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NCT Failed - Foreign Car

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    #32
    Darragh29
    Closed Accounts Posts: 7,097 ✭✭✭Darragh29


    Alun wrote: »
    Aren't we getting our LHD and RHD mixed up here? Irish cars are RHD and "foreign" cars are LHD .. it's the side the steering wheel is on, not which side of the road they drive on.

    Sorry, wakey wakey here! RHD!


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    #33
    eoc74
    Closed Accounts Posts: 11 ✭eoc74


    Darragh29 wrote: »
    Sorry, wakey wakey here! RHD!

    Yes, just a misprint at the end of a long day! Im going to ring the nct crowd to see what they say. Changing the headlights sounds like the right thing to do but Im wary after what the Ford people told me.


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    #34
    Darragh29
    Closed Accounts Posts: 7,097 ✭✭✭Darragh29


    eoc74 wrote: »
    Yes, just a misprint at the end of a long day! Im going to ring the nct crowd to see what they say. Changing the headlights sounds like the right thing to do but Im wary after what the Ford people told me.

    Well that's the problem with the industry, if the main dealer says it, then it must be true! Ask him how it could be replacing the headlamps wouldn't resolve the issue??? Closer to the truth probably is that he just doesn't want to take the chance with taking in your problem in case the wiring circuit for the lights on your car might be a bit different than the new headlamp assembly is wired for, or there could be some sort of mismatch in terms of headlamp mountings or connections. He should be happy to do this job for you but letting you know at the same time that there are mismatch problems with a new headlamp not fitting into a hole where an old headlamp came from, or if someone has to engineer up a wiring solution to overcome any problems on that front, then you get the bill regardless and it has to be paid, in other words its at your own risk...


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    #35
    galwaytt
    Registered Users Posts: 12,776 ✭✭✭✭galwaytt


    ye're over complicating it.

    Euro LHD and UK/ROI RHD cars - only difference is the light unit -wiring is the same.

    Buy a pair of used lights, out of a breakers. Mind you, ask the price first - you'd be surprised how cheap complete Ford light units are.....

    Ode To The Motorist

    “And my existence, while grotesque and incomprehensible to you, generates funds to the exchequer. You don't want to acknowledge that as truth because, deep down in places you don't talk about at the Green Party, you want me on that road, you need me on that road. We use words like freedom, enjoyment, sport and community. We use these words as the backbone of a life spent instilling those values in our families and loved ones. You use them as a punch line. I have neither the time nor the inclination to explain myself to a man who rises and sleeps under the tax revenue and the very freedom to spend it that I provide, and then questions the manner in which I provide it. I would rather you just said "thank you" and went on your way. Otherwise I suggest you pick up a bus pass and get the ********* ********* off the road” 



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    #36
    Darragh29
    Closed Accounts Posts: 7,097 ✭✭✭Darragh29


    galwaytt wrote: »
    ye're over complicating it.

    Euro LHD and UK/ROI RHD cars - only difference is the light unit -wiring is the same.

    Buy a pair of used lights, out of a breakers. Mind you, ask the price first - you'd be surprised how cheap complete Ford light units are.....

    You have to cover yourself in this game. If they don't match up because of a small difference, who is going to pay for it? Ideally they would be interchangeable and they should be but I've learnt enough times through experience that what seems very straightforward and simple can turn out to be a headache to resolve, all because someone made an assumption that X would be interchangable with Y and it turns out not to be so... If a garage gets it wrong, or not even gets it wrong but even fails to tell the customer that this might not be straightforward and there could be a complication, then you'll have a hell of a job getting the customer to pay for it, that's all I'll say... I've had this before where you are doing your absolute best and you assume it's an in and out job and next thing there is a problem with a part and you've a customer screaming down a phone at you looking for a hire car delivered to their house for tomorrow. because they have it in their head that you've fu*ked up...


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    #37
    Top Dog
    Registered Users Posts: 4,172 ✭✭✭Top Dog


    A guy I work with brought his family wagon over when he moved here from Portugal. VW Passat estate. Only thing he had to do to get it past the NCT was change the headlamps for those out of an Irish/UK model. Simple as that. I doubt it'd be any different for a Focus or any other car, and also believe that Mr Ford is simply trying to cover his back just in case anything went wrong. If the person you were talking to had any doubt then they're gonna cover their ass for fear of the repurcussions of any mis-advice they give.


