NCT - Voluntary Early Test - available from 28/07/2014

CiniO · 27-07-2014 10:27pm #1

From tomorrow, a new option to NCT test a car early will be available.
Normally you could test car up to 90 days before next due date. This still remains as it used to be. Option to test car 180 days before due date in case of cars 4 year old is scrapped, and is not available anymore.

What's new though, is that if you decide to test a car more than 90 days before due date, you can do it. Until now such option was not available, so that's a big step forward.
When testing your car early, your next due date will be changed and it will come at 1 (or 2) years from day when you passed voluntary early test.

Voluntary early test obviously won't be available for cars which are overdue NCT.

Two examples then.

1. Car is 5.5 years old, and it's test is due at December 2014.
If you test it now in July 2014 and pass, your next due date will be July 2016.

2. Your car is 15.5 year old, and your test was due in January 2014, but car was not tested. If you present your car for NCT now in July 2014 and pass, next due date will be January 2015. (so there is no change in this).

IMO that's a very good and handy improvement to the system. Fair play to whoever came up with this.

More info here: http://www.rsa.ie/RSA/Your-Vehicle/Your-Vehicle-/NCT/Voluntary-Early-Testing/

And law covering new rules here: http://www.irishstatutebook.ie/pdf/2014/en.si.2014.0322.pdf

visual · 27-07-2014 11:40pm

Im just not optistic about this new change at all.
Especial as Ive been trying to get a date for my car and calander is full till late September.

The test should be from date of test for a set period 1 or 2 years. Not this messing about with from anversery to anversery. And when there is so many waiting on test the solution is you can book test earlier is cop out for centres not being able to cope with demand.

From a safety view point it is possible to stretch the period of tests by 1/2 year. That can't be herald as a positive even if it is convenient for some.

Atlantic Dawn · 28-07-2014 12:06am

First they mess up the number plate system for imported cars starting them off at a random 120k, now they mess up the NCT anniversary dates, no other perfectly understandable system left for them to mess up now :mad:

I presume if they discover your car is a death trap when it's tested early you can still drive it perfectly legal as you have the NCT from the previous test?

CiniO · 28-07-2014 12:19am

Atlantic Dawn wrote: »

First they mess up the number plate system for imported cars starting them off at a random 120k, now they mess up the NCT anniversary dates, no other perfectly understandable system left for them to mess up now :mad:

What did they mess up with NCT anniversary dates?

I presume if they discover your car is a death trap when it's tested early you can still drive it perfectly legal as you have the NCT from the previous test?

You can't (and never could) legally drive a car which is a death trap.

Toyotafanboi · 28-07-2014 12:25am

i'm pleased with this.

my cars NCT is due this december and i wasn't particularly happy about that. december is probably my busiest time of the year with college/ job and family it's also financially it's the time of year where i have the least spare cash for the car and not to mention the short and bad weather days to try and get a chance to work on the car.

i was only wishing i could have done the NCT very early like June or July, turns out now i can

. i appreciate it's only a cop-out somewhat to try and compensate for the lack of centres/ appointments and it's also kind of sad that it will skew being able to verify a cars anniversary through it's NCT date etc, but it suits me and proably many others great.

djimi · 28-07-2014 12:27am

In reality this will make little difference for the majority, but for those who could use it its a handy change.

I might use this to move my NCT; having it in early January is a pain in the arse at the moment!

The_Pretender · 28-07-2014 12:31am

Could add a bit of value to the car if you were to sell as well. People would probably feel more comfotable buying a car that has just passed the NCT over a car that is due it in 3 months.

Y2KBOS86 · 28-07-2014 12:33am

A I getting this right?

I have a 10 year old car ( test once a year )

My NCT is up 06/15.

Can I do the test on my holidays ( 11/14 ) and I get a new disc for 11/15?

CiniO · 28-07-2014 12:40am

Y2KBOS86 wrote: »

A I getting this right?

I have a 10 year old car ( test once a year )

My NCT is up 06/15.

