Front axle slippage

bustershark

So, I went for a pre-NCT and everything was fine. At the NCT this morning, they tell me that my front axle is out (+17). The reading from the pre-NCT was zero. So I rang the garage and asked them to explain and they siad that their machine is fine and it muct have been the way the guy at the NCT drove it onto the plate. Having said that, my steering feels dead straight. so is the garage guy selling me a line or is there marit in what he says?

On another note, I just barely failed on Lambda at high idle 1.039 with a limit of 1.03(this also did not show up on the pre-NCT). Any ideas on how to get this through wiithout having to spend too much cash?

bustershark

Would it be worth my while just going back in with nothing done to the car to see if I get a different reading?
Are there penalties for failing more than once?

Seth Brundle

You are in an NCT limbo.
You could keep going back to the garage and getting it "fixed" and it will still fail the NCT. Meanwhile you are forking out loads of money for something that is not your doing.
My father was in the same position with his headlamp alignment - Denis Mahony aligned them, NCT failed them. Mahony's were adamant that their equipment was correctly calibrated as per Toyota's specs and NCT were adamant that it failed.
Letters were sent to the NCTS, Mahonys, the Dept of Environment (who governed it all then), the AA, the Oirish Times, etc.
He received a letter shortly afterwards telling him that a booking was made on his behalf for a re-test and that Mahony's would collect the car, "fix" if, and return it to him.
It was returned with a full NCT cert. When he asked the Mahony's rep what they did, he was told that it wasn't even brought to the garage - just straight for the NCT.
I would complain if I were you as otherwise you will get caught in a loop that keeps costing you money!

MercMad

Yes those stories are out there and of course you CAn appeal the result !

I did this once when they wanted to charge me for retest because the SPARE tyre had a rip on the inside. I left, got a tyre fitted and went straight back. The only way I could get the cert was to pay for it and appeal.

Also they told me the tracking was out when they spotted two new track rod ends on my CLK. The guy said the car failed however I queried it and when I told him I tracked it myself, and told him what the actual settings were, he ran off and changed the result !!!

All suspect IMO !

ART6

As long as there is a profit opportunity from a re-test these things are likely to happen. NCT can charge for a re-test so there is always the risk of failing for financial reasons. I wouldn't dream of saying they do, but there might be such a temptation among some of their managers, particularly if they have targets to meet? Maybe the problem also occurs because some NCT decisions are a matter of opinion rather that a strict mathematical test.

The Irish system though is much better than that in the UK, where the NCT equivalent is carried out by private garages. There was common for them to find something to fail the car on so they get both the repairs and the re-test. It happened once to me when I was, in fact Chief MoT Tester in a large motor works, and didn't want to get my wife's car MOT'd there for reasons of conflict of interest. The garage failed the car on a faulty bearing that was never part of that particular make and then got the shock of their lives when they found out who I was:D

bustershark

So I got the front wheels tracked but decided to take a chance on the emissions as I had heard that it can be a bit of a minefield to get fixed. Took it in to the NCT this morning and it passed and not by a whisker on the emissions either. Let's just say that my faith in these matters has been shaken slightly (even if I am chuffed to have passed!).

maidhc

kbannon wrote: »

You are in an NCT limbo.
You could keep going back to the garage and getting it "fixed" and it will still fail the NCT. Meanwhile you are forking out loads of money for something that is not your doing.

Our mechanic takes it personally if one of our cars fail, after he looking at it first. He once took the car down the NCT centre himself after it failing when he felt it shouldnt and had it out with them below. He lost the fight unfortunately.

Seth Brundle

He is the exception rather than the rule!