New NCT rules and vintage plates

postdarwin

I know that Minister Dempsey announced that cars registered since Jan 1980 will have to pass an annual NCT from next year.

Does this mean that although my car is over 30 years old (Feb 1980!) I'll have to get Euro-style plates? I have custom ZV plates at the moment.

I guess--since ZV plates are exempt(?)--they 'comply with current legislation,' which is part of the NCT's mandate. Am I anywhere near correct?

Henry Ford III

I doubt you'll have to change your ZV plates. You will have to undergo the NCT however - maybe not a bad thing?

postdarwin

It's a little annoying but I'm not too worried about the NCT overall. So I can keep the ZV show plates? That's great.

Bigus

Henry Ford III wrote: »

I doubt you'll have to change your ZV plates. You will have to undergo the NCT however - maybe not a bad thing?

I think anybody who thinks getting their classic NCT'd as a good thing is being extremely naive.
Its going to cost big money every year to get any classic ready for the test every year even for people doing their own spannering.
Also any corrosion that might previously have been left for a year or two will have to be rectified.
Dull headlamps will have to be renewed, and what about e marks on old tyres or slight cracks in old sidewalls ?
Nightmare stuff and probably going to be very variable.

Post 79 cars are going to be worth an awful lot less than pre 79 from now on even to the point of being unviable.

Dades

Surely the NCT and ZV plates are completely different points?

The NCT is purely about verifying your car is road legal. If you can legally (which you can!) get a ZV number from the VRO and use alternative plates then why would there be a problem?

ianobrien

Bigus wrote: »

I think anybody who thinks getting their classic NCT'd as a good thing is being extremely naive.
Its going to cost big money every year to get any classic ready for the test every year even for people doing their own spannering.
Also any corrosion that might previously have been left for a year or two will have to be rectified.
Dull headlamps will have to be renewed, and what about e marks on old tyres or slight cracks in old sidewalls ?
Nightmare stuff and probably going to be very variable.

Post 79 cars are going to be worth an awful lot less than pre 79 from now on even to the point of being unviable.

Ah, if your classic was fit for the road, it should have no problem passing the NCT. It's good practice to get rid of tyres after 4 years. If a tyre is cracked, it's not safe. Corrosion = If it's structural, the car will fold in an accident, increasing the likelyhood of the occupents suffering injury. Dull headlights, well they have to be fixed anyway......

Henry Ford III

Bigus wrote: »

I think anybody who thinks getting their classic NCT'd as a good thing is being extremely naive.
Its going to cost big money every year to get any classic ready for the test every year even for people doing their own spannering.
Also any corrosion that might previously have been left for a year or two will have to be rectified.
Dull headlamps will have to be renewed, and what about e marks on old tyres or slight cracks in old sidewalls ?
Nightmare stuff and probably going to be very variable.

Post 79 cars are going to be worth an awful lot less than pre 79 from now on even to the point of being unviable.

I'm not so sure.

The way I see it keeping an old car to a standard that'll pass the test must be a good thing.

Renewing parts as the start to fade and fail must be better all around, and safer too.

Bigus

Henry Ford III wrote: »

I'm not so sure.

The way I see it keeping an old car to a standard that'll pass the test must be a good thing.

Renewing parts as the start to fade and fail must be better all around, and safer too.

Grand if you can find replacement parts.

I'm all for safe motoring but applying the same test to a car that does 20 miles a year to one that is going to do 20k a year is going to cause lots of pain in practice.
Can't wait for the first moans on here about classic's and unforgiving testers.

foret

Post 79 cars are going to be worth an awful lot less than pre 79 from now on even to the point of being unviable.

I tend to agree. Was considering a w123 1982 but the thoughts of NCT would put me off.
Classic cars are used on a infrequent basis and the hassle of taking of a workday for someone to tell you to come back for a minor issues would fry the mind.
Most are driven by mechanically aware individuals who love their motors and tend to them like fragile babies.
There are so many ways to tackle road deaths. My local pub car parked has 50 plus cars every Friday night. Never seen radomised breath taking in the locality. Sorry to diverge but Nct classics is a fig leaf : a PR stunt to imply road safety is improving from nanny-state initiatives

spooky donkey

i agree with you there forret. Also they will get double yer toad tax now every year. 48 tax and 50+ for the NCT. Its there to raise cash for our much stricken nanny state.
NCT on classics should be done on millage, come back every 4000 or so, that would be a fairer way to run it. Just may be harder to monitor it though.

