1st NCT, anything I need to know/do before I show up at the Test Center ?

Bring a coat and a stool as the appointment schedules are very loose and you could be there a while.

If it all goes well, double check the odometer reading on your cert to make sure it is correct as typos sometimes happen.

having all the seat belts connected to their respective connectors, sometimes helps the lads along to....

Make sure that odometer reading on NCT cert is in correct units as per displayed on car, I've had km's entered before when it should have been miles so got them to rectify it there and then.

Before test check every single light on the car works and the tyres are correct thread depth, failing on these is a proper pain in the hole to have to come back for visual recheck. Every single time I'm at the NCT there's 4 or 5 people failing on lights not working, stuff that anyone with a working eye in their head could check.

Check registration plate lights are operational, check you have windscreen washer, remove tyre dust caps as they tend to get 'lost' during testing.

I'd agree with turning up early. It's often happened to me that I've been finished before I was due to start if you see what I mean.

Bring all required documents, especially ID.

Make sure they can open bonnet (the bonnet release on mine had come off ages ago and was in the glove compartment, luckily he carried on after I fixed ii in place!).

Yeah same as my NCT place, i was 20 minutes early was told to come back, just waited in the car.

The tyre dust caps is a new to me ,do they take these off?

I think there may be a mix up here.

Hub caps, if present, need to be taken off the car before testing but what I would call the dust caps (the screw plastic top that covers the tyre valves) most definetly need to remain on the car for testing.

Make sure you have the legal minimum of tread on your tyres - that's a fail dangerous and they won't let you drive the car away.

If you try, they'll call the guards.

I find that this, again, depends on the test centre. I have been asked for the Registration document in Deansgrange and Fonthill but not in Greenhills or Athlone. I can't recall whether I was asked for it in Naas but it seems to be a luck of the draw type thing. If you are asked for it and don't have it, then the NCT certificate (if the car passes) may be withheld until you come back with the document.

I've never been asked for it in numerous NCT's. But I suppose the one time.....

In my experience anyway they won't call the gardai.

No they will not call the Gardai. Where are you hearing this nonsense???

Do you honestly think the Gardai are going to respond to an NCT Centre reporting

illegal tyres???

How else are you supposed to get your car fixed (regardless of what the issue is)?

Well, today was the day.

And guess what?

They didn't ask for it. I only had to state my wife's name before the guy handed over the certificate.

Positive surprise (to me) also that it's valid for two years. I was kinda going by Dutch regulations that a car over 8 years old only gets one year and a diesel gets one year anyway. Never bothered to look up the Irish regulations 🤣

Hmm interesting. The date of first registration is 5 November 2014. As a result of the 4 month Covid extension the due date is now 4 March, so since today 4 March 2025.

So if I bring it in on, let's say, 1 October 2024 (keep a bit of leeway in case it fails and something needs to be fixed), I would get a certificate that's valid up to 30 September 2026 (provided it passes, of course), whereas if I bring it in between 5 December 2024 and 4 March 2025, I'd get a certificate that's only valid until 4 March 2026?

Ah didn't realise you had covid extension.

I don't think the voluntary test would account for that extension so you'd need to bring it in at least 3 months before 5 November 2024 so probably not worth it in your scenario.