Failed NCT retests 3 times

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Duke of Marmalade

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My friend failed his NCT on his Merc about a month ago. It failed Major. Something about brake pipes being worn. Left into X garage, who "fixed" it and said it would now pass. Failed again! Nothing was done to brake pipes according to NCT people. My friend gave benefit of doubt to X as they also did a "service" and possibly forgot the NCT warning. X "fixed" it and assured it would now pass. Failed again. This time NCT people said X had simply painted over the pipe. Returned to X who held it for 2 weeks and then it was submitted for its final retest today with the assurance that it would pass. This time it failed with flying colours! Brake fluid was leaking - verdict Dangerous fail, not fit to drive.
Naturally my friend has now taken the car away from X, rather late in the day.
I had warned them to be cautious as X kept saying their credit card machine was broken and they had to be paid by Revolut or cash.
What should my friend do?
 
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Brake pipe corrosion I think. Ask your friend to read his NCT report properly.

Brake pipes corrode, such is life. He can either have a MB garage replace them with MB parts at great expense or go to a good everyday mechanic who can custom make brake pipes from material that will not corrode at a great saving.

The problem now is that the car will need to be trailered to a decent mechanic's premises as it cannot be driven.Sue the thief who tried the rip-off stunt with your friend and maybe look to shut him down.
 
mathepac said:
Sue the thief who tried the rip-off stunt with your friend and maybe look to shut him down.
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I think he is afraid that X will not take too kindly to being sued.
In any case the only ostensible loss is the cost of 3 retests and now a completely new NCT and maybe the costs of the "fix" . A couple of hundred euro vs legal costs.
Is there a formal route for what you suggest - hardly a police matter.
A google search shows this is not the first time. Is there really any way to stop these c*wboys?
 
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The new brake fluid leak could be unrelated to the corroded brake pipe. It could be from a rubber seal. Before attacking the garage they should get another mechanic to do a full assessment.
 
S class said:
The new brake fluid leak could be unrelated to the corroded brake pipe. It could be from a rubber seal. Before attacking the garage they should get another mechanic to do a full assessment.
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Very interesting. Could this be a completely new fault, not spotted in the original NCT?
 
I remember our garage telling me a story like this one some years back even before the current dreadful situation in the NCT centres. They took the car to a different testing centre and it passed.

Best route looks like find a good garage, tell them the problems to-date, get the car repaired and then take it to a different test centre. The history with the previous centre may well have given the car a bad name.
 
Duke of Marmalade said:
Very interesting. Could this be a completely new fault, not spotted in the original NCT?
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Yes it could have only started leaking on the day of the test. Faults can occur at any time. For instance you could get your headlights realigned on the morning of your test.
Then stop off at the supermarket on the way to the NCT. Some dope could then nudge into the front of your car and knock a headlight. You then fail the alignment test and probably blame the garage who did the alignment.
 
Thanks guys and gals. Yes, my friend knows not to be caught a fourth time.
X has been in business since 2021. Similar experiences relayed elsewhere on social media reveal that this is his modus operandi. It is not serious enough for the police and civil proceedings would be costly and problematic. Since he is not part of a professional body he seems quite out of reach of any push back to his methods. He won't of course build up any loyal customer base but in a short while I presume he will move on and set up another credible looking front.
 
Just go to a different mechanic, I wouldn’t bother pursuing the duff mechanic as it won’t be the first time they did a half assed job , NCT failure is often not something particularly expensive, people fail all the time
 
galway_blow_in said:
Just go to a different mechanic, I wouldn’t bother pursuing the duff mechanic as it won’t be the first time they did a half assed job , NCT failure is often not something particularly expensive, people fail all the time
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I don't think my friend is thinking along those lines. The car developed a dangerous condition not safe to drive under the watch of X who assured him it was going to pass the NCT. He drove it about 20 kms on the M50 before he went to the NCT.
X is a serious danger to public safety. First call might be the RSA to see if they have any suggestions for protecting the public from this menace.
As to the rip-off aspect my friend felt such a fool when he read the exact same experience of someone else on social media. The scam is to pretend to do a service at a very competitive price. €300 for a Merc - I know that is competitive! But during the service they found something amiss with the gear box. €390 to fix that. But they did do some work on the car as they made the NCT fault a lot worse than what it was!!
 
What about the Competition and Consumer Protection Commission?

Do they prosecute garages for winding back the mileage or is that someone else?

Brendan
 
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