NCT - Can they do this?

Seth Brundle

steveon wrote:

I cannot even get my car tested, its been cancelled by my local NCT centre twice in the last 2months..have to wait till the end of the month for my third attempt...

No way?
Were you given a decent reason on each occasion? Were you told prior to going to the test center?

steveon

The first time I got a letter 3days before the test, have the morning booked off from work to get it done,k when I rang up the number I was requested to ring to rearrange the test, I was told she couldn't do it and that I would have to ring a different number which closes at 4pm...ridiculous I taught...the reason given was some engineers were on holiday on the day I was booked in for ...what a load of ****e.


So the following day I rang the second number, and booked in....had to wait nearly a month and a half for my retest day which was booked in for Thurs just gone. On weds I got a text message wishing me good luck in the test, so I arrived up 20mins before the test was due to find out that it had been cancelled again.

To my horror I was told I would have to wait for another month for a testing date and that I should have recieved a letter to inform me of the cancellation. I showed the clerk the text message which confirmed my booking and all she could do was apologise.

A disgraceful service...thank god it only comes round every two years.

yayamark

TJJP wrote:

Cheers for the update, I was wondering how you got on. Reckon your approach was right, law is the law...

A friend had a 2 year old CL600 failed in the same place, reckoned 50 yoyos in the ashtray could have sorted the retest...

why are they testing 2 year old cars?

i thiught it was 4 years or older

Gerry

MercMad wrote:

.......??

It sound like the guy who tested this car was a total idiot !

Firstly faulty springs dont maske the car bouncy, that would be a faulty shock, and either/both ARE a danger causing an imbalance in the way the vehicle will react whilst braking over rough surfaces !

A torn CV boot was an Engineers Report failure 20 years ago I fail to see how and NCT inspector would pass it. Dirt/moisure gets in, grease gets out and these things can lock up shortly afterwards if you are unfortunate. Its a chance I wouldn't take, and how is anyone supposed to know how long the rip has been there !

Brake pipes should be changed once there is anything more than surface rust on them !

BTW just to show the varying standards, my FIL '03 LR Freelander ( I know, I know) was failed for having too much oil in it. MY FIL went straight out and dipped it, the level was perfect, he called the tester over who said "Well it was too full when I checked it !"

Unfortunatley he didn't persue the matter !!

I didn't describe this very well. This was on a different car. The car was less bouncy on the corner. The spring was newly fitted, and was weak, not able to push the car up as well when you pushed it down.
Shock was fine, this was discovered after it was replaced No, the car wasn't dangerous to drive. And the nct didn't say it was either. I'd say it takes a lot for them to say that.

CV boot, yep it is dangerous if it goes too far. Again, the nct don't class this as a fault that makes the car too dangerous to drive.

To further demonstrate the thoroughness of the test,
my car passed on its retest a few weeks ago. I've since discovered that one of the steering rack boots is completely busted, they obviously never looked at it. So the test hasn't been of much value to me.

no leaf clover

my 99 fiat punto went in today, we wer convinced of it failing on something like the crack in the windscreen, or the handbrake cable as we replaced it ourselves early this year, my dad watched and noticed that a merc van went in and out while ours was still being done, and the guy doing ours went through considerably more detailed/rigourous tests than the others, and no the merc van wasnt re-testing, my dad was talking to the bloke. Just goes to show the inconsistencies in the system. But we pased, just about in one or two areas but remarkably well in others!

Seth Brundle

yayamark wrote:

why are they testing 2 year old cars?

i thiught it was 4 years or older

You thought right!

drdre

yayamark wrote:

why are they testing 2 year old cars?

i thiught it was 4 years or older

Thats what i thought