Bigus

spooky donkey wrote: »

i agree with you there forret. Also they will get double yer toad tax now every year. 48 tax and 50+ for the NCT. Its there to raise cash for our much stricken nanny state.
NCT on classics should be done on millage, come back every 4000 or so, that would be a fairer way to run it. Just may be harder to monitor it though.

More like a minimum of €200 per year average for preparing for the test, no more putting things onthe long finger. Pre 80 only way to go

ikb

I agree with all posts so far,
Yes, pre 80 is Less Hassle, Cheaper etc - But... Why fear the N.C.T. ... ( Except the expense)...Your Vehicle SHOULD be roadworthy !
I have just bought an Mgb from U.K with a short M.O,T - Scruffy from the waist up but Mechanically / structurally Sound... How can this be... The M.O.T.
We all admire how well preserved U.K. cars are ( My ZV reg is testimony to that..37000 odd),
I fear it is only a matter of time before we all have to N.C.T.
Be careful to mind your baby, Prep her for N,C,T, before the gun is to your head.

macplaxton

Now lads, can we get back to the OPs question??? :rolleyes:

postdarwin wrote: »

I know that Minister Dempsey announced that cars registered since Jan 1980 will have to pass an annual NCT from next year.

Does this mean that although my car is over 30 years old (Feb 1980!) I'll have to get Euro-style plates? I have custom ZV plates at the moment.

I guess--since ZV plates are exempt(?)--they 'comply with current legislation,' which is part of the NCT's mandate. Am I anywhere near correct?

Right here's the official answer:

NCT_Manual_2010_P8 wrote:

NOTES
1. Owners of vehicles registered prior to 31 December 1990, have the option of converting their registration plates to the new format.
2. Vehicles first registered on or after 1 January 1991
For vehicles registered on or after 1 January 1991, letters and numbers must be black set against a white background of reflex reflective material. The flag of the European Communities, the Nationality Symbol, IRL, and the Irish language name of the City/County of registration to be shown. No other marks may appear on the plate. Any additional tabs, etc. outside the dimensions shown for the registration plate are not considered part of the plate.
3. Vehicles first registered on or after 1 January 1987
For vehicles registered on or after 1 January 1987, letters and numbers must be black set against a white background of reflex reflective material and minimum dimensions should be as shown in the sketches on page 09.
Vehicles first registered prior to 1 January 1987
Reflex Reflecting Registration Plates
Front registration plates should have black numbers and letters on a white background. Rear registration plates should have black numbers and letters on a red or white background.
4. Non-Reflex Reflecting Registration Plates
Front and rear registration plates should have white, silver or light grey numbers and letters on a black background.
5. Back Lit Registration Numbers and Letters
Where registration numbers and letters are back lit the letters and figures must, when illuminated during lighting-up hours appear white in the front identification mark and either white or red in the rear identification mark. At all other times they should appear white on a black background.
6. Dimensions for letters and numbers should be as shown in the sketch on page 9.
7. Where the indented space provided for the number plate is not sufficient to accommodate a standard size number plate, the registration plate and registration letters and numbers may be reduced in size relative to the space provided for the number plate.

So what it means is this for a ZV series plate:

a) You can have a modern "Euro" plate if you like, but don't have to.
b) You can have a plate in any of the specs listed in BLUE, but you can probably get away with modern (smaller) font sizes for the NCT, rather than the old jumbo lettering.
c) To the letter of the law, if you have a ZV and do not wish to display it on a modern "Euro" plate (or a pre-87 reg), you can display it as per the THIRD SCHEDULE of the ROAD VEHICLES (REGISTRATION AND LICENSING) REGULATIONS, 1982.which mentions the old 89mm character height not mentioned in the NCT Manual...

Hope this helps postdarwin, If you're still unsure, send over a picture...or post it on here (if you don't like flashing your reg, just knock the last two/three digits off).

(The spacing should be correct so ZV xxxx and not ZVx xxx )

postdarwin

Here's one of the plates done in a German zoll style with registration planchettes and Stuttgart seals. Added a hyphen before the final number, just for the hell of it. Going by your post, I'll have to stick regular plates on before the NCT! Darn.

