NCT - nearly half of the 1.5 million vehicles that did the test last year failed

Hmmm, how come there werent 1.5 million deadly crashes last year so?

I don't know anyone who called or went onto the priority list online who didn't get an NCT before their current NCT expired. If you are waiting months for an appointment it's because you want to.

We had private garages doing the DoE on commercial vehicles and it was such a corrupt sh1t show that the UK had to embarrass us into reforming it, nearly every Irish truck failed their roadside inspections even with a fresh DoE. The UK MOT is also riddled with corruption and extortion, Northern Ireland followed our system instead of the rest of the UK for their car checks.

There is some corruption in our system but with private garages doing the test it would be way worse.

Garages practically encourage people to just throw the car in NCT and then come back with a list of stuff to repair rather than look at the car twice. The stat isn't at all surprising.

Besides bulbs, tyres and levels there isnt a whole lot else that a lay person is going to be qualified to maintain anyway, certainly not the out of sight innards. Many drivers aren't mechanically minded and dont really have a clue about their cars and what makes them go.

That article is from 2006, I think if it was actually an issue we'd have heard about it by now🙄

Exactly, I completely forgot the NCT was due on my Golf after getting it serviced in September, managed to get a slot 3 weeks later. Can't remember what it is exactly but they've changed their booking now so something like 1/3 of their slots are online only for 2-3 week availability so you can definitely get a slot. And this is Dublin Fonthill which is busy. In the pre-Covid/lift issues I had to go somewhere in Kildare.

#tinfoil hat #thetruthisoutthere

The NCT was set up under an EU directive that required the tests take place in a state owned facility. Lots of other EU countries have the same set up.

Any business can tender to run the testing service when it up for renewal. We will never have an MOT style testing regime.

A licence to print money is something like the M50 toll bridge or the mobile phone licences. Upfront cost but endless profits thereafter. The NCT and other State contacts are not like that.

While Applus make a good profit, they have to invest in their business to run it, hire staff and train them an all that entails. After 5 years the RSA can just give that business to someone else. They take the risks and face fines for under-performance etc. The State shifts huge risks to the private sector by doing it this way.

It's true but if the tester can't find it the onus is on the owner to find it or fail the car safety test

Some new models have it behind the plastic door frame cover and testers are reluctant to take that off in case it breaks

The average age of the Irish fleet is now 9 years, up from 5.8 in 2007.

With the removal of the UK market as a source of newer used vehicles, the average age is only going to increase, and failure rates will rise.

I just had a read of it there, and there’s nothing surprising there. The contracted company (Applus) collect the money, pay the wages etc etc then hand over a huge chunk to the RSA.

Ref the foreign workers, in an unrelated industry - during and after Covid I took on a lot of new starts, all of them eventually left - some because they had unprecedented opportunities to get better jobs that they’d never have been considered for when jobs were harder to get, and others moved around similar jobs and tried out lots of different companies in a short space of time. I would expect this is what happened in the NCT too. They would have tendered for the NCT contract based on expected wage rates, so they can’t reasonably just increase everyone’s wages 20% just to keep people.

I always thought its because many people dont bother with maintenance, especially for cars they intend to 'drive into the ground'.

So they use NCT to tell them what is the bare minimum to fix?

It would be full of corruption if that was the case.

My car failed - after passing for many years - because the side windows had a light tint on them (not applied by me - but I liked it). Aparently because of the possibility that someone would wear sun glassess in the car (not me) and that would be too much then. Now I have windows with mismatching tints front and back to suit them.

Also Failed next year because they noticed the front window top window tint came down too close to tips of wipers - technicality at this stage as visors cover much more of window.

Another car failed because I had some work done to body and they wanted to see the bare metal - as they said they couldnt see it was done right if it was painted - wanted me to remove paint + undercoat - get inspected - then repaint car. Asked for manager - he agreed with me it was madness that I would have to get paint removed from skirt and underside of car and drive cross city with no rust coat applied (it was raining a lot that week) - but said "he could not show up his lads".

Chancers - never going back to the M50 NCT near airport again.