Car getting NCT next week- any tips?

ButtercupTheCow

My car is getting an NCT next week. I've had it fully serviced and the mechanic said the brake pads were slightly worn but the car should pass anyway unless the tester is very particular.
Has anyone got any tips? It's getting done in Fonthill, what are they like over there?
I've bought some car cleaning products to give it a good scrub beforehand.

Lord Nikon

Remove hubcaps if you have no alloys.
Check all tyre pressures.
Check all light bulbs.

These are somethings you can do that cost nothing to check. Honestly, I cant think of anything else that wont cost anything. NCT will tell you what to fix if anything fails.

ButtercupTheCow

neuromancer wrote: »

Remove hubcaps if you have no alloys.
Check all tyre pressures.
Check all light bulbs.

These are somethings you can do that cost nothing to check. Honestly, I cant think of anything else that wont cost anything. NCT will tell you what to fix if anything fails.

Oh dear. I just checked the rear fogs and they don't seem to be working. They won't switch on, and the little light on the button doesn't light up when the button is pressed. Is this hard to fix DIY?

richardsheil

Make sure the dipped headlights are on before you try the fogs.

They only work when the headlights are on.

kasper

make sure the seat belts in the back of the car are not caught under the seat

Lord Nikon

You should check the fuses first, located under the steering wheel behind a panel, or behind the glovebox. The panel itself should have details what each fuse does. Very simple to check these, I recommend to take key out of ignition first.

johnos1984

To avoid emissions problems take the car for a good drive and have the engine nice and hot before the test. Before leaving it in spend ten minutes driving hard in second and third gear with lots of revs to clean out the eshaust system. Only drive hard once the car is warm to avoid engine damage.

Also do all the checks as suggested, remove hubcaps and finally give the car a good clean. No one wants to work in someone elses filth

ButtercupTheCow

richardsheil wrote: »

Make sure the dipped headlights are on before you try the fogs.

They only work when the headlights are on.

Just spent the past 10 minutes out in the drive reading the oul manual- all is actually fine.
I didn't know that the rear fogs only work when the dipped headlights are on- cos my front fogs work without them too.
I've never actually used my rear fogs before- I always have my lights on either way so never needed the rear fogs.

johnos1984 wrote: »

To avoid emissions problems take the car for a good drive and have the engine nice and hot before the test. Before leaving it in spend ten minutes driving hard in second and third gear with lots of revs to clean out the eshaust system. Only drive hard once the car is warm to avoid engine damage.

Also do all the checks as suggested, remove hubcaps and finally give the car a good clean. No one wants to work in someone elses filth

Cool, will do that. Will be going down the N4 to get there so will give it a few good revs!

Divorce Referendum

Check that all your tyres have this bloody 'E' mark on them :rolleyes:

johnos1984

Actually here is another tip learned by me as I was failed for it.

Make sure your number plates are in perfect condition. The county name had faded off my plate and I was failed for it. Some testers have stickers and will just put it on but in my case I just got failed for it. It was van but I presume the same happens for cars.

kasper

i was putting a car through and noticed at the last minute the county name wasnt on the top of the number plates in irish , i just used a black permanent marker car passed no problem

squod

I passed two cars in the previous month. In the time I was there I can honestly say that half of the vehicles tested were failed. That 'E' thing on the tyres accounted for most of those failures.

shinikins

Divorce Referendum wrote: »

Check that all your tyres have this bloody 'E' mark on them :rolleyes:

I second this!! The lack of this tiny little letter is proving to be veeeeerrry expensive!!

Divorce Referendum

squod wrote: »

I passed two cars in the previous month. In the time I was there I can honestly say that half of the vehicles tested were failed. That 'E' thing on the tyres accounted for most of those failures.

I can well believe that. I was talking to my local tyre man and he said that tyres without this mark are still being sold and these include dunlop, bridgestone and continental which are generally more expensive. Doesnt make any sense.

johnos1984

Is it just stamped on the side? I can't say I've never noticed this

Mind you I've never owned a car long enough generally to have them test. Only ever had two cars that I've had to test

Divorce Referendum

johnos1984 wrote: »

Is it just stamped on the side? I can't say I've never noticed this

ya looks like this on mine - E4 with a circle around it.

johnos1984

Divorce Referendum wrote: »

ya looks like this on mine - E4 with a circle around it.

