NCT A farse?

il gatto

SouperComputer wrote:

@ il gatto, if a number of people (Clued in people) are of the opinion that the car is in good enough condition to pass, then maybe send it back in to the NCT without any work and see how it goes.

I'm not without a clue. But if I bring the car back without doing any work, they'll fail it. One look will tell them I didn't bother. They'll want shiny, expensive new parts everywhere. And besides, the tester marked everything with yellow chalk. My local test center doesn't have that many employees. I don't want them thinking I'm a chancer cos they'll remember me next time. Thanks though.
Oh. And misty moon, Alias no.9 is right. Bushings etc. are a visual check and therefore very subjective. It was just the testers opinion. He didn't even do the side slip test cos he said there was no point until I'd done all the work on the suspension. Bastard. Not you misty moon. The tester. Bastard:mad:

Seth Brundle

Anan1 wrote:

I'd say it's on the basis that anyone stupid enough to bring a car for test with incorrect number plates really shouldn't be driving.

I presume you have seen unkel's sig?

il gatto wrote:

Oh. And misty moon, Alias no.9 is right. Bushings etc. are a visual check and therefore very subjective.

Sure I failed because a brand new headlamp was brighter than the 15 year old lamp on the other side. Others have failed because indicators were not orange enough.

Incidentally the NCT manual is available to download from ncts.ie and transport.ie

unkel

Fair play to Cosmo K, for showing up here!

I agree the system is far from perfect and I've had mixed experiences with the NCT

Cosmo K wrote:

the stupid number plate thing for example

Anan1 wrote:

I'd say it's on the basis that anyone stupid enough to bring a car for test with incorrect number plates really shouldn't be driving.

*coughs*

Alun wrote:

the regulations in place regarding number plates also demand that the county name be in Irish, I think due to some pressure put on the government by the Irish language lobby, to put it politely

It's impossible for me to say anything polite about it so I'll just point to my sig in silence

BrianD3

I don't understand why there is so much talk about the county name on number plates issue. It's such a simple thing and easy and cheap to put right compared to other things (eg having to replace your catalytic converter(s) to pass the emissions test)

People might not agree with having the name in Irish but those are the regs. Instead of giving out about the NCTS people should direct their frustration at the idiot motor factors who STILL can't seem to get their heads around how to produce a number plate that complies with the regs. Also if the plates were good quality the text would not wear off as it has in unkel's case.

SouperComputer

He didn't even do the side slip test cos he said there was no point until I'd done all the work on the suspension

To hell with that crap, you paid for the test, so they need to do it! Regardless of his opinion on the bushings.


How about a different test centre?

unkel

BrianD3 wrote:

I don't understand why there is so much talk about the county name on number plates issue

What's the fecking point to have the county name "as Gaeilge" on the number plates? To please the people that speak Irish as their first language or the other handful of powerful politicans that quasi-romantically cling on to things long lost?

BrianD3 wrote:

if the plates were good quality the text would not wear off as it has in unkel's case.

You're probably right there. The plates in my sig that came with the car were of poor quality. The new ones that the Halfords lad screwed on are even worse. Then again, the license will probably still be readable until the end of the life of the car, just not the small print

Cosmo K

People might not agree with having the name in Irish but those are the regs. Instead of giving out about the NCTS people should direct their frustration at the idiot motor factors who STILL can't seem to get their heads around how to produce a number plate that complies with the regs. Also if the plates were good quality the text would not wear off as it has in unkel's case.

Thanks Brian !!!! I'll buy you a pint, no wait ten pints....:)

Is it really so complicated, to get a bog standard set of plates for your car? Do you really need pink letters on black ground, and instead of the f***ing county name in irish, TOYOTA 16V POWER written on top of your number plate ??? :eek:

BrianD3

unkel wrote:

What's the fecking point to have the county name "as Gaeilge" on the number plates?

Ah, but many people like having the name there. You'll often see people from counties "toyota twin cam" or "civic VTI" proudly displaying this on their plate


edit: Cosmok beat me to it

unkel

BrianD3 wrote:

Instead of giving out about the NCTS people

Indeed they don't make those silly rules, they're just the bearers of bad news. The guy who told me, in fairness to him, was very embarrassed. I bet they get a lot of undeserved abuse

BrianD3 wrote:

You'll often see people from counties "toyota twin cam" or "civic VTI" proudly displaying this on their plate

Muppets

Max_Damage

green-blood wrote:

If anyone believes the MOT system in the UK is better you are having a laf. The same garage that fails you quotes you for repairs...come on. Meanwhile if you think the NCT is too tough, try getting through a German TUV test, if the washer fluid isnt an approved brand you'll fail.

