NCT tracking ??

shanel23

Hi,

My Car did it's NCT last Saturday and failed due to front axle tracking being out of alingment - it was +16mm and the pass range for the front is +13mm to -13mm . Fair enough I said happy that everything else is OK .

Car went in for a full service on Monday ( main dealer ) and I asked them to check the tracking as part of the service. They reported that the tracking was OK and this is stated on their report. Confused I brought the car to a fastfit outlet and asked them to check it and they report also that it's OK .

Now the car is due for a restest on Dec 10th and I'm not confident that it'll pass the NCT but I do have two seperate independant reports saying the tracking is OK.

I don't want to start arguing at the NCT centre but I wonder can you challange the calibration of their test equipment - or I could get the wheel tracked incorrectly to pass the test and then get them "fixed" again

anybody else have a similar experience with the NCT ?

Cheers

BrianD3

How many miles are on the car. If your suspension is worn AFAIK the tracking can be variable eg it might pass the NCT side slip test but then if repeated an hour late it might fail and vice versa.

Although if your suspension was worn you'd think that the NCT woudl have flagged this as well.

suitseir

I had my car NCT about two weeks ago. The guy who services my car once worked as an AIRLINE Mechanic and is so particular, it is not funny!

However, I had it serviced about 1 month before the NCT. It failed the NCT because of alignment problems. I was not a happy bunny at the NCT Centre and they knew it! I went back to my mechanic, and he was like a lunatic! Anyway he went over the car again (and no doubt will charge me for it) and I have to have it NCTd next Tuesday morning at a further cost of €27-50.

If you ask me, it is all on statistics! Because I keep my car SO WELL, there was no reason to fail it. A similar situation happened my sister and her car id 15 years old. She lives in Kerry so she brought it to another centre other NCT without having it checked out and the other centre passed it!! Its a crock!! I reckon it is a case of every so many will come out as a failure. If I were you I would just go, have the NCT and leave it at that. Maybe try a different centre??? Good Luck

shanel23

Hi BrianD

It's a 2003 with 41K on the clock and I look after very well - too well my wife would say

Also It's had 4 new tyres put on only 5K ago - and yes if there was a problem with the suspension surely to God the main dealer never mind the NCT mechanics would spot it ! Well you'd hope so anyway !

Cheers

MercMad

Mmmmm interesting !

I had my CLK nct'd in September and I had replaced the two track rod ends a few days previously and tracked it myself, so I knew it was spot on !

Anyway the guy came out to me and explained that the tracking was outside the limits, he said the "garage obviously didn't track it correctly when replacing the joints" at which point I informed him that I had done the work myself and I told him exactly what the specs were.

He dissapeared quickly and then arrived back with my NCT Cert and proclaimed that the Machine was wrong !!!

This was at Ballymun BTW !!

shanel23

Very interesting - I don't have the ability to track it myself but I will be going in armed with two independant reports stating the tracking is OK !

I got mine nct'd in Deans Grange btw.

Cheers

Cosmo K

If the car failed only for the wheel alignment, they have to double check it. Which means, you should have got 2 report sheets, one for the original test and one for the re test, ideally done on a different test lane.

shanel23

Thats news to me Cosmo K - It was definatley only tested in one lane as I watched the whole thing from the viewing area . Are we within our rights to ask them to test it on a different lane ?- there were 3 at Deans Grange

and only got one sheet -

Can't help the feeling that it's a handy way for the nct(governement) to get an extra 27.90 out of me !!

Cosmo K

Where was the test done anyway? Did it fail on the tracking only? If it only failed on the tracking, they have to repeat the tracking test! Trust me, I know what I'm tralking about....I'm one of "them":D

Or ring NCTS customer service under 1890 200 670, they will tell you the same thing, demand a free tracking Re-Test.

shanel23

Cheers for that - I'll give it a go !

snaps

Cosmo K wrote: »

Where was the test done anyway? Did it fail on the tracking only? If it only failed on the tracking, they have to repeat the tracking test! Trust me, I know what I'm tralking about....I'm one of "them":D

Or ring NCTS customer service under 1890 200 670, they will tell you the same thing, demand a free tracking Re-Test.

On the same day or with in a month?

Perhaps we should have a sticky regarding "Knowing our rights at the nct test"??