I must check mine, If I'm keeping it I'm replacing the rears as although they have lots of thread left they are cheap brands with NO grip in the wet. Thanks

ButtercupTheCow

The tyres on this car are about a year old- they better have these E's on them!

squod

Some people are arranging swappies, a few garages are still selling tyres or second hand cars fitted with tyres that don't have an 'E' logo on them. Have them checked by the people who sold the car/tyres to you before the test if you're in doubt.

Yawns

kasper wrote: »

make sure the seat belts in the back of the car are not caught under the seat

Ha ha I was failed on mine as it was only half out. The tester told me to come back within the next few days for a free visual retest. I was like WTF? Hold on a sec and I'll pull it out now, stick the seatbelt in and bob's your uncle. He then had to go back inside and print off my pass sheet.

I know it should have been out aleady but did he really think I was going to drive 20 k/ms home to take out a fricken seatbelt clip and then drive back over the next few days. It was at 11am so he wasn't in a rush to close up some ppl

ButtercupTheCow

I just checked- tyres all have E. I got the car from my aunt so no worries.

The car is getting a mega-wash and hoover in the morning of the test Make a good impression and all that.

woody33

Make sure the boot is empty and your spare in good condition. Good luck and remember there are some very decent testers out there too.

Roddy23

My car actually failed this morning, as the clutch pedal pad was slightly worn. Its one of those visual jobs, so just have to bring it back and show it was done, but fair auld pain in the arse getting back there again, as clashes with work, and traffic can be fairly bad in the mornings.

bladebrew

Roddy23 wrote: »

My car actually failed this morning, as the clutch pedal pad was slightly worn. Its one of those visual jobs, so just have to bring it back and show it was done, but fair auld pain in the arse getting back there again, as clashes with work, and traffic can be fairly bad in the mornings.

christ that is an annoying thing to fail on! i was reading through the manual recently and it said if the pedals are designed to have rubber on them they should not be worn,
my clutch and brake have rubber on them but my accelerator pedal dosent,its a bit hit and miss:)

User Friendly

Is it true that if you have led lights that that is a fail?

Yawns

I was told to make sure that the pedals have rubber on them. The person who told me said that the rubber fell off pedal during the test so he got a visual fail. He had to put it back on and get the guy out to look at it before he got his pass.

User Friendly

Yawns wrote: »

I was told to make sure that the pedals have rubber on them. The person who told me said that the rubber fell off pedal during the test so he got a visual fail. He had to put it back on and get the guy out to look at it before he got his pass.

thats a fact.....

dirtydiesel

I always fasten the seatbelts across the seats before the nct.
Make sure the car is spotless inside and out.
boot must also be empty.

Stoolbend

User Friendly wrote: »

Is it true that if you have led lights that that is a fail?

No. A lot of newer cars have LED lights.

starbelgrade

dirtydiesel wrote: »

I always fasten the seatbelts across the seats before the nct.
Make sure the car is spotless inside and out.
boot must also be empty.

Totally unnessacary in my experience.

dirtydiesel

NCT Ireland

How to prepare for NCT:

• Your car needs to have adequate oil and water
• The boot should be empty and seats clear of personal belongings such as removable baby seats
• The vehicle needs reasonably clean (especially the underbody)
• The wheel hubcaps should be removed and the tyres are inflated to the correct pressure
• Seat belts and clips are to be fully visible
• Your vehicle registration plates must comply with current regulations
• The timing belt must have been replaced in the case of a diesel vehicle, i.e., within the timeframe specified by the vehicle manufacturer
• NCT recommend you have your lights checked and set prior to the test.

If you do get your car serviced, the NCTS advises that special attention is paid to the most common failure points which are:

• Headlights: alignment and condition
• Brakes: front, rear and hand brake
• exhaust emissions: in most cases a slight tuning of the engine is sufficient

Don't forget to bring your vehicle registration book, registration certificate or licensing certificate and your test fee.
Do you still think its totally unnecessary in your experience?

Del2005

Just make sure the car isn't filthy, I've never cleaned a car for the NCT and never got a fail for the car being dirty, there is no need to have it spotless. Granted I don't drive on country roads. I've never been asked for the reg cert either, all they ask for is 50.

ccull123

Hi all,

This could be a silly question but my car is missing a rear mud flap and im wondering will the tester be that anal as to fail me over that??. My NCT is tomorrow morning!!

johnos1984

ccull123 wrote: »

Hi all,

This could be a silly question but my car is missing a rear mud flap and im wondering will the tester be that anal as to fail me over that??. My NCT is tomorrow morning!!

You won't fail for that