Has the NCT got tougher recently?

Leo said:
Where my wife is from the local mechanic does that. They drop off the car, mechanic takes care of the service and NCT, there was never an issue getting the test done on the day pre-COVID, but I'm not sure what the situation is now.
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My place take the car for an NCT if it's due within the next 3 months or so - don't even need to warn them or anything. They just do it for me. Saves me a load of hassle
 
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almostthere said:
We had a perfectly good windscreen wiper, functioned properly, did the job. Our car failed on it. There is a guy across the road from the Deansgrange test centre who could have replaced it in 5 minutes. We asked the tester could we get this done immediately rather than having to come back (during Covid) to have the replacement checked. We were told "No". We had to go home and make another appointment to have this done.
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not great if you live some distance away, some have a hours run each way, that's 4 hours driving if there is a re test
 
Brendan Burgess said:
My practice in the past has been to get my (15 year old) car serviced a week or so before the NCT.

I know that others have recommended getting the NCT first and then getting the faults fixed as part of the service. But I have always passed bar one small issue once.

But when I was booking my car in for its service, the mechanic said that they have become very difficult since resuming testing and he recommended getting the NCT first and then he would fix whatever they pick up.

I was surprised at that and wonder if he has just had an unlucky run. A customer who fails an NCT probably gets annoyed at the mechanic who serviced the car a week earlier.

Brendan
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That's what I do, one week before. This time it was cancelled due to Covid, the next appointment that I made with great difficulty, the power went off during a storm while my car was on the test lane. My third appointment I was way out of my 4 months + date it passed .
 
I look after my wife's car, our childrens' cars, my sisters-in-law cars and my own car. Back in the day of plugs and points I used to do my own car servicing including adjusting the timing. But, appearance is everything. I do a "visual" test on all the aforementioned cars together with checking the oil, tyre pressure, lights and wiper water. Then I hoover the living daylights out of the car and follow up with a power wash (with emphasis on wheels/tyres) and then shine up the inside with beautiful smelling stuff. Connect the seat belts in the back and drivers seat - just do what you are advised. The following morning I bring the car smelling like Miss World's perfume to the Test Centre. Todate none of "my" cars failed the test.

I have seen cars arriving at the Test Centre with more mud than a tank on the Somme. After mechanical/electronic workings, it's all about appearance; I reckon that's what Fergal Quinn (best sales person ever) would have said.
 
If anyone is relying on the NCT as a indication of roadworthiness and safe to use, please think again.

I had a car which passed the test despite the rear axle being almost completely rotten (a tyre fitter detected it some days later and I immediately replaced it).

I made a formal complaint to the NCT complete with photographs and kept the original axle as evidence. They did not want to know and said the test was a 'snapshot in time'. I pointed out that the rear axle was made from angle iron and it would take several years to corrode after the NCT.

There were several letters of correspondence but they would not admit liability. My next step would have been legal proceedings, which I wasn't prepared to take at the time.

Since then I view an NCT test as legal compliance, similar to motor tax.
 
ATC110 said:
My next step would have been legal proceedings, which I wasn't prepared to take at the time.
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I don't get it. The bottom line responsibilty for your car is you.

The NCT/DOE is only a spot check and the relevant bodies do point that out.

I think they were right not to accept liabilty. The responsibility/liabilty for your car is yours.

And you were responsible... you fixed the issue.
 
Leper said:
I look after my wife's car, our childrens' cars, my sisters-in-law cars and my own car. Back in the day of plugs and points I used to do my own car servicing including adjusting the timing. But, appearance is everything. I do a "visual" test on all the aforementioned cars together with checking the oil, tyre pressure, lights and wiper water. Then I hoover the living daylights out of the car and follow up with a power wash (with emphasis on wheels/tyres) and then shine up the inside with beautiful smelling stuff. Connect the seat belts in the back and drivers seat - just do what you are advised. The following morning I bring the car smelling like Miss World's perfume to the Test Centre. Todate none of "my" cars failed the test.