Can I do the test on my holidays ( 11/14 ) and I get a new disc for 11/15?

Yes

Y2KBOS86 · 28-07-2014 12:44am

CiniO wrote: »

Yes

:pac:

Great system.

Way handier now.

zoe 3619 · 28-07-2014 12:54am

Err.. Have a car that's been off the road for a while.test was due January,but didn't bother as I wasn't using it.if I test it now I'll only get 6 months test?or better to leave it off the road until January.or can I avail of early test and do it in October?

CiniO · 28-07-2014 12:55am

zoe 3619 wrote: »

Err.. Have a car that's been off the road for a while.test was due January,but didn't bother as I wasn't using it.if I test it now I'll only get 6 months test?or better to leave it off the road until January.or can I avail of early test and do it in October?

Looks like nothing changes in this matter, so you can do your test in October 2014, and if car pass the test, you will get a cert valid until January 2016.

BHP · 28-07-2014 3:06am

Did you see that if you do your 10th anniversary test early (that's more than 90 days early) you will get a certificate for two years from the date you pass rather than one year!

http://www.ncts.ie/customer_service_enhancements_to_nct_july_2014.html

jca · 28-07-2014 5:49am

Thats a great idea. When people start moving their dates it should free up more slots in the January/ February months. Luckily my car was registered in October.

CJhaughey · 28-07-2014 9:50am

Another good thing is the Odometer reading will be captured on the Cert from today, 3 previous readings can be printed on the Cert.
Great idea, this will help reduce clocking.

Chris_Heilong · 28-07-2014 10:19am

So if I test my car 2 months early then I am effectively losing 2 months NCT as the next test will be on the day I tested it a year later. Thats crap.

djimi · 28-07-2014 10:25am

Chris_Heilong wrote: »

So if I test my car 2 months early then I am effectively losing 2 months NCT as the next test will be on the day I tested it a year later. Thats crap.

If you test your car 2 months early then you will still get a 14 month NCT (the three months in advance rule still applies).

If you test your car 4 months early then you get a test for 12 months from that date, meaning yes your previous NCT would only have been valid for 8 months.

In fairness, as I said this will make very little difference to the majority of car owners; most people will continue the same as they always did and wont have to change the date of the test. However if, for example, you were taking the car out of the country for a number of months and the NCT was due to expire while you were away, then this is a handy system to allow you to test the car early and still have a full test on it. Or, like in my situation, if your current test falls at an inconvenient time of the year, it means I can move it to a date that better suits me.

challengemaster · 28-07-2014 10:55am

CJhaughey wrote: »

Another good thing is the Odometer reading will be captured on the Cert from today, 3 previous readings can be printed on the Cert.
Great idea, this will help reduce clocking.

Actually they already started implementing this. Had a car tested last week and there's space for 5 odometer readings on the cert, with the current reading recorded. IIRC the reading is on the disc too.

dodzy · 28-07-2014 11:02am

Only benefit I can see is that you can now move your NCT forward (annoying for people lumped with Dec/Jan tests) - they can now get summertime NCTs.

Always liked the idea of testing your car 3mths in advance (therefor getting a 15mth cert), always a plus if you are offloading your vehicle.

Whats the new change in relation to mileage recording on the certs going forward in relation to the current system? I heard something on the radio this morning but didn't pay any attention.

CJhaughey · 28-07-2014 11:50am

dodzy wrote: »

Only benefit I can see is that you can now move your NCT forward (annoying for people lumped with Dec/Jan tests) - they can now get summertime NCTs.

Always liked the idea of testing your car 3mths in advance (therefor getting a 15mth cert), always a plus if you are offloading your vehicle.

Whats the new change in relation to mileage recording on the certs going forward in relation to the current system? I heard something on the radio this morning but didn't pay any attention.

Up to 3 previous mileage recordings on the cert.

challengemaster · 28-07-2014 11:53am

CJhaughey wrote: »

Up to 3 previous mileage recordings on the cert.

Well someone should tell them, because a cert issued in the last week has space for 5!