I wouldnt have known this.

VeVeX

It is entirely possible that there is something else wrong with your car. The only purpose of the test is to determine the side slip of the wheel, by which is meant the side movement compared to an ideal straight course over a distance of 1 km. There are a number of reasons a car can fail the 'Side Slip Alignment' test not just the tracking.

MercMad

VeVeX wrote: »

It is entirely possible that there is something else wrong with your car. The only purpose of the test is to determine the side slip of the wheel, by which is meant the side movement compared to an ideal straight course over a distance of 1 km. There are a number of reasons a car can fail the 'Side Slip Alignment' test not just the tracking.

........okay let me ask you, are you involved with the NCT ? You seem to know a bit more about this test than most, and I was curious having watched my car go through the test how exactly they determined the tracking since I saw no gauges being used ?

So it seems they use a form of rolling road and observe if the car deviates from the straight ahead over a set distance !

If this is the case then I agree there are a number of factors that could cause this, but then they should go telling people that the tracking is out if it could be something else !!

What do you think ?

Cosmo K

snaps wrote: »

On the same day or with in a month?

Perhaps we should have a sticky regarding "Knowing our rights at the nct test"??

I wouldnt have known this.

Ok, here is how it works. Its NCT standard procedure, that if a car fails on the side slip only, no ther mechanical failures on the car (worn bushes, track rod ends, ball joints etc), the side slip test should be repeated immediately.
That means, after the original Full Test is finished, the car is send out to the test lane again, for a FREE side slip Re-Test.

MercMad

Cosmo K wrote: »

Ok, here is how it works. Its NCT standard procedure, that if a car fails on the side slip only, no ther mechanical failures on the car (worn bushes, track rod ends, ball joints etc), the side slip test should be repeated immediately.
That means, after the original Full Test is finished, the car is send out to the test lane again, for a FREE side slip Re-Test.

.............so that sounds like it can only happen on the day and be free on that day !

In fact the customer may not know anything about it, the tester decides to "get a second opinion" for want of a better description, and could choose to re-do the test in a different lane ??

Cosmo K

.............so that sounds like it can only happen on the day and be free on that day !

True! But I mean seriously now, if the customer could come back for a FREE Re-Test after a week.....what are the chances he would fail again???:D

If a car still fails on the side slip after 2 tests, then the tracking really is out.

bbam

Hi..
I solved the problem by having the re-test in a different centre...

My passat failed for perished front brake lines, fine, I thought a reasonable problem..
I went and had the car serviced, and genuine VW brake lines fitted.

Went back for re-test and it failed again :eek::eek::eek:
This time the tester said the flex lines were too short..

I verified that the flex lines were VW and for my passat and then started to question the NCT test..

I was basically told that I had no comeback, the car would need to pass their test and that was it. They offered me another retest but warned that it would fail if the flex lines were not replaced..

I left it for a month cos I was loosing it with the NCT folks on the phone... I decided to get a second opinion and booked the car into another NCT centre..

Passed with no problem and as the centre was busy it only took half the time to test .

These folks are not infalable... they're just in control and dont like admitting mistakes...

Cheers
bam

shanel23

BBam - did you not then have to pay for a full retest ?

It clearly states on the form that the retest has to take place at the same test centre with 28 days - failing that a full retest would be required - I suppose at that stage you can pick an alternative test centre.

I have half a mind to write to nct headquarters and request to see their calibration reports for thei equipment in the test centres. - won't do me much good but I'd like to see them anyway !

bbam

Indeed I did...
I was out the price of the first test & the re-test in the first centre. Then the cost of a full test in the second centre.
Like I said, these folks will not admit a mistake and its us suckers who pay the price...
Anyway... aren't we soooo much safer now that all those cars have both lights working above their numberplates

Either way this will cost YOU more money

Cheers.
bam

MercMad

You can submit an appeal !

shanel23

I wonder how much an appeal would cost :rolleyes:

I'll be doing more than appealing if the damn car fails on Dec 10th

shanel23

Well paid 65€ to Atlas to have it tracked before the NCT retest and then armed with two independant pieces of info ( Merc garage who serviced it two weeks ago also said and printed that the tracking was OK )brought the car to be retested on Monday - and all ready for a big fight with the NCT people as both people who looked at said it was fine !

It Passed !