NCT Light Failure (after dealer service)

Seth Brundle

Has anyone failed the new NCT Light tests despite their main dealer swearing that the lights were aligned perfectly? What happened?
(I ask because my father just failed both lights despite the Toyota dealer giving the lights the full monty [he will appeal])

Seth Brundle

incidentally my own NCT 18 months ago gave me what was then a fail/advisory (now a fail/refusal) on my drivers side headlamp as it was 'too bright'. This headlamp was brand new and contained the correct bulb.
Go figure!

Victor

Originally posted by kbannon
incidentally my own NCT 18 months ago gave me what was then a fail/advisory (now a fail/refusal) on my drivers side headlamp as it was 'too bright'.

Did you say to him it was new? Bulbs (certainly in buildings) tend to take 10-30 hours running time to adjust to their correct setting.

Gmodified

Guy from work went through the same thing. Got lights adjusted and new shocks fitted. Car failed on both things. Garage had to fix it and pay for re-test

JohnK

I voted yes but it was actually my brother who failed on it.

Seth Brundle

Originally posted by Victor
Did you say to him it was new? Bulbs (certainly in buildings) tend to take 10-30 hours running time to adjust to their correct setting.

the bulb was fine (wasn't new either)

Borzoi

From an previous thread here

And I couldn't be arsed typing again, but by the miracle of cut and paste:

I got my car NCT'd 6 weeks ago, and put it in to the mechanic for a once over beforehand - well it needed work anyway. But I got into a conversation with him regarding the lighting alignment issue.

He has a machine to help align the headlights that gives results to within 5% of the standard,which he bought for NCT purposes, however the NCT people test to within 2%, so he can't gaurantee his pre check unless he spends a further few grand on a better machine, which is unlikely!

Secondly he knows an NCT instructor on the lighting machines, who used his own car for a lesson. Set it up day one with a group of mechanics, all good. Came in the following day, and the lane he had used was busy, so he set up in another lane, brought the machine over to the car, tested his own car that yesterday passed, and it failed.

So the moral is that I doubt anyone would touch any sort of NCT guarantee with a bargepole, if this is the sort of thing that goes on.

SheroN

There is no consistency with the NCT at all, it's enterily up to how the tester feels at the time of testing your car.

Big al

can you appeal if you fail your nct?

Victor

Originally posted by Big al
can you appeal if you fail your nct?

You get your faults sorted and can have it retested for a smaller fee.

Silvera

If you feel you have a genuine grievence, you can appeal an NCT test. (there is a formal grievence procedure in place).

Capt'n Midnight

Slightly off topic

Orange indicator bulbs are not "fit for purpose"
Because the orange paint flakes off early in the bulbs life.

So if doing an NCT and your indicators are not coloured orange then check/replace the bulbs as they will fail you if they are not orange enough. (though it's a free retest)

Note: Orange bulbs cost about three times the price as clear ones and amber/brown glass as used in beerbottles is cheaper than clear glass. It's a clear case of philips etc. putting profiteering above safety.

PS. if anone knows where to get orange bulbs with tinted glass instead of paint..

oneweb

Are those halogen headlights with the extremely distracting blue/green shifting haloes at certain angles an NCT fail case yet? Even just as a cyclist/pedestrian/passenger I find them terribly annoying. Anyone else think the same?

Seth Brundle

Just a quick update - my father said fúck it, he wasn't going to be out of pocket for someone elses error. He wrote to the NCT, Minister for Transport, Jnr. Minister for Transport, the AA & the dealer (a prominent dealer in Kilbarrack).
Dealer picked the car up last monday, brought it to the NCT centre in Finglas and brought it home a while later with the NCT cert!
Just shows that it pays to moan!
BTW, the dealer insists that they didn't adjust the lights for the 2nd test as they were already adjusted for the 1st one.

an_taoiseach

Oneweb, I agree ( ban the blue light headlights )


An T

RicardoSmith

The NCT is a bit of a joke. Had a test done and failed on something I forget what, got it fixed brought it back and the second time they tried to fail me on the tyres which they can't do since they should have spotted it the first time. Muppets. In fairness the tyres need changing badly but the fact the didn't spot it the first says it all.

RicardoSmith

Originally posted by oneweb
Are those halogen headlights with the extremely distracting blue/green shifting haloes at certain angles an NCT fail case yet? Even just as a cyclist/pedestrian/passenger I find them terribly annoying. Anyone else think the same?