Fred Swanson · 28-07-2014 2:14pm

This post has been deleted.

Silvera · 28-07-2014 2:19pm

I got an NCT cert on 24-7-14 and it has space for 4 x odomoeter readings (incl the current reading).

I'm not sure about the idea of putting the odometer reading on the NCT disc though

(Unless it's on the rear of the disc?) Otherwise every 'Tom, Dick and Harry' can look at your windscreen/disc and see what mileage is on your car?!

mb1725 · 28-07-2014 2:29pm

Wonder how long it will take for this change to prompt a price increase? :rolleyes:

jca · 28-07-2014 2:43pm

Silvera wrote: »

I got an NCT cert on 24-7-14 and it has space for 4 x odomoeter readings (incl the current reading).

I'm not sure about the idea of putting the odometer reading on the NCT disc though
(Unless it's on the rear of the disc?) Otherwise every 'Tom, Dick and Harry' can look at your windscreen/disc and see what mileage is on your car?!

A lot of cars display the mileage all the time.....

challengemaster · 28-07-2014 2:44pm

Silvera wrote: »

I got an NCT cert on 24-7-14 and it has space for 4 x odomoeter readings (incl the current reading).

I'm not sure about the idea of putting the odometer reading on the NCT disc though
(Unless it's on the rear of the disc?) Otherwise every 'Tom, Dick and Harry' can look at your windscreen/disc and see what mileage is on your car?!

Jaysus isn't it terridble joe!

So what?!?

Chris_Heilong · 28-07-2014 3:30pm

challengemaster wrote: »

Jaysus isn't it terridble joe!

So what?!?

I guess it would be easier for thieves to put an advert in a foreign country so they have a buyer lined up before they steal your car. Sample; 2006 Red Ford Focus, 69,000km. They would have all that info just by looking at your car.

listermint · 28-07-2014 3:36pm

Chris_Heilong wrote: »

I guess it would be easier for thieves to put an advert in a foreign country so they have a buyer lined up before they steal your car. Sample; 2006 Red Ford Focus, 69,000km. They would have all that info just by looking at your car.

Em... i dont really think that would make an ounce of difference.

is this really what people worry about ?! ?

djimi · 28-07-2014 4:23pm

Chris_Heilong wrote: »

I guess it would be easier for thieves to put an advert in a foreign country so they have a buyer lined up before they steal your car. Sample; 2006 Red Ford Focus, 69,000km. They would have all that info just by looking at your car.

I would say thats pretty unlikely in all fairness!

For a lot of cars if someone wants to know the mileage they just have to look at the dash through the window.

jca · 28-07-2014 4:43pm

dodzy wrote: »

Only benefit I can see is that you can now move your NCT forward (annoying for people lumped with Dec/Jan tests) - they can now get summertime NCTs.

Always liked the idea of testing your car 3mths in advance (therefor getting a 15mth cert), always a plus if you are offloading your vehicle.

Whats the new change in relation to mileage recording on the certs going forward in relation to the current system? I heard something on the radio this morning but didn't pay any attention.

Also if your cars test doesn't expire until Dec this year and you want to sell it, you can test it now and sell it with a full year's or two years test on it.

jca · 28-07-2014 4:43pm

djimi wrote: »

I would say thats pretty unlikely in all fairness!

For a lot of cars if someone wants to know the mileage they just have to look at the dash through the window.

Exactly...

dodzy · 28-07-2014 5:06pm

Surely it'll have a positive impact clocking. Great news IMO. And about bloody time.

franer1970 · 28-07-2014 5:13pm

Can I take it that the 90 day thing applies to the date you take the test - not the date you book the test?
For example my NCT is due 22 January 2015 and 90 days prior to that is 24 October 2014 - can I make a booking for that date (or shortly thereafter) now?

djimi · 28-07-2014 5:17pm

franer1970 wrote: »

Can I take it that the 90 day thing applies to the date you take the test - not the date you book the test?
For example my NCT is due 22 January 2015 and 90 days prior to that is 24 October 2014 - can I make a booking for that date (or shortly thereafter) now?

