Nct

Chaz · 11-01-2004 6:47pm #1

I am about to send my wife's 97 Punto for NCT later this month. The car is mechanically sound - tyres and shocks all 100%. What are typical or obvious failure points to look out for?

Some say - send the car as is - and fix what they notice - dont even put in effort on something unless its obvious. Comments?

Whats the procedure once the car fails? Do u have a time to bring it back?

Seth Brundle · 11-01-2004 7:02pm

you are probably better off letting the NCT discover whatever is wrong. paying a garage a fortune to setup the car for the test but they cannot guarrantee a pass is not value for money

Chaz · 11-01-2004 7:12pm

Ye - agreed. I dont mind fixing once i know what its failed on.
How long - or what is the process once it has failed?

Seth Brundle · 11-01-2004 7:25pm

28 days to get the re-test done otherwise its the full monty again!

Chaz · 11-01-2004 7:29pm

Cool - thanks.
Lets home the car doesnt come back with major probs.

BrianD3 · 11-01-2004 7:47pm

I agree with kbannon, there's little point in bringing it to a garage for one of those "pre NCTs" However there are plenty of things that you can check yourself and get rectified before the test if necessary and possibly saving you the hassle of a retest. Some things I would check are:

Brakes: check for imbalance by taking your hands off the wheel and GENTLY braking. Do this in the middle of road so that road camber is not an issue. If car pulls noticeably to the side, you've got a brake imbalance that could fail you the test.

Exhaust and Cat: Check for a blowing exhaust. If you find any small holes, fill them with exhaust filler, or use an exhaust bandage or get the exhaust welded. Replace exhaust section if you find any big holes. Also listen for rattles from the Cat, if you hear any it's possible that the cat has started to disintegrate inside which will cause you to fail the emissions test.

Windscreen wipers and washers are easy to check and fix if necessary.

Check tyres for damage and tread depth. It's surprising how many peole turn up for the NCT with their tyres in sh1te, such an easy thing to check and fix

Check driveshaft boots, brake lines for damage, shock absorbers for leaks, light lenses for cracks, wheel bearings for play etc.

Don't forget to check that your number plate light is working. Easy thing to overlook

Basically take a good read through the list of things that are checked in the NCT and spend a couple of hours checking over the car yourself as best you can and if necessary get a mechanically minded friend to give you a hand.

BrianD3

Chaz · 11-01-2004 8:01pm

Cool thanks. Anyone know where i can find the NCT check stuff?
Only thing from that list is the damn window washer. One of the pipes is blocked or something as it doesnt work. Will this fail the car?

Seth Brundle · 11-01-2004 8:03pm

www.ncts.ie or search this board - covered many times in recent weeks

BrianD3 · 11-01-2004 8:29pm

Only thing from that list is the damn window washer. One of the pipes is blocked or something as it doesnt work. Will this fail the car?

Yes, I believe this is a fail. The jets may be blocked, try unblocking them with a pin. There could be a blockage in one of the tubes, see if you can take off the tubes and clean them out. Other thing is the washer pump may have failed. These are usually easy enough to replace.

BrianD3