Dades

postdarwin wrote: »

Here's one of the plates done in a German zoll style with registration planchettes and Stuttgart seals. Added a hyphen before the final number, just for the hell of it. Going by your post, I'll have to stick regular plates on before the NCT! Darn.

That is a smashing plate!

I want one for my 924 - where do I get one?

postdarwin

@Dades
I got them from Craigsplates via their sub-site german-number-plates.com. But you'll have to phone in the order anyway because it's a custom job. They have a pressing machine that seems to be able to print just about anything.

NB! I ordered mine by phone and 10 days went by so I phoned to check in. There was *no record* of the order. I ordered a second time and the plates never arrived--lost in the post? So I had to wait 25 working days for the order to be re-done. It took almost 60 days in all I think! Could be just my bad luck.

Anyway, the plates are top class and the stickers are available all over the net. I got mine on eBay for about €5 I think. Make sure you get the Stuttgart registration seals for Porsche.

There are two numbers on the side, though I've seen some with three. These can be anything you like (I chose my birthday). They mimic temporary plates issued in Germany for long-term visitors. Cost less than €50.

From Wikipedia:
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/75/Deutsches_Kurzzeit-KFZ-Kennzeichen.jpg

macplaxton

postdarwin wrote: »

Here's one of the plates done in a German zoll style with registration planchettes and Stuttgart seals..... I'll have to stick regular plates on before the NCT! Darn.

Nice, but regular plates for the test would be strongly advisable!

alpina

Have had a black plate, pressed silver #'s on the car since '04 & odly was never even mentioned in any NCT.
1st time, car was in the middle of the test when I noticed so expected a visual, but nothing at all...
2n 3rd 4th time just left as is & has never been mentioned...

PICT0010.JPG

postdarwin

Nice, but yours looks a lot more sober than mine. They'll definitely look twice at the 'German' plates. For the sake of a few minutes at NCT time, I'd rather avoid the questions and switch.

macplaxton

alpina wrote: »

Have had a black plate, pressed silver #'s on the car since '04 & odly was never even mentioned in any NCT.
1st time, car was in the middle of the test when I noticed so expected a visual, but nothing at all...
2n 3rd 4th time just left as is & has never been mentioned...

PICT0010.JPG

Why should they mention it? If you look at the NCT manual, the plate attached meets all the requirements of the NCT. (notes 4 & 6 above)

BeardyGit

foret wrote: »

Post 79 cars are going to be worth an awful lot less than pre 79 from now on even to the point of being unviable.

I tend to agree. Was considering a w123 1982 but the thoughts of NCT would put me off.
Classic cars are used on a infrequent basis and the hassle of taking of a workday for someone to tell you to come back for a minor issues would fry the mind.
Most are driven by mechanically aware individuals who love their motors and tend to them like fragile babies.
There are so many ways to tackle road deaths. My local pub car parked has 50 plus cars every Friday night. Never seen radomised breath taking in the locality. Sorry to diverge but Nct classics is a fig leaf : a PR stunt to imply road safety is improving from nanny-state initiatives

NCT Centre's test up to 9pm, and are open long hours on Saturday and Sunday too. Why would you need to take a day off work? Or are you just writing that to prop up an otherwise weak argument that's reading more like a tired old whine?

And if most classic car owners are mechanically aware and tend their cars like fragile babies, they'll have taken care of anything that'll cause an NCT failure. Just because a car is old, doesn't mean you've an excuse not to keep it in the condition it should be to share a public road with everyone else.

And lads, hate to have to point it out again, but at €50 a test they're really only covering costs - Serious profit won't be made on the few thousand 'classic's that are going to be pulled into the NCT each year - Hardly enough to prop up the exchequer in all fairness....

NCT's on post 79's are like cod liver oil - We know you hate even the idea, but it's good for you. Take the medicine....

And before you even think it, I'd be happy to have the NCT come due for earlier cars in the coming years, even on a sliding scale if they wanted. So my 79 would fall under an NCT requirement in a year, and my 76 in 4 years etc.

This fine weather has brought a lot of beautiful and well kept cars onto our roads. They're a real treat to see. But equally it's brought some 'polished turds' out too. I'd rather a system was used to qualify EVERYTHING that's allowed on our roads, not just modern cars and commercials. I want to see motorcycles tested along with the rest of the classics.