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    #38
    eoc74
    Closed Accounts Posts: 11 ✭eoc74


    Top Dog wrote: »
    A guy I work with brought his family wagon over when he moved here from Portugal. VW Passat estate. Only thing he had to do to get it past the NCT was change the headlamps for those out of an Irish/UK model. Simple as that. I doubt it'd be any different for a Focus or any other car, and also believe that Mr Ford is simply trying to cover his back just in case anything went wrong. If the person you were talking to had any doubt then they're gonna cover their ass for fear of the repurcussions of any mis-advice they give.

    Maybe but if so, what kind of society are we living in when you cant get a mechanic to do a job youll pay for because theyre afraid?????? I suspect with the current malaise that in a year or two, people's tunes will change when theres a paying customer at the door. Incidentally, I also asked an independent garage and they refused to touch it. The price for ONE new headlamp for a Focus....................€127.51 (€105.38 ex VAT)


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    #39
    peasant
    Registered Users Posts: 17,819 ✭✭✭✭peasant


    On my yoke I changed the headlamps myself ...was a job of 10 minutes.

    Have a good look at the Focus and see how easy or difficult it is to take out a headlamp. If it's simple, just take one out and plonk it on the counter to compare it with a RHD one, that should settle the matter.


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    #40
    eoc74
    Closed Accounts Posts: 11 ✭eoc74


    peasant wrote: »
    On my yoke I changed the headlamps myself ...was a job of 10 minutes.

    Have a good look at the Focus and see how easy or difficult it is to take out a headlamp. If it's simple, just take one out and plonk it on the counter to compare it with a RHD one, that should settle the matter.

    Just spoke to the NCT people and this is what they said "The only thing we know that will pass the NCT for a Left hand Drive is stickers that you can buy in Motorfactors to put on the headlights"............


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    #41
    DannyBuoy
    Registered Users Posts: 598 ✭✭✭DannyBuoy


    The fact that the stickers are a poor attempt to replicate the light pattern form the correct (rhd) headlamp unit is obviously lost on them...


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    #42
    peasant
    Registered Users Posts: 17,819 ✭✭✭✭peasant


    eoc74 wrote: »
    Just spoke to the NCT people and this is what they said "The only thing we know that will pass the NCT for a Left hand Drive is stickers that you can buy in Motorfactors to put on the headlights"............

    In that case you were talking to a plank.

    When I asked them, they did say that they would pass a LHD car with properly blanked out/ beam bended LHD lamps and that I needn't necessarily change to RHD lamps.

    I went ahead and changed them anyway (for my own safety as blanked out LHD lamps give very poor light) and subsequently passed the NCT no bother


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    #43
    Darragh29
    Closed Accounts Posts: 7,097 ✭✭✭Darragh29


    eoc74 wrote: »
    Maybe but if so, what kind of society are we living in when you cant get a mechanic to do a job youll pay for because theyre afraid?????? I suspect with the current malaise that in a year or two, people's tunes will change when theres a paying customer at the door. Incidentally, I also asked an independent garage and they refused to touch it. The price for ONE new headlamp for a Focus....................€127.51 (€105.38 ex VAT)

    A Mechanic just doesn't want to be left with 260 Euro worth of parts that he can't get credit for and have an hour or two taken up with something that can't be resolved. You are right, a good few years ago, there would be no problem getting this done. The problem is that in recent years with our celtic tiger mentality, people have become a lot less patient and when there is the slightest problem these days, people immediately start looking for discounts, compensation, free courtesy cars, labour knocked off, etc. I would have happily done this job for a customer on what I would call a "best effort" basis, so that if there is some unforeseen mismatch with parts, I am not responsible. You would also need to be aware that the car could be off the road for a day or two and that you could be getting the car back with the original headlamps re-fitted. What you should do is try to minimise any potential loss by getting two headlamps in a scrap yard. Shop around, if you can get them for less than 50 Euro each cash, then you're only out of pocket 100 Euro for parts if this can't be done.

    One thing you need to make sure of is that whatever garage you go to, they have a head lamp aligner. You'd be surprised how many garages don't have one of these!


