NCT and no handles

sentenel

I had my NCT today and failed on (and licence plate and unsecured battery and a shock)but mainly on the fact that the car has no door handles on the front doors and uses the key fob to pop open the doors.The guy who owned the car before me had them removed(Alfa 156).
The NCT crowd (test center and customer service) say as the car came with door handles it fails cause in an accident how can someone gain access to the driver. I explained that if I was in another car with the door locked and I crashed you wouldn't be able to gain access to the driver except to break the window or possibly get in from the rear door (unless it had central locking then hard luck) but they wouldn't except this arguement.
So does anyone have any ideas what I do now or how I go about challenging the NCT'S views or is it get two new doors or get some one to put handles on the doors with no locks in them ????? any ideas?


cheers
joe

seamus

There should be a list of the tests that must be carried out by the NCT crowd. Anything else is purely money money.

I can't see how this is valid. Many, many new cars come with all sorts of fancy tricks with the doors (such as locking them until the key is removed from the ignition), I can't see how just because a modification is not what came from the factory, and isnt even part of the definition of a roadworthy car (afaik, vehicles only have to have latchable doors, i.e. ones that don't swing open on corners ).

You can find the list somewhere on www.irishstatutebook.ie
I'll check it tomorrow.

{edit:

(3) bonnet or door catches defective or bonnet safety catch missing or defective.

That's the only check I could find that they need to do on the door. Since I assume your doors catch no problem, then there's no qualification of "defective".

Yes, they do fail cars simply to meet quotas. It's the biggest sham I've ever heard of.

dcGT

That's a joke. That modification has NO bearing on the safety of the vehicle. As seamus said, there are MANY car alarm systems now that lock all doors as soon as the key is placed in the ignition, are they going to outlaw these too? Sounds like they're just looking for more revenue and coming down hard on modified motors is one sure fire way to do this. This NCT crowd are making the rules up as they go along. What's this "your number plate has to show the name of the county in Irish" crap. Since when is that a safety issue?! It's an outrage! I think there is somewhere you can appeal the decision of the test. I know someone with a Range Rover who went for the NCT last year. The f*cking fools in the centre put the car onto the rollers, completely ignorant of the fact that the Range Rover is 4WD. Consequently, they completely f*cked up the transmission (front wheels were on the roller, rear wheels were static). The case has been going through proceedings for a year now.
Best of luck with the whole thing and let us know how you get on.

DC.

sentenel

Cannot agree with you more dcgt
cheers
joe

Seth Brundle

sounds like complete crap to me.
Have they put it in writing? Go to a library and look at the NCT manual & see what it says about locks & handles in there

Seth Brundle

Don't most new alarms automatically unlock the doors in the event of an accident?

dcGT

kbannon wrote:

Don't most new alarms automatically unlock the doors in the event of an accident?

Perhaps, but with regard to the door handles, I doubt there is a law stating that the alarm must open all doors in the event of an accident.
In fact, this arguement would bring into question whether it is illegal to lock all doors from the inside while driving, as this basically causes the same problem as no door handles?????

Also, whether the doors open or not would depend on what the alarm system constitutes as an 'accident' e.g. air bag going off/fuel pump cut/igniton cut etc.

DC.

Hagar

Most alarms will unlock in the case of an accident. There were a spate of BMW robberies in Dublin where the thieves used a rubber mallet to hit the car in a certain place therby setting off the airbags and opening the doors.

I think the b@sta@rds are just trying to rip you off to fill a quota, Take the matter to their head office or Gerry Ryan, God save us, on the radio.

Interceptor

Muchos Sympaticos sentenel! The NCT have a Quality Manual and whenever there is a greivance(sp?) it is wheeled out like the Book of Kells. The quality manual is the catch-all weapon in their armoury and it will detail door-handles as safety equipment and will state that the vehicle must be presented for test with all of the 'safety equipment' it had leaving the factory. If the tester in the day couldn't be made to see reason, then you will have to take the matter higher within the organisation, they provide complaint forms at the test centre. You could follow my lead and refuse to NCT your vehicle, but thats another thread altogether...

'ceptr

Wanton

not argueing with how crap the NCT boys are, but as far as i know, if the car had it when it left the factory its deemed to need it for the nct

Seth Brundle

I wasn't aware that factory standard is a pre-requisite for the NCT though - if it was then cars with uprated brakes, shoks, etc. would also fail.

Interceptor

Uprated brakes and shocks would not count as 'safety equipment', but as enhancements and provided they performed within the specification laid down for the test ie below certain imbalance, then there is no need to consider them.

There has been an ongoing row over rear seat-belts in Minis since the NCT was introduced - the reality is that they weren't standard for a long time and most old Minis don't have them hence regular failing.

Just be glad your car doesn't have to conform to German TuV type-approval regulations, where any modification has to conform to pre-determined standards.

'ceptr

sentenel

Sent off the appeal today now I'll just have to wait and see :mad: what happens.
cheers
joe