And I'll tell you something else - I bet there'd be more valid 'Fail - Dangerous' failures on the NCT for a lot of so called cherished classics than many of us might want to admit.

ianobrien

RoverCraft wrote: »

And I'll tell you something else - I bet there'd be more valid 'Fail - Dangerous' failures on the NCT for a lot of so called cherished classics than many of us might want to admit.

I agree with you there.....

mountai

Me too.Sick of all the whingers. About time the test was required on ALL classics.I see nothing wrong with the system in G.B. . You dont hear them moaning about it.As I said before "Would YOU buy a car in England without a current M. O. T."?????

Sam Russell

Well, if the test was reasonable and checked safety items, fine. But the test is designed to fail cars. 50% of cars fail the first time. Either 50% of cars are dangerous or the test is too extreme. (That is with cars that are required to be tested.)

There are plenty of complaints about cars being damaged in the test, particularly older cars, and deisels. Why do they require a disclaimer to be signed?

Most cars over twenty years old do not cover many miles, and not at high speed.

Why are cars under four years old exempt? A car does more than 60% of its lifetime mileage before it needs to be tested, giving plenty of time for clock winding back. (20,000 per year times 4 = 80,000 miles, few cars go much over 120,000 miles, and fewer record that many:).) A car with 80,000 has had many sets of tyres, brakes, needs suspension parts, engine overhauls come due. Lots of safety issues.

Cars kept in good condition, and maintained according to the makers recomendations will last forever, and testing these cars while young will have a greater impact on safety than testing classic cars. Cars should be tested every year until they are ten years old, then every two years. After thirty years, who cares.

IMHO.

macplaxton

Test them every year from 3. No bother with that as I've done it before when I lived in the UK.

Had the wife's car (2000 Pug 106) through a NCT twice now, but I do maintain it rather than let it go to rack and ruin.

2008, passed first time.
2010, passed second time (first time fail on n/s headlamp alignment)

(both done at Fonthill Rd)

Put my money where my mouth is? I will.

Would I buy a car in England (or Scotland, Wales or N.Ireland for that matter) without a current MOT? Certainly would if the car is any good and have done twice.

One had covered very few miles since it's last test and only had excessive play in the steering rack. No bother to fix. The rest of the car was very good condition. The second I took a punt on buying unseen with 14267 miles on the clock in 27 years. Got a mate to do the brake perishables and an exhaust downpipe. It flew threw the test such was the condition of the rest of the car.

Either test doesn't bother me as I know what the test requires and do my best to sort known things out before I present said vehicle for test. Now whilst not identical, they are much of a muchness. For instance in Ireland, brake efficiency has to be over 55%, in the UK it's 50%. On the other had brake imbalance permitted in Ireland is a whopping 30%, in the UK only 25% (which is still a lot IMO).

GetawayCars.ie

Hi all,

I have to put a 1920, 1925 and a 1930 car through the NCT every year, dont stress about it, any car that fails the NCT for serious faults (in regard to yours and others safety), by rights should not be on the road.

In the end it will weed out the scrap and make it safer and cheaper, for newcomers to get into the classic/vintage world.

P.

Esel

GetawayCars.ie wrote: »

I have to put a 1920, 1925 and a 1930 car through the NCT every year...

How come, seeing as pre-1980 cars are exempt?

macplaxton

esel wrote: »

How come, seeing as pre-1980 cars are exempt?

I think the clue is in the user name

They need to be as they were for public hire.

GetawayCars.ie

There are special rule for putting a vintage car through the test, among them. ( it is hard to get the full set of rules, testers are inclined to run when they see me come!)

1. The Tester does not drive the car through the test, the owner does.
2. Mainbeans only tested.
3. No 'shaker' plate.
4. No emmisions test.

Obviously things like brakes, lights, tyres and the general safety of the car are tested, but I welcome the test every year, as it assures me that I have not bodged anything.

alpina

mountai wrote: »

Me too.Sick of all the whingers. About time the test was required on ALL classics.I see nothing wrong with the system in G.B. . You dont hear them moaning about it.As I said before "Would YOU buy a car in England without a current M. O. T."?????

Before was made mandatory, I always believed that even when the NCT is up/exempt would be pretty narrow minded to ignore such from there on.., not that much to pay to get a relatively detailed report on one's car IMO Classic cars tend to come out in the nice weather/shows when the possibility of havivg family/kids also in the car with you, you want them riding in a death trap?