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    #44
    Alun
    Registered Users Posts: 21,466 ✭✭✭✭Alun


    What everyone else said ....

    Replacing the headlight units should be a DIY job, it certainly is on my 04 Focus C-Max as I said in a previous post, and I can't imagine the normal Focus being any different (although the '04 C-Max was effectively built on the new model Focus platform).

    Quite literally it's a case of undo one big torx screw on each side, release a few clips and wham. Take off the connectors, insert new light units and reconnect. All you need then is a garage with an alignment machine and you're sorted.

    Whilst you might pass the NCT with the stickers, as I and others have said, the light output will be reduced by using them, and I personally wouldn't want to be relying on them full-time, especially in the winter. Your call, really I suppose.


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    #45
    VH
    Closed Accounts Posts: 690 ✭✭✭VH


    peasant wrote: »
    In that case you were talking to a plank.
    it would be unwise of the ncts to be advising users to swap headlights as it is not a guarantee of a pass


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    #46
    peasant
    Registered Users Posts: 17,819 ✭✭✭✭peasant


    VH wrote: »
    it would be unwise of the ncts to be advising users to swap headlights as it is not a guarantee of a pass

    Yeah, well ...if you wanted to nitpick, you'd have to mention that they of course would have to be properly aligned as well ...but that's a given, really (or it should be)


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    #47
    Darragh29
    Closed Accounts Posts: 7,097 ✭✭✭Darragh29


    VH wrote: »
    it would be unwise of the ncts to be advising users to swap headlights as it is not a guarantee of a pass

    Well that's really the fact of the matter, they do have to be changed. There are only two guarantees in life, death and taxes. That's what I'm talking about in my last post, this modern expectation that everything is guaranteed and straightforward. What's wrong with the NCT guy just giving some professional "no strings attached" advice, over and above the advice he is obliged to give???

    :rolleyes::rolleyes::rolleyes:


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    #48
    R.O.R
    Registered Users Posts: 12,685 ✭✭✭✭R.O.R


    Someone very helpfully ran one of our Focus's in to the back of another car yesterday, so it's out the back with the bonnet up.

    If it's the new model Focus (pre-facelift) then it looks like headlights are held in with a couple of screws and plugged in to the wiring loom with a connector. If you can handle a screwdriver then a swap with RHD headlights is a 20 minute max job. I'd say you should be able to pick up a set from a scrapyard cheap enough, then you'd probably have to get them aligned.


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    #49
    Alun
    Registered Users Posts: 21,466 ✭✭✭✭Alun


    R.O.R wrote: »
    Someone very helpfully ran one of our Focus's in to the back of another car yesterday, so it's out the back with the bonnet up.

    If it's the new model Focus (pre-facelift) then it looks like headlights are held in with a couple of screws and plugged in to the wiring loom with a connector. If you can handle a screwdriver then a swap with RHD headlights is a 20 minute max job. I'd say you should be able to pick up a set from a scrapyard cheap enough, then you'd probably have to get them aligned.
    [mini-rant]
    Enough people, including myself, Darragh29 and others, have told the OP this in as many words already many times. If he doesn't want to take that advice on board, well, that's up to him, I suppose, but why go to the bother of asking for advice on a public forum if you're not going to take any notice of what you're told?
    [/mini-rant]


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    #50
    VH
    Closed Accounts Posts: 690 ✭✭✭VH


    Darragh29 wrote: »
    What's wrong with the NCT guy just giving some professional "no strings attached" advice, over and above the advice he is obliged to give???
    the fear of being sued?


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    #51
    Darragh29
    Closed Accounts Posts: 7,097 ✭✭✭Darragh29


    VH wrote: »
    the fear of being sued?

    Regrettably the more you post, the more you confirm what I'm pointing to! Sued for what, a pair of headlamps??? It is exactly this litagant mentality that if everything doesn't go perfectly someone must be sued, that has the OP in a situation where nobody is really interested in taking this job on. The NCT are 200% correct in the advice given. That car cannot pass the NCT (I mean the NCT as per the regulations and I've posted them here), without the headlamps being replaced to suit the headlamps that are required for this jurisdiction.

    To be honest OP, this thread is starting to grow legs, just go out and get 2 headlamps for your car in a scrap yard and spend an hour fitting them yourself, end of problem.


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