If you test the car 90 days in advance (doesnt matter when you book it) then you still get 12/24 months + 90 days on the next cert.

dougie-lampkin · 28-07-2014 6:43pm

dodzy wrote: »

Surely it'll have a positive impact clocking. Great news IMO. And about bloody time.

My car has 140k miles on it. If I clock it back to 80k, do the voluntary NCT, I can then sell my car with 80k on the clock backed up by a disc that says 80k in the window. The only history of mileage is on the cert which is easily "lost". This new rule hasn't made clocking more difficult, it's made it even easier.

I posted this on the original thread on this subject, but there's only way for the NCT to eliminate clocking. Have a page on www.ncts.ie where I can put in a reg, and I get given a list of dates the car was tested on, along with the recorded mileage for each. I can only speak for myself, but I'd be willing to pay a nominal fee (€1-2) to get this information. Clocking is eliminated overnight for cars over 4 years old. If they can print it on the disc at the moment, then this is all public information and there's no data protection laws infringed. Given how money hungry Applus are, I'm surprised they've missed this trick so far.

_Kaiser_ · 28-07-2014 7:33pm

BHP wrote: »

Did you see that if you do your 10th anniversary test early (that's more than 90 days early) you will get a certificate for two years from the date you pass rather than one year!

So I have a 05 car that's due it's NCT in January and from then on it'll be annual.

If I do it before September then, it'll be good to 2016?

theShire · 28-07-2014 8:20pm

FFS - what a joke!
2nd Car is due it first NCT in November so we decided to book it in early since we knew the local centre had a long waiting time.
I've had to wait almost 3 months for my own cars test.
Typically for the NCT test for the 2nd car we got a cancellation for the start of August, so now we're losing out on the 2yrs3+months Test.

This should have only applied to new bookings from 28/07/2014

CiniO · 28-07-2014 8:20pm

_Kaiser_ wrote: »

So I have a 05 car that's due it's NCT in January and from then on it'll be annual.

If I do it before September then, it'll be good to 2016?

It looks like that answer is yes.

If your car is due NCT in January 2015, you test it in November 2014, then normal next due date will apply - January 2016.
But if you test your car voluntarily on September 2014, then you should get your cert valid until September 2016.

theShire · 28-07-2014 8:44pm

CiniO wrote: »

It looks like that answer is yes.

If your car is due NCT in January 2015, you test it in November 2014, then normal next due date will apply - January 2016.
But if you test your car voluntarily on September 2014, then you should get your cert valid until September 2016.

From my understanding of the changes, for a Car with NCT due in January 2015, the following would happen:
A: Testing in Sept 2014 (before the 90 days), then the next due date will be 1year/2years from the Test Date. (car over 10yrs - Sept 2015, car under 10yrs - Sept 2016)
B: Testing in November 2014, then the next due date will be 1year/2years from the Renewal Date. (car over 10yrs - Jan 2016, car under 10yrs - Jan 2017)

Anyone else agree?

CiniO · 28-07-2014 9:44pm

theShire wrote: »

From my understanding of the changes, for a Car with NCT due in January 2015, the following would happen:
A: Testing in Sept 2014 (before the 90 days), then the next due date will be 1year/2years from the Test Date. (car over 10yrs - Sept 2015, car under 10yrs - Sept 2016)
B: Testing in November 2014, then the next due date will be 1year/2years from the Renewal Date. (car over 10yrs - Jan 2016, car under 10yrs - Jan 2017)

Anyone else agree?

Yes.
That's exactly in line with what I said above in relation to _Keiser_'s question.

dodzy · 28-07-2014 10:26pm

dougie-lampkin wrote: »

This new rule hasn't made clocking more difficult, it's made it even easier.

Of course it wont happen overnight, but on subsequent tests, there will be more records. Eventually, it will help.

CJhaughey · 28-07-2014 10:46pm

dougie-lampkin wrote: »

My car has 140k miles on it. If I clock it back to 80k, do the voluntary NCT, I can then sell my car with 80k on the clock backed up by a disc that says 80k in the window. The only history of mileage is on the cert which is easily "lost". This new rule hasn't made clocking more difficult, it's made it even easier.

How do you know that the mileage hasn't been recorded by the NCT centre during the last few tests and not made public?
Maybe the next time you test it the previous odo readings will be printed onto the cert?

jca · 28-07-2014 11:21pm

theShire wrote: »

From my understanding of the changes, for a Car with NCT due in January 2015, the following would happen:
A: Testing in Sept 2014 (before the 90 days), then the next due date will be 1year/2years from the Test Date. (car over 10yrs - Sept 2015, car under 10yrs - Sept 2016)
B: Testing in November 2014, then the next due date will be 1year/2years from the Renewal Date. (car over 10yrs - Jan 2016, car under 10yrs - Jan 2017)

Anyone else agree?

Almost.. In the case of an 05 car which will enter the 1yr system on its next nct you can get almost an extra year if you test it before 90 days of its due date. My sons car is an 05 with an expiry date on Jan 5th. If he gets it tested in September (before 90 days) he'll get an nct cert with an expiry date of Sept '16, where if he waits until within the 90 days the cert will expire in Jan '16

SunRain · 28-07-2014 11:31pm

My car is due in March its 10 years old then, can I test now up to 2016?

barneystinson · 28-07-2014 11:39pm

My car is 10 years old on 30 November, so I was delighted when I heard this news today... until I went on the NCTS site and discovered that I can't get a date this side of October!!

If you just rock up to the NCT centre on any given day is there a chance that you can get the car tested if you've nothing better to do than sit and wait?!

Fred Swanson · 28-07-2014 11:42pm

This post has been deleted.

dougie-lampkin · 28-07-2014 11:42pm

CJhaughey wrote: »

How do you know that the mileage hasn't been recorded by the NCT centre during the last few tests and not made public?
Maybe the next time you test it the previous odo readings will be printed onto the cert?

dougie-lampkin wrote: »

The only history of mileage is on the cert which is easily "lost".

Unless they print the previous readings on the disc, the exercise is pointless.

dougie-lampkin · 28-07-2014 11:43pm

barneystinson wrote: »

My car is 10 years old on 30 November, so I was delighted when I heard this news today... until I went on the NCTS site and discovered that I can't get a date this side of October!!

Call them and you will get a date in August, at any centre you like. Or try the NCT site again now, the new dates are loaded at 11:30 PM.

CJhaughey · 28-07-2014 11:50pm

dougie-lampkin wrote: »

Unless they print the previous readings on the disc, the exercise is pointless.

Not really, If the car you are looking at has a fresh NCT then the vendor should have the cert to accompany it.
No cert should raise questions in the mind of any prospective buyer.
I know that things can and do go missing but the fact that there is now a recorded history of mileage should give any prospective clocker pause for thought.
I would assume that before long the various companies that do vehicle checks will be able to use the data to provide an odometer reading history as well.

barneystinson · 29-07-2014 12:18am

dougie-lampkin wrote: »

Call them and you will get a date in August, at any centre you like. Or try the NCT site again now, the new dates are loaded at 11:30 PM.

I was dubious, but it worked! Cheers.

CiniO · 29-07-2014 12:21am

Problem with mileage record on both certs and discs, is that it doesn't show unit (miles or km).
Some cars come with option of switching odometer between those units.

So what is stopping someone to do all NCT's with odometer set to miles, and then clock the car to suit km odometer reading to NCT record.
F.e.
Car does 16k km a year (10k miles).
So on 4th anniversary NCT it will have 40k miles (40k recorded on NCT record)
At 6th anniversary it will have 60k on NCT record.
On 8th anniversary it will be 80k on NCT record.
So car will be 128k km (80k miles).

So now - what's stopping owner, to clock the car back from 128k km to 80k km, and just say to the buyer, that all NCT mileage records were done with odometer set to km?

NCT - Voluntary Early Test - available from 28/07/2014

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