Wheel Alignment/Balance checked in NCT

fletch

My NCT is due tomorrow, just wondering does anybody know if they check alignment/balance as my car is pulling ever so slightly to the left and not sure if I will have the time to get it fixed beforehand.
Had a look at the NCT - Inspection List and it says a very general "Wheels"

Oh and also, do they check tyre pressures because I have locking dust caps, so should I take them off beforehand? It doesn't mention it in Preparing for the NCT

Seth Brundle

I don't think they have the tools to check alignment or balancing.
However, if the tyres are unevenly worn to an unacceptable level they may fail you on this - can' trecall what the manual says.

fletch

kbannon wrote:

I don't think they have the tools to check alignment or balancing.
However, if the tyres are unevenly worn to an unacceptable level they may fail you on this - can' trecall what the manual says.

Grand....my tyres are fine cause I check the pressures regularly and rotate them to ensure even wear

Seth Brundle

My rears are wider than the fronts so its not an option for me.

fletch

Oh and also, do they check tyre pressures because I have locking dust caps, so should I take them off beforehand? It doesn't mention it in Preparing for the NCT

Lex Luthor

I passed NCT last week and mine pulls slightly to the left

Gurgle

fletch wrote:

just wondering does anybody know if they check alignment/balance as my car is pulling ever so slightly to the left and not sure if I will have the time to get it fixed beforehand.

Theres no automated check for this but if it was very bad they would notice when pulling the car into the test area and put it down as a 'visual inspection' fail.

TempestSabre

Gurgle wrote:

Theres no automated check for this but if it was very bad they would notice when pulling the car into the test area and put it down as a 'visual inspection' fail.

It would want to be woeful to notice it driving 50 feet or so.

Lex Luthor

Just wondering, have they stopped taking the cars for test drives pre the NCT test? They used to always take mine before but never did 2 weeks ago.

TempestSabre

Lex Luthor wrote:

Just wondering, have they stopped taking the cars for test drives pre the NCT test? They used to always take mine before but never did 2 weeks ago.

What test drive and who are they?

fletch

Ran the car through the NCT, failed on few small things, light alignment and a loose wing mirror (kids hit it with a ball durin the week!).
But I noticed that the "High Idle" figure is 2940rpm. That seems very high to me? What do you people reckon? I do notice that it revs to like 2,200rpm in the mornings.

Wolverine_1999

That's very high Fletch. I would think idle is normal at around 800 - 900 rpm, and maybe 1200 - 1500 on a cold morning.

Dilbert75

Isn't high idle achieved by holding the accelerator in part-way? Normal idle is just with the accelerator left untouched. I wouldn't read anything into - other than checking that the RPM at which emissions were checked was in line with the NCT Test Procedure outlined on the manual (which you can download from www.ncts.ie).

Also, I thought the NCT measured "side-slip", which I took as a reflection of tracking. We had a Fiesta which came up each time as 0m/km (or whatever the unit was). However, front wheel drive cars should have a slight toe-in, to compensate for the action of the steering geometry when turning. You'll notice shoulder wear if they're not toed-in correctly. The Fester had marginally more wear on the outside - though that could have had something to do with roundabouts being loadsa fun...

fletch

Wolverine_1999 wrote:

That's very high Fletch. I would think idle is normal at around 800 - 900 rpm, and maybe 1200 - 1500 on a cold morning.

The low idle is grand...around 800rpm tho

natnif

teah side-slip test is tracking, I think they do check tyre pressures as well...not certain on that though

Gurgle

natnif wrote:

yeah side-slip test is tracking

Side-slip isn't tracking, its traking stability.
A car with a side-slip problem couldn't be tracked properly.