Even as car driver they are simply too bright.

an_taoiseach

Kind of off topic ( maybe related to being blinded by blue headlights )

Does anyone else find that a lot of the white line used in Dublin is very hard to see when it is dark and raining ?

It doesnt seem to reflect light at all ( Is it just paint ? )



An T

Capt'n Midnight

Yeah they ain't exactly reflective are they ?

Coming up to the Palmerstown roundabout on a rainy night I recognise the white line cos's it a little DARKER than the rest of the road !!

It would cost more to make them retroreflective by putting lots of little glass beads in them.

I HATE halogens - it's not just the brightness it's that so BLUE - lots of high energy near-ultraviolet stuff - very piercing and hard on the eyes in the way that soft yellow lights arent even at the same brightness. BTW: I don't like halogens in pubs either for the same reason.

Victor

Originally posted by an_taoiseach
Does anyone else find that a lot of the white line used in Dublin is very hard to see when it is dark and raining ?

I think all surfaces tend to vary when in either wet conditions or if there is a very low sun - you can only judge shiniess of the surface (e.g. pure tar will often have the highest reflectance), not colour.

an_taoiseach

Victor,

The white lines of decades past were much better than the ones now ( but then what wasnt better back then? )

I suspect the spec for white line compound ( or the spec for application of same )around Dublin has been changed significantly.

I dont have the same problem with white line in some of the country towns in similar conditions.

White line used to be designed to reflect. Now its seems as its just by chance that it reflects ( 'road paint' ? )


An T

RicardoSmith

I also read that we use a very poor quality of material in the surface of the roads. Apparently theres a better surface that cut down on spray in wet conditions and gives better braking. But its more expensive so most countries don't use it.

oneweb

Originally posted by an_taoiseach
Does anyone else find that a lot of the white line used in Dublin is very hard to see when it is dark and raining ?

It's poster paint. Why go splashing out on two different types of paint when you can do with the same stuff that the Dept of Edumacation gets in for primary schools?
Explains why so much of it chips away.
Also, poster paint is much easier to remove whenever the road layout needs changing again. (Just throws a few buckets of water with washing up liquid over - no need for that blowtorch removal )

Victor

Originally posted by RicardoSmith
I also read that we use a very poor quality of material in the surface of the roads. Apparently theres a better surface that cut down on spray in wet conditions and gives better braking. But its more expensive so most countries don't use it.

You are thinking of porous alphalt - rather than let water drain to the edge of the road (staying all the time on the surface), it passes through the road.

Seth Brundle

Wait till you hear what has gone on since his car was brought to the re-test (& passed) by the main dealer (who paid for it).

A head honcho within the NCTS rang the father and asked him how he got on with the retest (I'm sure he was well aware!). Anyway this guy said that there had been similar complaints so they were in touch with the dealer and had in fact even met up. The dealer got a new (IIRC) car, tested it with the dealers equipment and it read correct as per the manufacturer's specs. Then they brought it to the NCT centre and tested it.

It failed!

They all then adjusted the car's lights to suit the NCT and then brought the car back to the dealers equipment and adjusted it to suit!

Now, Im assuming that the dealer had the equipment set up as per the manufacturers specs, so what I would like to know is:-
* does this mean that the manufacturer cannot set up the equipment correctly or are the NCTS making up the rules?
* how many people have paid for lights to be checked only to find they were not correct to the NCTS specs?
* how do you know if you are getting the work done on your car if it will pass if a manufacturers guidelines aren't good enough?

BrianD3

Does anyone else find that a lot of the white line used in Dublin is very hard to see when it is dark and raining ?

Yep. Not just in Dublin either. The quality of white lines all over the country is very inconsistent. You come across white lines with/without catseyes, white lines which are very bright/very dull. Even the width of lines can vary. You would think there would be some national standard for road markings but there doesn't appear to be.

One major pet hate of mine is where there are no road markings whatsoever eg if the council has recently resurfaced the road and hasn't bothered to mark it out yet. At night this is extremely dangerous. I always find it difficult driving on unmarked tarmac especially if the road is very wide - it's hard to know exactly where you're positioned on the road as you don't really have a point of reference. Very easy to stray too close to the verge or even worse stray too far over towards oncoming traffic.

BrianD3