Or the Japanese Shaken test, has to be done every 2 years and can cost up to €1,000 to get it done every time!

Darragh29

Day-wanna-wonga wrote:

No - they're c*nts because they make me come back again and pay a re-test fee because a bulb was blown, instead of just telling me to replace it. That's retarded logic, based on some of the stuff the OP said they passed him on...

You don't have to pay a re-test fee unless the car has to go back up on a ramp, emissions tester, brake tester or suspension or sideslip tester, which I don't think is required for checking a bulb, so I think you have your wires crossed there, pardon the pun!

mike65

On the number plate issue, they have changed the rulez and now if your plate does'nt have the licencing area "as Gaeilge" they just give you a sticky tab with the appropriate name to make it legal!

heres the article

Invisible' drivers will get the all-clear in NCT review

CAR owners without the 'cupla focal' posted on their vehicle number plates will no longer get a red light in the National Car Test (NCT).

They will, however, be issued with a free plastic sticker showing their county 'as Gaeilge' - to put on their registration plates under a Government shake-up of the NCT being announced this week.

But a pledge to get rid of boy racer tinted windows has been abandoned.

Motorists will have to put up with 'invisible' drivers who give no eye contact or signals to motorists about their intentions on the road.

All vehicles imported by car owners who plan to set up shop here will have to be tested upon arrival in the State, and every two years after that.

The changes are penned in the mid-term review of the NCT which will be published on Thursday.

The document, obtained by the Irish Independent, contains 19 specific recommendations, which have been accepted by the Government.

Previously, motorists who did not have the county in which the car was registered in Irish on the number plate automatically failed the NCT.

Under the new arrangement the car owner will be advised that it is a legal requirement to do so.

Former Junior Transport Minister Ivor Callely vowed that tinted windows would be scrapped in the review.

In place of the 'black window ban' will be a special committee he has set up to examine the issue and how it impacts on road safety.

The committee will be drawn from a range of motoring interest groups, including modified car enthusiasts.

Other approved changes to the NCT include:

* Motorists who failed the test because of tyres with inadequate thread depth will no longer have to fork out for a re-test fee. They will, however, have to buy new tyres and produce a receipt to the car test chiefs as proof of purchase.

* Getting down and dirty by taking off hubcaps for a wheel nuts check will be a thing of the past.* Indicators that were not yellow enough in the eyes of an NCT mechanic will no longer lead to an automatic test failure.

The review shows how 2.5 million cars have been tested since the privately-operated NCT service started in 2000.

In that year only 3.8pc of cars passed the first time around.

Faults

But this has now risen to 50.9pc, with most getting a green light after the repair of minor faults.

Transport Minister Martin Cullen, who will launch the report, is also expected to announce the opening of new car test centres. A survey of 1,000 drivers at test centres, carried out as part of the review, found that 86.3pc were very satisfied with the system and the road safety improvements it brought.

The review also found that items which were common causes of failure, such as brakes and shock absorbers, have improved over the past six years.

Treacy Hogan

Mike.

unkel

mike65 wrote:

On the number plate issue, they have changed the rulez and now if your plate does'nt have the licencing area "as Gaeilge" they just give you a sticky tab with the appropriate name to make it legal!

Paste&pass

GerardKeating

Darragh29 wrote:

You don't have to pay a re-test fee unless the car has to go back up on a ramp, emissions tester, brake tester or suspension or sideslip tester, which I don't think is required for checking a bulb, so I think you have your wires crossed there, pardon the pun!

Depends on which bulb, if it is headlights. they have to check the alignment, if the bulb is blown, the cannot check it, so need to check it when the bulb is replaced and this means putting the car on the ramp.

Now an indicator bulb is different, since a simple visual check can confirm it has been replaced.

Wibbs

Max_Damage wrote:

Or the Japanese Shaken test, has to be done every 2 years and can cost up to €1,000 to get it done every time!

I have copies of same for my import. They check everything and everything has to be within the manufacturers tolerances. You can see it with the shocks, not only do they have to be equal on both sides(like here), they have to be within the original specs by a few percent(unlike here). It makes our test look very easy to pass by comparison. I must dig em out and get them translated for the crack.

craichoe

The NCT was brought in to get all the buckets of sh*t off the road that the farmers were driving the stuff it checks for is supposed to work !

I mean .. ffs ... in Germany you have to have a certain type of tyre on the car...

Get over it !

Cosmo K

heres the article

Thats all very nice, only problem is, the department still hasn't officially published the report. That means, at the moment you still have to pay a re test fee, if your car fails on tyre thread, and you still need the county name in irish on your number plate.

When is the Dail back from their summer holidays again ??????:eek: :eek: