NCT - Worth getting car repaired?

[Jackson2]

Hi there
My 1996 Fiesta failed NCT today - no surprise, as got no work done on car beforehand as intention was to see if it would be worth getting car repaired or would it be too expensive.
Anyway, will not be able to take it to mechanic until next week so was hoping some resident car experts could guess as to approximate cost of work done.

Section 'Visual Defects'
Failed on Exhaust smoke and CO/HC Lambda (2/3) - Idle speed
Head lamp condition - Dip Beam Not working
Side Lamps - Not working
Back door will not open
1 safety belt in back faulty
Front suspension - Wishbones/wb bushes - Worn - nearside front (left)

Brakes - said that all brakes were in very bad nick - handbrake also not working
Repeat side slip test

All in all, are these expensive or minor jobs? Any ideas as to approximate cost?
Thanks in advance

[betafrog]

Originally Posted by Jackson2

Hi there
My 1996 Fiesta failed NCT today - no surprise, as got no work done on car beforehand as intention was to see if it would be worth getting car repaired or would it be too expensive.
Anyway, will not be able to take it to mechanic until next week so was hoping some resident car experts could guess as to approximate cost of work done.

Section 'Visual Defects'
Failed on Exhaust smoke and CO/HC Lambda (2/3) - Idle speed
Head lamp condition - Dip Beam Not working
Side Lamps - Not working
Back door will not open
1 safety belt in back faulty
Front suspension - Wishbones/wb bushes - Worn - nearside front (left)

Brakes - said that all brakes were in very bad nick - handbrake also not working
Repeat side slip test

All in all, are these expensive or minor jobs? Any ideas as to approximate cost?
Thanks in advance

To be fair, with that many faults it's quite disturbing that you're even driving it... No dip or side lights, poor brakes and no working handbrake not really issues that you can put to the back of your mind for a while...

[voxpop]

Brakes,bushes and lamps (assuming blown bulbs) are all consumables and would be sorted under a standard service - so nothing crazy price wise there.

The expensive item could be the Exhaust smoke - depends really on whats the problem here, sensor,cat,engine problem.


I would get the brakes and lights sorted as a priority.

[pred racer]

personally Id go buy this instead.

http://www.autotrader.ie/search/Ford...t?channel=CARS

I think your repairs could cost you alot more than buying another one, especially if the emissions isnt a straightforward fix.

[Carstuck]

Originally Posted by Jackson2

Hi there
My 1996 Fiesta failed NCT today - no surprise, as got no work done on car beforehand as intention was to see if it would be worth getting car repaired or would it be too expensive.
Anyway, will not be able to take it to mechanic until next week so was hoping some resident car experts could guess as to approximate cost of work done.

Section 'Visual Defects'
Failed on Exhaust smoke and CO/HC Lambda (2/3) - Idle speed
Head lamp condition - Dip Beam Not working
Side Lamps - Not working
Back door will not open
1 safety belt in back faulty
Front suspension - Wishbones/wb bushes - Worn - nearside front (left)

Brakes - said that all brakes were in very bad nick - handbrake also not working
Repeat side slip test

All in all, are these expensive or minor jobs? Any ideas as to approximate cost?
Thanks in advance

I say the wishbones & bushes will cost about €400. I think thats what I paid last year on my fiesta. It could all add up to near €1000. You be as well to even buy a 00 fiesta. Overall not worth repairing.

[Jackson2]

Thanks for replies so far guys. Am a complete dunce with cars and might be offtrack here but thought i should mention that the car passed on the section marked 'Exhaust emissions'. Yes, listed among visual defects was a failure under 'Exhaust smoke and CO/HC Lamda (2/3) - description - idle speed.
Tester said timing was out - thought this was a reference to the idle speed (tbh, i don't know what this stuff means, am just mentioning in case relevant!).
Car has a clear tendancy to go fast even when foot is not on the pedal - compared to other cars I've driven, it feels a little like it has a mind of its own that way, ie, it will drive itself for quite a while before slowing down.
Might this be connected to what the idle speed problem? As I say, car seems to have passed on the emissions question.

Again, ta in advance

[mickdw]

I think they can just push in new bushes to the existing wishbones on those fiesta. should be cheaper than 400. Lights and stuff in nothing to fix.
Emissions possibly not alot if its only a visual defect
In relation to brakes, I doubt the nct guy was just commenting on pad wear, Its possible your whole brake system from discs/pads to brake lines to hydraulic cylinders is in bad shape. Depending on exactly what is wrong, it could be expensive.

Get a mechanic (who doesnt sell cars) to have a quick look at the car.

IMO, its most likely that you would buy a similar or newer car with NCT for what you might spend on repairs.

[Aidan812]

The Nct is too dear it's €50 for a standard car and if you fail it will be more than €50 ha ha ha. You will have to get things replaced which could be dear

[Gurgle]

Originally Posted by Jackson2

the car passed on the section marked 'Exhaust emissions'. Yes, listed among visual defects was a failure under 'Exhaust smoke and CO/HC Lamda (2/3) - description - idle speed.

Are you sure they tested the emissions?
This 'visual defect' sounds like they wouldn't even have tested it because it was so obviously bad.

Not that it makes any difference to my advice: Drive it to a scrapyard and take whatever they'll give you. Get a scrappage certificate too and you can claim back whatever road tax it has left (or some proportion of it).

[Turlock]

For the car that it is, in the market we're in I'd flog it for a few quid and get something else. The work is going to cost you about a grand which writes off your car (or does it?)

[Jackson2]

Originally Posted by Gurgle

Are you sure they tested the emissions?
This 'visual defect' sounds like they wouldn't even have tested it because it was so obviously bad.

Not that it makes any difference to my advice: Drive it to a scrapyard and take whatever they'll give you. Get a scrappage certificate too and you can claim back whatever road tax it has left (or some proportion of it).

In the Emissions section, there are 4 PASS ratings and 1 n/a.
Reads like this;
Low Idle - CO o.11vol% - PASS
(1160 rpm) - HC 0 ppm - N/A
...followed by 3 more PASS

Would prefer not to buy different car as that can bring its own set of problems and just want a basic runaround. If the cost comes to 600/700, then I probably will scrap it and buy another. Certainly wouldn't pay in the region of 1000.

[dutchcat]

a new air filter and an oil change could sort your emission prob,but if you start where do you stop

[Gurgle]

Originally Posted by dutchcat

if you start where do you stop

Nowhere near where you wanted to, unless you get the brakes sorted out too.

[Stealdo]

Originally Posted by Jackson2

Would prefer not to buy different car as that can bring its own set of problems and just want a basic runaround.

It would be very unlikely to bring more problems than you already have.
Driving this car sounds like lunacy.

[majnus]

to get just lambda replaced it would cost you like €100, and as far as i'm concerned fiestas 96 are worth no more than like €400, so to fix everything and get it NCTd you would spend fortune, so i 'd recommend buying new car... my sister just got '98 fiesta with nct for a year for just €600