I have seen cars arriving at the Test Centre with more mud than a tank on the Somme. After mechanical/electronic workings, it's all about appearance; I reckon that's what Fergal Quinn (best sales person ever) would have said.
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I would do the same insofar as having the car gleaming as I would be of the opinion that just like me I'm sure the testers prefer to work on a clean vehicle rather than a very dirty one both on undercarriage and interior.

It never ceased to amaze me as to the number of people I have heard being sent away because they did not sort the child's seat or something simple like that. A colleague was sent home for the child's seat and admitted that she had not even read the letter :(
 
Any chance the NCT might be nudged gently towards failing older cars in an effort to progress people towards buying new car ( which is more likely to be Electric ? )
 
No car ever passed the NCT test parked outside the testing area in wait but many cars failed the test there. Appearance is nearly everything, ask any salesperson.
 
Had the NCT for my 09 i10 last week. Sailed through. It's probably the fastest it's been through the center.
He did comment that the back tyres had less than 3mm thread as an advisory.

So, in my case, it definitely hasn't gotten tougher. And I had brought the car for a service in October, and had replaced the front tyres. There were no obvious faults with it.
 
ATC110 said:
If anyone is relying on the NCT as a indication of roadworthiness and safe to use, please think again.
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Indeed anyone doing so would be naïve, the NCT has never claimed to be an all encompassing verification of roadworthiness. they spell it out quite clearly:

It does not replace or purport to replace your responsibility to ensure your car is roadworthy at all times or the regular maintenance that a mechanic needs to carry out on your car.
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The NCTS are well protected by the terms you have to agree to prior to the test, so it would be tough to have much success without an iron clad case. In your case, who is defining 'almost completely rotten', you would need an engineer to test it against design specifications. That would be expensive, and as you suffered no loss, what would you hope to gain from taking such a case?
 
Codogly said:
Any chance the NCT might be nudged gently towards failing older cars in an effort to progress people towards buying new car ( which is more likely to be Electric ? )
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Even without any extra nudge I think it the NCT certainly having this effect in terms of removing older cars, and many older cars fail on emissions.
 
Leo said:
Indeed anyone doing so would be naïve, the NCT has never claimed to be an all encompassing verification of roadworthiness. they spell it out quite clearly:



The NCTS are well protected by the terms you have to agree to prior to the test, so it would be tough to have much success without an iron clad case. In your case, who is defining 'almost completely rotten', you would need an engineer to test it against design specifications. That would be expensive, and as you suffered no loss, what would you hope to gain from taking such a case?
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The rear wheel was sitting at an acute angle due to the axle being severely compromised due to corrosion.

FYI, the most basic part of the NCT is to test the structural soundness of the underbody.

The tyre fitter was also a mechanic and could not believe it had gone undetected.
 
PaddyBloggit said:
I don't get it. The bottom line responsibilty for your car is you.

The NCT/DOE is only a spot check and the relevant bodies do point that out.

I think they were right not to accept liabilty. The responsibility/liabilty for your car is yours.

And you were responsible... you fixed the issue.
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As you are aware, the NCT is a roadworthiness test and they failed to detect a serious structural defect.

Obviously it would be the owner's responsibility to rectify the defect as is the case with any fail item.

The point is the NCT failed to fulfil their duty on the most basic level.
 
ATC110 said:
The rear wheel was sitting at an acute angle due to the axle being severely compromised due to corrosion.
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I still don't get how your own mechanic didn't spot this when you got your car serviced (over the last few years).

And I still don't get how you can be agrieved with the NCT for not spotting what is ultimately your responsibility.

(Our posts crossed.)

ATC110 said:
they failed to detect a serious structural defect.
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So did your mechanic. I'd be more agrieved with my garage/mechanic for failing to spot the defect during its annual service/check.
 
PaddyBloggit said:
And I still don't get how you can be agrieved with the NCT for not spotting what is ultimately your responsibility.
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Maybe because they are being paid to 'spot' such things. The OP is their customer.

PaddyBloggit said:
So did your mechanic. I'd be more agrieved with my garage/mechanic for failing to spot the defect during its annual service/check.
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Absolutely he should have, and maybe the OP will start another thread to discuss this, but this thread is about the NCT.

It's gas though, by far most people complain when their car fails and not when Applus pass a car. :D
 
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