm still working on it!
what happened to the person you know hazer?
Click to expand...

The following is what I endured:

My car was in perfect working order for 2 years with no repairs and only standard maintenance required for approximately 30,000 miles.
Last month i drove to the NCT test centre for my scheduled test. I paid the fee of €55 and handed the keys to NCT inspector who drove the car into the centre to perform the test. The CAR PASSED THE TEST and I received the certificate of roadworthiness. The inspector however informed me that he could not start the car since performing the test and had to push it from the test centre with the help of a colleague to the car park outside the centre. He was unable to start the car having completed the test but yet gave me the cert that it was roadworthy!

Given the inspectors failure to start the car, the keys were returned to me and when I asked what I should do I was told I should call a mechanic. I did not know a local mechanic and pleaded with the NCT inspector to contact one, trusting that the inspector would know a reliable local mechanic. An NCT inspector telephoned a mechanic I called NCT head office to report the incident; the lady informed me that she would send a claim form.
It took 2 days for the mechanic to resolve the problem and lots of hassle, taxi fares , time off work and expense for me.
I completed the claim form, with all details asking that they cover the cost of repair, taxi and hassle, nct fee, etc.

I received a reply 2 weeks later, saying they 'sympathised' with my situation' and that it was likely due to wear and tear, and nothing got to do with how they performed the test (they test 1000s of cars etc etc) and they rejected my claim.

But I'm not giving up on this,
#

Any advice would be appreciated
 
that's terrible hazer they shouldn't be allowed get away with this, obviously this seems to happen quite often with the inspectors damaging cars.

Solicitor?
 
westie said:
I had my diesel car in for an n.c.t. a few days ago.
Whilst my car was being tested the tester revved the car.. and revved and revved it. Until there was a massive bang and smoke coming out of my engine. He then pushed my car out of the test centre and left it there. He refunded me my 55euro and sent me out the door saying ''you will have to bring your car to a garage''. And I walked home, thank god I didn't live too far away. The other tester that was there that evening said he shouldn't have done that, that nothing could have withstood that amount of pressure. I had to fill out a complaint form and fax it to N.C.T and I still haven't heard anything, its been nearly a week now. I am really angry that this was a huge inconvience to me and my family as this is our only mode of transport.

I got an estimate of the damage done and its costing me 1,500 to fix this, I think n.c.t. are to blame as my car was fine going in the door that evening.. do I have a chance going up against n.c.t for this damage or am I as well off pay and fix it myself??
Click to expand...


Had the same incident. The engine of my car was broken beyond repair by NCT vehicle inspector during emission test.

Because of my personal painful experience I would like to share some order of events - what has to be done if such incident occurs:
- Right after the damage of the car - the first thing you want to do is to have in your records as many details of the incident as possible, so go to the reception of the nct centre and find out the full name of the vehicle tester who damaged your car (nct report sheet provides only initials of the tester);
- They will suggest you to refund the 55euro fee for the test - refuse the suggestion. Do not be small-minded - now the game for the bigger refund begins...
- The next most important thing you have to do - is to contact a motor assessor company and get from him THE MOTOR ASSESSMENT REPORT, which is not cheap (~200 euros), but this report will be required for a judge in a court later.
Even if you plan to make a complaint to the Small Claim Court - in all cases it will be better if you contact a good solicitor who himself could find a motor assessor. This will cost you a fee, but remember NCT definitely will refuse any your claims made if there will not be provided some proof about their fault and they will avoid any responsibility accusing only yourself in all cases - tested and experienced on myself...
And in this case is good to remember the wise saying: "A man who is his own lawyer - has a fool for a client."
- After you find the problem what happened and if it is a nct vehicle tester fault and you get the motor assessment report - you are ready fix your car in a reputable company which is specialized in engines with a guarantee for the jobs done. Do not forget to collect an invoice.
- Now you are ready to contact the nct customer service team and make the complaint about your damaged car. Unfortunately you will get only polite answers (investigation was made, etc.), but they will never accept any responsability - unless you will have the motor assessment report which will prove their fault.

- If dispute will not be solved - you are ready to go to court with strong chance to win and get paid for your expenses to fix the damage done to your property.
Also it is strange that some people (especially some older people to whom I was talking) think that nct is a government institution and they are afraid to go in any trouble with a government institution.
The nct IS NOT a government institution. It is a private company chosen and trusted by Irish government to test the cars and do their job properly.
Unfortunately, as I experienced myself - this is not the case with the current company because they are interested only in their profits (by charging another re-test fee).

Regards

Q.
 
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